The St Paul’s Bay local council is objecting to a proposed supermarket on ODZ land in Burmarrad and wants Infrastructure Malta to revise plans for a new roundabout the "would increase traffic".

The council also wants assurance from the authority that roadworks “will not impact, in any way” a hand-dug 500-year-old reservoir, a source of water for neighbouring fields.

Meant to serve as a “traffic-calming measure”, the roundabout is planned for a main road at the crossroads next to a proposed Bonnici Brothers supermarket.

The supermarket application was submitted in 2018 but was suspended for two years until the roadworks were announced.

Moviment Graffitti is lobbying against the roundabout, saying plans showed it would invade the area of the reservoir and at least 5,600 objections have been filed against it.

Farmers say they have not received a guarantee that the reservoir and the natural stream supplying it with water will not be damaged.

Simple vibrations could easily damage the old reservoir, while also polluting the rest of the water supply for farmers from Burmarrad to Salini, according to objectors.

Farmers say they have not received a guarantee that the reservoir and the natural stream supplying it with water will not be damaged. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Transport Minister Ian Borg has said the reservoir will “not be destroyed” and the roundabout has nothing to do with the supermarket.

But Moviment Graffitti said drawings which IM submitted to the Planning Authority clearly showed that the proposed roundabout would “invade” an area currently occupied by the reservoir. 

In a meeting held earlier this month, St Paul’s Bay councillors unanimously voted to call on IM to revise its plans for the roundabout, which would “increase traffic and travelling time”.

The council is also against a built-out (pavement) planned for in front of an existing showroom as this could create “unnecessary danger to drivers”.

It is meanwhile calling for the installation of belisha lights close to Sqaq Ċampra and for several dangerous walls and pavements to be replaced.

The motion was moved by councillor Carlos Zarb and seconded by Mayor Alfred Grima while councillors Graziella Galea and Paul Bugeja declared a conflict of interest and did not take part in the discussion.

Separately, Grima also moved a motion, approved unanimously, objecting to the proposed supermarket on ODZ land.

Grima noted the supermarket application followed a separate one to sanction illegal development nearby.

He said the PN councillors had back then, voted in favour of sanctioning, which encouraged other developers to submit more applications for ODZ land.