Solar greenhouses the size of a football pitch approved

An area greater than a football pitch – which will be visible from Mdina – will be covered by glass houses roofed by solar panels in the Buqana area at Rabat.

On Friday the Planning Authority approved another 1,600 square metres of additional solar panels to the 3,720 square metres approved a year ago.  

The solar panels will be developed on 11 6.5 metre high greenhouses, (four of which were approved last Friday), by Romano Cassar Limited, a florist company.

The Environment Planning Commission justified its latest decision by saying that the “site is already committed with a previous permit for the same development” and by referring to a policy encouraging the economic growth of the farming sector.

But the case officer had described the application as “a piecemeal one” which should not be “retroactively considered in view of the previous commitment on site” created by the first permit. 

The Environment and Resources Authority had also objected to the development in its entirety.

The case officer, who had also called for a refusal, insisted that the additional four greenhouses to the seven already approved last year  “cannot be favorably considered since the area is scheduled as an Area of High Landscape Value” and the proposed glass houses  “would further visually dominate and disrupt the surrounding area, particularly affecting long distance views”.