Illegal Xewkija scrapyard with €50,000 in fines cleared by Planning Authority

A field in Xewkija converted illegally into a scrapyard was cleared by the Planning Authority this morning in a direction action.

Officers from the PA’s Compliance & Enforcement Directorate, accompanied by members of the Police Force moved in after the site occupier was warned, on several occasions, to fully abide by the instructions of the enforcement notices and clear out the site.

The large parcel of agricultural land at the periphery of the development zone boundary in Xewkija, Gozo, over the years was illegally converted into a scrapyard.

The illegal scrapyard, covering over 25,000 square metres of land in the area known as Tal-Ħniena, is subject to two enforcement notices, one of which carries a daily penalty which has reached a total of €50,000.

Over the years, the agricultural land was abusively turned into a dump yard, mostly comprising of dilapidated vehicles and parts thereof. Truckloads of dumped material have now started being carted away and will be transferred to licenced waste management facilities.

The operation will entirely clear the illegally dumped material and return the land to its original state, all at full expense of the contravenor. The PA said dilapidated vehicles and other similar waste can only be disposed of in a responsible manner in licensed waste facilities.