Gaffarena in another bid to regularise Qormi petrol station

Johann Gaffarena has presented yet another application to regularise illegal additions to a fuel station in Qormi despite multiple failed attempts.

The petrol station along Luqa Road was originally approved in 2006. However, the owners failed to stick to the approved plans, adding an entire extra floor and a basement not covered by the permit, among other breaches.

In 2008, an enforcement order was issued by the Planning Authority (PA), and the Gaffarenas were ordered to remove the illegalities before they could start operations. However, the family ignored the order and began operating the petrol station.

They continued to do so until 2009, when PA inspectors returned to the site, this time sealing off the petrol station and closing it down.

But in 2014, the PA took the unprecedented step of granting the Gaffarenas a “temporary permit” for three years, which included a condition that the station either be sanctioned or the illegalities removed.

The Gaffarenas filed an application to sanction the development, which was unanimously turned down by the Planning Board in March 2017, as it was found to be in breach of the policy regulating petrol stations. The policy limits the height of fuel stations to 7m.

The PA also argued that the proposal could not be considered further unless the illegal development, “consisting of extension to the built footprint and additional building height and basement”, was first removed.

A planning appeal against this decision dragged on for four years but was eventually turned down in 2021.

The new application once again envisages the sanctioning of the petrol station as built. This includes the sanctioning of the basement garage, a ground-floor showroom, and first-floor offices, as well as the construction of a boat storage facility, six car washes, and a drying area. The application also foresees the demolition of stairwells at roof level, the opra morta, and the re-levelling of the road behind the fuel station.

In its first reaction to the application, the Environment and Resources Authority said that it was not objecting in principle to the proposal. However, it noted that the existing petrol station is not compliant with environmental requirements, as an environmental permit has not been submitted. Prior to proceeding with the application, the applicant was urged to submit an environmental permit.