ODZ relocation proposed for Ta’ Xbiex petrol station

A planning application seeking the relocation of a fuel station from Testaferrata Street in Ta’ Xbiex to undeveloped land between Attard and Żebbuġ has been submitted.

The application (PA 961/26) proposes the relocation to a 1,000sq.m site along Mdina Road between Attard and Żebbuġ, in an area known as Ta’ San Martin.

The proposal, submitted by Charles Mifsud, includes a petrol station with a car wash, workshop, small retail outlet and staff facilities.

A similar application had been filed on the same site in 2018, when the proposed development covered a larger area of around 3,000sq.m. That application was submitted under a more permissive policy regulating fuel stations in Outside Development Zones (ODZ). The policy was replaced by a more restrictive framework in 2020.

At the time, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) had objected to the proposal, citing the take-up of rural and undeveloped land for urban and commercial uses. The authority warned that such development would contribute to the further deterioration of the surrounding landscape.

Although the land is not currently tilled, it is classified as “agricultural” on the Planning Authority’s public information system. In contrast, the application describes the site as “vacant”, while the submitted plans refer to it as “barren land”.

Current policy regulating the relocation of urban petrol stations to ODZ sites limits such developments to plots of no more than 1,000sq.m. It also explicitly prohibits petrol stations on land identified as agricultural by the Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC), which advises the Planning Authority on rural development applications.

Relocations are only considered on sites that are already legitimately committed to non-agricultural uses.