Malta’s first crematorium approved in principle despite Paola council objection

The Planning Authority has approved the principle of having a crematorium on agricultural land next to the Addolorata cemetery.

But key environmental studies, including the dispersion model that will determine chimney height, remain pending before a full permit can be issued.

The Planning Authority has approved the project in principle in a 9-1 vote, with Paola Local Council representative Jesmond Mugliett voting against, while an emissions dispersion study will determine the chimney height before a full permit can be issued.

The Planning Authority has issued an outline permit for a proposed crematorium at Tal-Ħorr in Paola, paving the way for Malta’s first crematorium but leaving several important technical issues to be resolved before construction can start.

The permit establishes a crematorium and ancillary facilities are acceptable at the site in principle. It does not authorise construction.

The applicant will still have to submit a full development application containing detailed plans and the technical studies required for the final permit.

One of the main outstanding issues is an emissions dispersion study. This will establish how emissions from the crematorium would disperse in the surrounding area and determine the appropriate height of the chimney.

Scerri report raises environmental concerns

The decision follows a detailed report by leading environmental scientist Dr Mark Scerri, commissioned by the Paola Local Council, which raised a series of concerns about the information available on the crematorium’s potential environmental impact.

Scerri questioned the proposed mercury emission limit of 0.1 mg/Nm³, noting that this was twice the 0.05 mg/m³ limit cited in ERA guidance. He also pointed to the lack of clearly specified averaging periods for the proposed emission concentrations.

The report described the absence of specific limits for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are carcinogenic, as a “significant omission”.

More broadly, Scerri argued that no dispersion and deposition modelling had established how emissions would affect local air quality or where pollutants could accumulate around the site.

He raised concerns about the long-term deposition of persistent pollutants including mercury, dioxins, arsenic, lead, cadmium and PAHs, noting that no baseline soil data had been provided against which future accumulation could be assessed.

Scerri also questioned the assumptions used to estimate emissions from each cremation, including the use of a five-hour period. His report examined the possible cumulative impact of emissions over the lifetime of the facility rather than only whether individual emission concentrations complied with prescribed limits.

Other issues included the possible release of pollutants from medical implants and radioactive substances, the potential impact of non-combustible prostheses on the cremation chamber, and the absence of a clear framework for monitoring cumulative pollution.

The report also noted that crematoria are not covered by Malta’s EIA regulations and that EU industrial emissions and BAT requirements do not directly apply to the facility.

Applicant disputes findings

The applicant’s response, prepared by crematorium consultant Lee Snashfold, disputes Scerri’s interpretation of the mercury limit and the assumptions used in his emissions calculations. The consultants argue that the proposed filtration system is designed to comply with ERA requirements and agree that an emissions dispersion model should be carried out at the full development application stage.

Mugliett votes against

The Paola Local Council represented by architect and former Minister Jesmond Mugliett, referred to the designation of the area in question as ‘a strategic open gap’ where new buildings are not normally allowed. 

He also referred to emission problems in the area which often results in unexplained odours, noting that facilities like the abattoir incinerator still cause problems despite being covered by permits.  He also insisted that if project is approved the list of reserved matters to be determined at full permit stage should be more stringent.

Mugliett voted against the outline permit on Thursday, making him the sole dissenting member in the 9-1 decision.

The application was first submitted in 2021, following an earlier crematorium proposal for the same Tal-Ħorr area which was refused in 2018.

Malta subsequently introduced the legal framework for cremation and adopted specific planning guidance for standalone crematoria.

Applicant’s architect Robert Musumeci defended the decision to proceed with an outline permit, arguing that the current application is concerned with establishing whether a crematorium is acceptable in principle rather than determining all its technical details. He also harped on the project being in the “national interest” as recognised by the PA’s own advisory panel on agricultural issues.

The Agriculture Advisory Committee initially objected to the loss of land but eventually cleared the project after an agronomist’s report concluded the site has low agricultural value. The committee further acknowledged the national interest of such infrastructure, noting that crematoria often require rural locations to maintain necessary buffer distances from residential zones.

Under Article 71 of Malta’s Development Planning Act, an outline development permission “gives approval in principle to the proposed development” while specifying matters that must be dealt with in the subsequent full development permit. It therefore creates a planning commitment to the principle of the development, but it is not a commitment that the full permit must automatically be granted.

The proposed facility includes a cremation chamber, mortuary, cold room, multipurpose hall, offices, columbaria and underground parking.

The project is being developed by Active Group Limited. The project would take up 7,800sq.m of agricultural land, although the proposed building itself would have a footprint of just under 500sq.m.