MEPA board refuses permit for construction of bus depot in Zebbug

The MEPA Board concluded that, while it appreciates that this facility is important for the public as part of the public transport reform, the proposed sight of almost 9,300 square metres is “virgin land which need not be sacrificed, when alternative sites which have already been disturbed can be sought,” it said in a statement.

The proposed depot is a necessary development for the over 200 bus fleet due to start operating throughout the Maltese Islands this July.

The proposed bus depot included the construction of bus parking facilities, a bus maintenance shed, a bus washing facility, underground reservoirs, ancillary offices and landscaping.

In its statement, MEPA also announced the approval of planning permission for the construction of a retail block at Smart City in Kalkara. In accordance with the areas’s masterplan, it will be located in the south eastern part of the site.

It is designed on two floors with a feature in the middle and a waterfall.