Lands Department will not issue permit for Qawra bumping cars track

The Lands Department will not be issuing a permit for a bumping cars track on a tract of garigue land in Qawra, MaltaToday has learnt.

The decision was taken despite the Environment and Planning Commission's go ahead which found no objection for the setting up of the track.

The track would have been set up in an area owned by government with a protected maritime status.

Ironically, the EPC year-long permit was issued to the amusement park owners after imposing a number of strict conditions on the nearby national aquarium development, given the area's protected maritime status.

MaltaToday is also informed that the Lands Department objected to the permit in light of a contractual agreement between the government and the Malta National Aquarium owners.

This permit agreement stipulates that no commercial permit is issued within the 20-metre 'buffer zone'. The buffer zone itself is an area of ecological importance.

The amusement park workers were seen on Saturday cutting an indigenous plant, known as Salicornia, in the protected maritime zone.