Motorsports track proposed in Ahrax quarry

An application presented by the Malta Motorsport Federation dating back to 2011 is proposing turning a disused quarry at Armier previously identified as a relocation site for the nearby illegal boathouses into a track for motorsports.

The application has not yet been validated by MEPA, which is still awaiting for submissions requested in a screening letter.

A recently completed Project Development Statement presented by the developers had been assessed by MEPA’s Environment Protection Directorate which has now decided that an Environment Impact Assessment should be conducted due to the project’s impact on the surrounding environment.

The area, known as the Barriera ta’ l-Ahrax (pictured), was previously identified for the relocation of the nearby illegal beach rooms.

16,000m squared of the site consists of a disused quarry and is currently being used for the dumping of seaweed by a government entity and other debris dumped by third parties.

The remaining 10,000mmetres of the site consists of pristine land, which is currently used for agricultural purposes.

The application is the subject of a screening document issued by the Environment Protection Directorate.

The proposal consists in remodelling the site to accommodate specialized branches of motor-sport, which do not require a smooth track.

The proposal area borders a number of caravan and camping sites as well as the boathouses in Armier and Little Armier.

The draft Marfa Action Plan presented in 2002 promotes the restoration and after use of the Ta’ l-Ahrax Quarry for beach rooms and boat storage purposes.

But in the screening document the EPD warns that the motor sport development will open up the Marfa area for new development commitments, other than those foreseen in the Marfa Action Plan.

“In this instance, there is the risk that such uses (beach rooms and boat storage) are relocated on pristine or undeveloped land within Marfa”.

The project would also preclude the restoration of the quarry which is described as a “scar in an otherwise rural landscape”.

The EPD concluded that the proposal qualifies for an EIA.

“Detailed screening indicated that the proposal is likely to have significant impacts on the land uptake, the after use of a disused quarry, on surrounding sensitive environmental and protected areas, and may have potentially important

consequential implications in terms of constraining future planning of the road junctions”.