No need of EIA for ODZ warehouses

Din l-Art Helwa is objecting to the proposed industrial use of the disused quarry because the land in question is classified as an agricultural area and therefore should be rehabilitated for agricultural use.

Part of the quarry site earmarked for an industrial warehouses area
Part of the quarry site earmarked for an industrial warehouses area

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority has exempted from the need of an Environmental Impact Assessment the proposed development of 22 industrial warehouses and a parking area for 111 cars over three levels set on 7,800 square metres of land in a disused quarry.

Din l-Art Helwa is objecting to the proposed industrial use of the disused quarry because the land in question is classified as an agricultural area and therefore should be rehabilitated for agricultural use.

The site is owned by Maurizio Baldacchino, a shareholder in Baldacchino Holdings Limited, which owns the San Lawrenz resort in Gozo and other property developments.

The proposed development is located in a disused soft-stone quarry located in an Outside Development Zone (ODZ) area lying between the Mqabba and Kirkop residential zone.

The proposed site is designated as an agricultural area by the South Malta Local Plan, lies within the aquifer protection zone and falls under the South Malta Local Plan policy.

A screening report by MEPA acknowledges the project may have potential risks of oil leaks and accidental spillages from construction vehicles, albeit these are expected to be minor. Potential spillages during the construction phase can be mitigated through the proper application of appropriate mitigation measures identified in the Environmental Management Construction Site Regulations, 2007, combined with other standard permit safeguards for industrial developments. 

One of MEPA’s justifications for exempting the development from an EIA was that the site for the proposed development is located in an area which already includes quarrying and industrial activities. 

The application also foresees the building of football grounds in the same area but no reference was made to this in a project development statement submitted to MEPA, on the basis of which the project was exempted from an EIA.