PN MP Rebekah Cilia has strongly spoken out against the controversial Mġarr solar farms project during a speech addressing parliament.

The plans in question, which would occupy around 43,000 sqm of arable land, were met with widespread opposition from residents of the area, who warned that the development would be detrimental to the locality.

“In parliament, I spoke about the application for a solar farm project on agricultural land in Mġarr. I feel it is my duty to convey the complaints of the residents that I am here to represent,” Cilia wrote in a social media post. 

“We cannot afford to lose more ground than we have already lost. Development on agricultural land is never a sustainable solution, especially for a small country like ours,” she appealed. 

“I hope that common sense will reign and that we will not continue to witness the destruction of the last few untouched areas we have in our country,” she said. 

After the Planning Authority shot down the application for a solar farm on arable land, the developer filed an appeal, in hopes of having the project approved.

The solar farm, proposed by Electrofix owners Joseph Schembri and Christian Micallef, would see thousands of solar panels erected on a large tract of agricultural land.

It proved to be extremely controversial among residents in the area, also posing a massive danger to a World Heritage UNESCO site.

As it stands, the Rural Policy does not allow solar farms on agricultural land, and it suggests that they are ideally constructed in abandoned quarries or roofs.

However, the developers are trying to go around this requirement by stating in their appeal that the solar panels will be built on greenhouses that will be used to grow “extensive amounts” of crops, as well as snails, for sale. 

What do you make of Cilia’s appeal?