A Monster In Mons Mikiel Azzopardi Street: Siġġiewi Residents Protest Fuel Station Proposal
Residents of Mons Mikiel Azzopardi Street in Siġġiewi have come up in arms against a proposed fuel station bang in front of their homes.
Over 100 submissions were presented against the project before the planning process closed yesterday and residents have also engaged architectural firm Atelier Maison to present a detailed report in objection to the development.
The proposal involves the relocation of a fuel station from St Nicholas Square in the heart of Siġġiewi to an ODZ area a few metres away from a residential area.
Incidentally, the developer’s architect is George Pullicino, former Minister for Planning and Environment in the last Nationalist administration.
However, Perit Katja Abela, writing on behalf of the residents, warned that the proposed development won’t be a mere relocation as the new fuel station will also include amenities such as a servicing garage, an office, shop, a car wash and an ATM.
Indeed, the proposal wis seeking to increase the 160sqm area currently occupied by the fuel station to 1600sqm – ten times as much.
“Therefore, it is our professional opinion that the proposal description should include the extension of facilities and not just the relocation. The current proposal description is misleading”, Abela said.
Moreover, Abela warned that the application falls foul of the fuel stations policy, which states that fuel stations shouldn’t be built on sites whose boundaries are closer than 15m from the nearest Development Zone boundary. In this case, the boundaries of the site are just 13.5m away from the Development Zone Boundary.
Citing the local plans, she added that the site falls within an area that requires an environment management plan for Wied Xkora, within the Valley Protection Zone and within the 100m buffer zone of the groundwater safeguard area.
She warned that the development will also leave a great impact on the air and noise pollution of the area, which is regularly used by pedestrians. The proposal does not cater for pedestrians and therefore it will disrupt patterns of everyday users resulting on a social impact on the residents of Siġġiewi.
The proposed site is also just across the road from a Dar Tal Providenza Community Live-In Home for people with special needs and less than 150m from a recreational area known as Wesgħat il-Palazz, therefore the fuel station will generate air pollution in an area frequented by a vulnerable population.
“No report was submitted justifying the choice of the site. It is our professional opinion that the site was chosen based on financial, logistical and geographical reasons due to its strategic location,” the architect said. As a matter of fact, a considerable extension is being proposed to the existing uses.”
The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), the Design Advisory Committee, the Agricultural Advisory Committee and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage have all expressed their positions against the proposal. Siġġiewi residents have also set up a Facebook Group protesting the development where updates and news coverage are posted on a regular basis.