Win For Mġarr Residents: Plans For Massive Solar Farm On Arable ODZ Land Withdrawn
Plans for a controversial solar farm on ODZ land in Mġarr were withdrawn yesterday, leading to a massive win for the rural town’s residents and beyond.
Solar farms were being planned to be constructed on top of greenhouses, directly affecting the middle of Mġarr proper, locally known as Tar-Ragħad, with Żebbiegħ on one side, Binġemma and Ta’ Mrejnu on the other.
It was set to impact around six football fields worth of arable land – that’s 43,000sqm.
Lovin Malta had first written about the case back in 2021, with multiple protests ensuing following the surfacing of the development application.
Activists have already celebrated the news, with Moviment Graffitti having been the pressure group leading the fight against the development.
“Moviment Graffitti together with the town’s residents, consistently campaigned against the plans – roughly the size of six football pitches – due to the negative impact they would have on the land, which has natural, agricultural, historical and social value,” the NGO said on social media following the win.
“While renewable energy is the way forward, solar panels should not be placed on arable land, and should instead be installed on industrial land and the roofs of car parks and public buildings,” they reteriated, which was one of the main arguments made throughout the dispute.
Such a development could have set a dangerous precedent for arable land, opening up Malta’s limited agricultural spaces to being completely taken over.
What do you make of this withdrawal?
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