MEPA protects farmers from ODZ fireworks factories
James Debono The development of a fireworks factory in the countryside would pose a risk to farmers working on adjacent land, a case officer’s report calling for the refusal of an application to build a fireworks factory in ix-Xaghri tal-Isqof in Rabat.
The report invokes the Structure Plan’s policy which says development that constitutes “bad neighbourliness” or which has adverse effects on adjacent properties should be rejected.
The development of the fireworks factory outside development zones (ODZ) is being proposed by the Ghaqda Muzikali Santa Marija of Dingli.
But farmers working in the adjacent fields have objected to this development, claiming this poses a risk to their lives.
A report presented by an architect listed the fields sited in a 200-metre radius around the proposed factory and called on MEPA to give farmers the same protection enjoyed by residents in urban areas.
The report pointed out that in many instances, farmers spend more time in their fields than residents who work outside the home spend in their own dwellings.
The case officer also claims the “increased risk of using the surrounding area” would result in nearby farmers abandoning their land.
A second ODZ fireworks factory proposed on agricultural land in Rabat is also set for refusal following unfavourable recommendations by the Planning Directorate. The construction of the factory in the Tal-Qlejja valley, in the vicinity of Chadwick lakes, was deemed to violate the Structure Plan policy protecting rural conservation areas.
The Rabat local council had objected to locating a fireworks factory in a “recreational spot” and warned of the danger posed to farmers in the vicinity of the proposed factory. The council also has plans to develop an eco-tourism project in the area and is currently engaged in talks with the government to establish Wied il-Qlejja as a national park.
The Department of Agriculture also objected to the development, citing the negative impact on farmers tilling the fields in the area while the Malta Resources Authority objected due to the development’s proximity to the Tellerit borehole, which is used for the extraction of water for human consumption.
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