Developer eyes ODZ bungalow complex behind Xemxija fire station
A developer is hoping to build a gated compound of 12 bungalows on ODZ land right behind the Xemxija fire station, capitalising on the site's status as disturbed land and the controversial 2014 rural policy that facilitates redevelopment of such properties [1].
The outline plans, submitted under reference PA/3389/09, cover most of what had once been a British Petroleum plant in the area known as ix-Xagħra tal-Kortin [1]. The application is currently finalising screening, coming just as the Planning Authority issued a permit for another ODZ bungalow complex on disturbed land – the touristic complex planned on the Garden of Eden site in Żurrieq [1].
A site with history
Since the 1990s, a small corner of the approximately 30,000 square metre site has housed what remains the only fire station in the north of Malta – the Civil Protection Department's Fire Station 3 [1]. However, plans to develop the rest of the former BP plant have been in the works for years.
The development application's number reveals that the present application was first submitted way back in 2009, though the original plans were considerably different [1]. Back then, applicant Raymond Vassallo had proposed creating a "health farm," plans which were deemed strongly objectionable by the natural heritage panel of the Heritage Advisory Committee – a committee the government abolished in 2015 as part of a controversial planning reform [1].
What's being proposed now?
The new proposal divides most of the site into 12 bungalow plots, with a passage passing through them [1]. An "administration building" is planned at the corner of the site accessible by road, positioned right next to the fire station entrance, complete with a security office and gate [1].
Whilst the publicly-available plans don't clarify whether the bungalows are meant to be residential or touristic, they appear residential in nature, with no explicit touristic facilities and each planned bungalow set to have its own basement garage [1].
It is not immediately clear whether the site is owned by Vassallo, the government or someone else, as the applicant's ownership details are specified in an application form which in this case is not available since it was made in 2009 [1].
The BP legacy
The site, located on a hilltop between Xemxija Bay and Mistra Bay, had been leased to British Petroleum in the late 1950s during the company's first oil exploration efforts in Malta [1]. These efforts were triggered by the discovery of oil less than 100km away – the 1953 discovery in the late Triassic Noto formation [1].
In 1955, petroleum mining concessions were granted to BP covering Malta's entire land area, and the company drilled four test holes in the late 1950s at Għar Lapsi, Naxxar and Żabbar – all without success [1]. The Xemxija plant was designed around the possibility of finding oil offshore, complete with multiple large oil storage tanks and a pipe leading to the sea [1].
The search for Maltese oil proved elusive, and the facility was abandoned after about 15 years, with oil storage moving to Marsaxlokk Bay [1]. The storage tanks have since been dismantled, though their foundations remain, and some buildings from the complex still survive in derelict state, as does the extensive boundary wall [1].
What happens next?
No consulting bodies have yet given their feedback on the planned complex, but the application is set to be published in the 1 April edition of the Government Gazette [1]. Any objections by NGOs or members of the public will need to be made by 21 April, according to the PA website [1].