Birzebbuga residents breathe a sigh of relief

Many residents of Birzebbuga and its environs breathed a collective sigh of relief on Thursday when the Planning Authority’s board unanimously took a vote in their favour, for a change, and refused an application for yet another industrial facility in their vicinity.

And the reasons behind that sigh of relief were twofold. First is the fact that the PA’s board turned down yet another oil storage facility, this one on a large expanse of arable and Outside development Zone land.

Secondly, residents have finally seen a positive decision in their respect emanating from the PA after they have been burdened with a significant amount of industrial activity – from the Freeport to the power station across the bay in Marsaxlokk, and from the LNG tanker to the Enemalta facilities located right smack in the middle of their neighbourhoods.

The application, which had been had been on the cards since 2010 and which was steadfastly refused by the locality’s residents and its local council, pertained to the construction of a land-based oil storage terminal complete with jetties for large vessels, pipelines and other facilities on 125,000 square metres of largely arable land next to the Freeport.

The Birzebbuga council had argued that the locality could not possibly take on yet another

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oil terminal as the impact of other industrial facilities, such as the Freeport, had already been substantial.

Even more concerning is that despite the fact that the application had been lodged for the last eight years, not a single risk assessment study had been carried out on the possibility of harmful impacts on the environment and on the safety of nearby residents as required by the Seveso Directive.

All in all, it is to this government’s credit that things in Birzebbuga are looking up, although some may more cynically say that the government is making good for the LNG tanker controversy.

But then again, let us not forget that the fifth district in which Birzebbuga lies is very much Labour Party heartland.

While the last government saw to the decommissioning of both the Enemalta gas bottling plant, located next door to residences, this government is in the midst of closing down the fuel depot in the locality and to relocate it to Has Saptan.

The Prime Minister had also recently pronounced that the Freeport should not be allowed to expand further inland. When the Prime Minister came up with that announcement, he may very well have been referring to this project in particular. Of course, the Prime Minister is correct to say that no more expansions should be allowed behind the Freeport, but something did not quite add up.

What Birzebbuga residents had always been against is the expansion of the Freeport into the bay itself, into the town’s swimming area and the latest permit bringing the smokestacks of some of the world’s largest container ships outside their bedroom windows.

The issue has never been about where the Freeport expands behind the complex. Yes, the operations of the Freeport have a considerable impact on the residents of Birzebbuga, but that impact comes mainly from shore-side operations, which cause considerable noise and light pollution to the entire town.

Even along these lines, it seems that discussions between the local council and the Freeport operators have yielded some results, and noise and light pollution from the port have abated to a certain, but not a complete, extent.

This latest decision from the Planning Authority was not only the right decision, but it also fits into the overall regeneration of the town that has borne the brunt of much of the country’s success over recent decades, and into the new type of attention that is being given to the once serene, tranquil seaside village.