Hundreds of residents protest at plans for Luqa warehouses

More than 400 Luqa residents are opposing plans to build warehouses and a solar array instead of a large farm outside the development zone at the edge of Wied il-Kbir. The farm in Ħal Farruġ, across the road from the St Vincent de Paul home for the elderly and a small residential community, includes some 13,000 square metres of virgin land – nearly the size of two football pitches – and is within the limits of a valley system protected under various planning policies. An application submitted to the Planning Authority, which closes to public consultation today, seeks to demolish the farm and excavate the site to build a complex of warehouses and a car park, with a solar farm covering the roof of the parking area and warehouses. Although the application says the built-up area will remain the same as the existing buildings, published plans show that most of the rest of the site will be taken up by the parking area, internal roads and landscaping. Moreover, residents who objected to the plans claim the farm is still active, and not “disused” as stated in the application, a distinction with policy implications. Hundreds of residents, many from the adjacent streets, have submitted...