Tribunal orders permit for alternative energy

A permit to build two 20-metre high tower turbines and solar panels on private property in Żejtun has been granted by the Environment and Planning Tribunal. The applicant resorted to the tribunal after the Malta Environment and Planning Authority turned down a request to install the turbines and 141 square metres of solar panels to generate electricity for agricultural and domestic use. The planning authority said there was “no valid justification” because there were no structures on site such as a school or farm. It ruled that the proposed project would also breach a planning policy to protect and enhance areas of scenic value. It would also “compromise” the outcome of a guidance document for micro wind turbines, which stipulated that tower-mounted turbines in outside scheme areas should be built close to large buildings. The applicant’s architect pointed out that the site in question included a villa and sprawled over 17 tumoli. His client wanted the turbines and panels to venture into an “agricultural enterprise”. Since there “is no approved planning guidance, it is very easy to dismiss all applications without even looking at them on the basis” that they would compromise the...