PA kicks off process to remove Żejtun farmland from Bulebel

The Planning Authority has opened a public consultation on a proposal to formally remove a stretch of Żejtun farmland from the boundaries of the Bulebel industrial estate, closing off the possibility of industrial expansion onto agricultural land caught in planning limbo since 1988. The farmland was drawn into the Bulebel estate's boundaries that year, technically opening the door to future industrial development even though the land — like the existing Bulebel factories — sits outside the development zone.

The 2006 South Malta Local Plan tried to put the brakes on automatic expansion, recommending that studies into the land's agricultural value be completed before any additional industrial development could be approved, but the underlying 1988 designation remained in place. Local NGO Wirt iż-Żejtun spent years campaigning to have the farmland protected, backed by the Żejtun local council.

In March 2018, the group brought a formal safeguarding proposal to the Parliamentary Committee for Environment and Development, which accepted it — but no concrete action followed for several years. Cabinet took the decision to direct a partial review of the 2015 Strategic Plan for Environment and Development (SPED) at last Tuesday's meeting — described as the first cabinet meeting of the current legislature.

The Planning Authority has now begun that process, which would exclude the land from the Bulebel industrial area. The PA's consultation map shows that most, but not all, of the farmland at the southeast of the Bulebel estate would be removed from its boundaries. mt.

The deadline for submissions is 3 July.