MEPA’s Environment and Planning Commission has today referred the planning application for the proposed Lidl supermarket development in Xewkija to the Directorate.

It said that because of the square footage size of the proposed supermarket a retail impact assessment needed to be carried out.

In a previous hearing, Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar said that it also raised the point that MEPA regulations recommend that a retail impact assessment is carried out for the opening of large supermarkets such as this one in Gozo, “however this was ignored by the MEPA EPC board, in spite of the fact that this supermarket will have a significant impact both on other retail outlets in Gozo and on local residents, especially elderly residents, who will be most affected by the closure of small local grocers.”

The environment groups Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar (FAA), Friends of the Earth Malta, Gozo University Group, Malta Organic Agriculture Movement, Nature Trust Malta and Ramblers’ Association of Malta said in a statement yesterday about the previous postponement that “the decision on this case was deferred in spite of the fact that members of MEPA’s Environment and Planning Commission found that the site was too small to accommodate an outlet this size, with adequate parking and maneuvering space.”

“Still a professional traffic safety audit has not taken place even though EU regulations require such an audit for such a public structure, especially since trailers and customers’ vehicles will enter and exit the store head-on into oncoming vehicles. This will obviously create confusion and danger, considering the continuous flow of traffic on this busy main road which carries all traffic between Victoria, Nadur and Xaghra,” the NGOs also said.

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