Adi Associates Environmental Consultants Ltd

Client: Vassallo Concrete Services Ltd

Start / Finish Dates:  May – October 2014

This development comprises the construction of a complex of 19 warehouses for storage and light manufacturing, common administration office and underground car parking. The site, located in Naxxar, has been used for the production and supply of ready-mix concrete and other building supplies for over 30 years. The project will result in the removal of the existing stone crushing and batching plant, including the demolition of the existing structures, and the construction of an industrial park.
Adi Associates assisted the client by preparing a Project Description Statement (PDS), a risk assessment in relation to groundwater supply, and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) exemption application.

The PDS described the project and identified the potential environmental impacts that may arise during construction and operation. Mitigation measures were also described to minimise these impacts, which included adoption of best practice construction site environmental measures throughout construction, landscaping of the valley side, and site containment during operation. Following a review of the PDS and EIA exemption application, MEPA concluded that an EIA was not required, since the proposal is unlikely to have significant environmental effects.

The groundwater risk assessment was prepared on request from the Malta Resources Authority (MRA). It outlined the potential threats to groundwater pollution and clarified the mitigation measures to be put in place as part of the project so as to minimise risks to the groundwater supply. These included provision of a concrete surface with a self-healing hydrocarbon resistant membrane underlay in all areas, as well as a surface water management system. These mitigation measures are considered to reduce the operational risk to groundwater to acceptable levels.