The construction of a manufacturing and storage facility at Eccles by Lucky Star Trading, which is at the centre of an alleged flipping of state lands, has been exempted from the requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The waiver of the EIA was made on the grounds that the project will not significantly affect the environment and is not located in an environmentally sensitive area. However, the EPA said its decision was in no way an indication that the project was approved.
The EPA said the project was exempted from the EIA given that the manufacturing of windows, doors, floor decking and zinc sheets will be done in an enclosed environment, thereby reducing the emission of pollutants related to air, water and noise. The project, it added, was earmarked for a designated industrial area and will have limited impact on human health and the environment. Furthermore, the environment regulator stated that the project not being located in an area with special environment attributes that require special care of the ecosystem or habitants with species at risk, was grounds for it to be exempted.