PA board should refuse db Group’s ITS site development ‘in no uncertain terms’, NGOs and local councils say

Three local councils and twelve non-governmental organisations yesterday spoke out against the proposed development by the db Group on the former ITS site, saying that the Planning Authority (PA) should refuse the proposal in “no uncertain terms” due to the long list of harmful consequences that it would bring.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, prior to the PA board decision on the application which will be taken this Thursday, the local councils and NGOs said that their campaign against the development had been triggered by the alarm of thousands of residents who see the project as an imminent threat to their basic quality of life.

The project, which proposes a 17-storey hotel and a 38-storey tower on the ITS site, has courted controversy every since its announcement. Last February, Pembroke residents along with the local councils of Pembroke, St Julian’s and Swieqi and a number of NGOs led a campaign called “Do Not Bury Us Alive” in protest against the project and the impact it would have on residents and the surrounding environment if it were to be approved.

During the press conference yesterday, several points pertaining to the project were raised. These included the fact that the residential areas across the road from the development would be thrown into “almost permanent darkness” due to the shadow of the buildings and that it could bring an “ecological disaster” as the works will be carried out on top of Ħarq Ħammiem Cave – which is designated as an area of ecological and scientific importance.

The developer’s impact assessment identifies an adverse impact on the cave, the groups commented, while the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) also pointed out in its own report that it was impossible to ascertain the full extent of the projects impact due to a lack of a master plan for the area.

Another argument brought up

was the influx of vehicle traffic that the project will cause; an influx calculated to be of around 7,000 car trips daily. Developers have stated that this traffic problem can be addressed through the construction of a tunnel; however the groups pointed out that the tunnel is not part of the current application and would hence need to be submitted and approved separately. Thus, they said, the tunnel is in effect “inexistent and cannot be considered when discussing this project.” They also added that the tunnel, if built, would primarily serve the needs of db Group and would not adequately address the traffic problem in the surrounding areas.

They also stressed that the proposed high-rise is not in line with the Floor Area Ratio policy, both in terms of the number of roads needed around the developed site and in terms of the requirement that 50 per cent of the site is to be public open space. They noted that the PA’s own Design Advisory Committee had described the project as “out of scale within its context.”

Mayor of Pembroke Dean Hili said that the position of the local council was always to defend the interest of its residents, and in that respect they will be voting against the project on Thursday. Hili commented that the interest of everyone was paramount over the interest of the few, but said that even if the project is approved, it should be done so with “serious” measures which address the damage that will be done.

Guido Dalli, the mayor of St Julian’s, meanwhile said that if the project were to be approved, it would be the “beginning of the end for Pembroke,” and appealed also to the political representatives of both parties on the PA board to forget about party interests and to vote with conscience in favour of the residents of Pembroke.

Swieqi Mayor Noel Muscat, meanwhile, focused on traffic, saying that there were already major traffic problems in the area and that this project would only contribute to them further. He noted that there were already 14 schools and four sports clubs in Pembroke which created a traffic blockage in the area at specific hours; “let alone what such a project would do.” Muscat said that the tunnel would not solve these problems as it would still converge on one bottleneck; Regional Road. He said that other huge projects in the immediate vicinity which are yet to be completed must also be taken into consideration when this decision is made.

Andre Callus, who spoke on behalf of the NGOs, noted that not a single entity or organisation has taken a stand in favour of this project , and that the number of objections to the development – which exceeds 4,500 – is a record. He said that with these facts in mind, the PA’s decision on Thursday was also about “respecting democratic principle.”

He questioned whether the PA would vote in favour of the interests of “a wealthy developer whose project will negatively impact everyone else” or whether it would vote to “safeguard the interests of the people and the environment”.

Callus appealed to the public to attend Thursday’s hearing, saying that he had been told that the PA was sending e-mails saying that the hall was fully booked. Callus said that this was not the case, and that every single one of the 4,500-plus objectors had the legal right to be present to air their views on the project.

The local councils taking part in this press conference were those of Pembroke, St Julian’s and Swieqi, while the NGOs were Moviment Graffitti, Flimkien Għal-Ambjent Aħjar, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Nature Trust (Malta), Ramblers’ Association, Friends of the Earth (Malta), Birdlife Malta, Bicycle Advocacy Group (BAG), The Mindful Warriors, Żminijietna – Voice of the Left, Attard Residents Environmental Network (AREN), and Kamp Emerġenza Ambjent.