Residents, NGOs, local councillors gather against db ITS project

Julian Bonnici Residents, local councils and NGOs gathered to express their concerns that the project proposed by the db Group on the former ITS site, which will consist of a 37-storey residential tower and a 19-storey resort, will have significant adverse effects on the infrastructure and environment of the surrounding community.

The development was described as part of the ‘siege on Pembroke’, even more so in view of the fact that the project is being proposed despite a master plan for the area being shelved, following the public outcry when it was initially launched, because it appeared to be geared towards the developers rather than the residents.

The pressure group also launched the campaign ‘ Tidfuniex Ħajjin’, “a completely nonpartisan initiative in favour of prioritising residents’ rights and environmental protection over the private profits of the few”.

Pointing at figures outlined in the Environment Impact Assessment, the group explained that apart from the existing traffic issues in the area, the infrastructure was not adequate to sustain the extra 7,500 daily car journeys into the area the project would generate.

The EIA also shows that waste will also be an issue, with the development expected to produce some 336,085 tonnes of waste during the demolition and excavation phase.

It was also said that the batching plant which will be installed on site will also have environmental consequences.

The project will also generate a large shadow affecting the amount of light reaching the area through the year, and will significantly change the character of Pembroke. In December, the shadow cast by the tower will reach the Reverse Osmosis Plant.

The group also pointed out that the EIA had identified that the development could also have an adverse impact on Għar Ħarq Ħammiem and the Marina Natura 2000 Site Zona Fil-Baħar Fil-Grigal ta’ Malta.

St Julian’s Mayor Guido Dalli warned the crowd that the project could signify “the beginning of the end for Pembroke.

“I remember when St Julian’s looked like Pembroke, but now nothing is left but build- ings, exhaust fumes and noise pollution,” he said.

Pembroke Mayor Dean Hili echoed these sentiments, also noting that the development does not reflect the nature of the surrounding community, and insisted that the project cannot continue before any master plan is completed.

Residents who also spoke at the event expressed concerns over the potential environmental consequences and the effect on the quality of their lives and those of their children.

“We need to start talking and doing things for the good of everyone, and not for the good of our pockets,” one resident said.

The db Group and the government have signed a 99-year temporary emphyteusis for the land for a €60 million price tag, which is divided between a €15 million premium, payable over seven years, and €23.4 million in redeemed leases which will be paid by individual owners of the residential units and not directly by the group.

This is the second time in a year that Pembroke residents have protested against a development.

Last August, a large group of residents, along with NGOs, protested against the development of a private school, Chiswick House School, on Gabriele Henin Street in Pembroke. However, the crowd today was noticeably smaller than on that afternoon.

Environment Minister Jose Herrera had been at the previous protest to announce his support of the residents, telling the media “I took an oath in office... I am here in support of the residents in the area. The government needs to start protecting public land. We are not a region or an island, we are a country, we have to remain sustainable and mitigate the adverse effects of investment.”