The Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) has this afternoon rejected two appeals filed by three Local Council, nine organisations and several Pembroke residents against the Planning Board’s decision to give the go-ahead to the DB Group’s project on the ex-ITS site. The Tribunal has only ordered minor modifications to the approved permit.

Given the track record of the EPRT, Moviment Graffitti is disappointed but not surprised at this ruling. In 2019, the EPRT had also confirmed DB’s permit, but this was later struck down by court. Bizarrely, today’s EPRT ruling was virtually identical to that in 2019.

Thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign, the Local Councils, organisations and residents can now consider other legal options to continue challenging the obscene Planning Authority’s permit for the DB monster.

The appellants had requested the annulment of the PA decision allowing the DB Group to build two 18- and 17-storey towers and a 12-storey hotel, on public land in Pembroke, in a residential area and with disastrous impacts on important historical sites and areas of great natural sensitivity. In their appeal, the Local Councils, organisations and residents outlined several grounds for the revocation of the permit, including the project’s non-conformity with many planning policies, the defective and incomplete studies submitted by the developer and a manipulated process leading to an unfair Planning Board meeting and decision.

Another appeal challenged the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) decision to approve the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the DB project.

In view of the tribunal’s decisions, further legal actions will be announced in the coming weeks. The fight against greed continues.

It-Tribunal ta’ Reviżjoni ta’ l-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar (EPRT) għadu kemm irrifjuta żewġ appelli intavolati minn tliet Kunsill Lokali, disa’ għaqdiet ambjentali u residenti ta’ Pembroke kontra d-deċiżjoni tal-Bord tal-Ippjanar biex il-proġett tad-DB Group ikun jista’ jsir fuq is-sit fejn qabel kien hemm l-ITS. It-tribunal ordna biss modifikazzjonijiet żgħar fil-permess maħruġ.

Fil-kuntest ta’ deċiżjonijiet oħra li jieħu l-EPRT, il-Moviment Graffitti huwa diżappuntat imma mhux sorpriż b’din id-deċiżjoni. Fl-2019, l-EPRT kien diġà kkonferma l-permess tad-DB, li iżda ġie wara mħassar mill-qrati. B’mod stramb, id-deċiżjoni tal-EPRT illum kienet bażikament identika għal dik tal-2019.

L-appellanti kienu talbu li titħassar id-deċiżjoni tal-PA li tippermetti lid-DB Group jibni żewġ torriijiet ta’ 18- u 17-il sular u lukanda ta’ 12-il sular, fuq art pubblika f’Pembroke, f’żona residenzjali u li se jkollha impatti diżastrużi fuq siti storiċi importanti u postijiet ta’ sensittività naturali kbira. Fl-appell tagħhom, il-Kunsilli Lokali, l-organizzazzjonijiet u r-residenti elenkaw diversi raġunijiet għat-talba tagħhom biex jiġi revokat il-permess, fosthom in-nuqqas ta’ konformità tal-proġett ma’ ħafna policies tal-ippjanar, l-istudji difettużi u mhux kompluti li ssottometta l-iżviluppatur u l-proċess mimli irregolaritajiet li wassal għal laqgħa u deċiżjoni inġusta tal-Bord tal-Ippjanar.

Ġie wkoll mressaq appell ieħor kontra d-deċiżjoni tal-Awtorità tal-Ambjent u r-Riżorsi (ERA) li approvat l-Assessjar tal-Impatt Ambjentali (EIA) tal-proġett.

Fid-dawl ta’ dawn id-deċiżjonijiet tat-tribunal, azzjonijiet legali oħra se jiġu mħabbra fil-ġimgħat li ġejjin. Il-ġlieda kontra r-regħba tkompli.