Three Local Councils together with several organisations and residents have filed two Court actions against the approval of the massive DB project on the ex-ITS site. One court action appeals the approval by the Environment Resources Authority (ERA) of a highly defective Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project, while the other Court action appeals the Planning Board’s go-ahead to the project which disregarded planning policies and involved an unfair and irregular process.

The two Court actions were filed following the rejection of our two appeals by the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal (EPRT) last month. The EPRT decision to reject our appeals was expected since the Tribunal has an abysmal track-record of consistently ruling against objectors and in favour of the Planning Authority (PA) and other powerful forces. In 2019, the EPRT had also rejected our appeal against the first approval of the DB project, but its ruling was later overturned by Court, which cancelled the DB permit. 

The DB’s proposed development on formerly public land is composed of two residential towers of 17 and 18 storeys each, and a hotel of 12 storeys. These would rise literally across the road of a large residential area in Pembroke and next to two Natura 2000 sites. The project would also be built around and on top of the scheduled St. George’s barracks and the scheduled Għar Ħarq il-Ħamiem cave, a submerged terrestrial cave system of unique geological and ecological value, as well as other sites of historical significance. Residents have repeatedly expressed their alarm about the massiveness and intensity of this disproportionate development in a predominantly residential area and the foreseen spillover of Paceville into Pembroke.

Thanks to a strong response to a crowdfunding campaign last year, we are once again in a position to continue fighting this monstrous project by undertaking Court actions.

The Court appeals were filed by:

• Pembroke Local Council
• St. Julian’s Local Council
• Swieqi Local Council
• ACT Malta
• Din l-Art Ħelwa
• Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
• Friends of the Earth Malta
• Moviment Graffitti
• Nature Trust Malta
• Rota
• The Archaeological Society Malta
• Pembroke and Swieqi residents

with the support of: BirdLife Malta, Ramblers Association of Malta and Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) Malta.

Il-proġett tad-DB  – il-ġlieda kontra r-regħba tkompli fil-Qorti

Tliet Kunsilli Lokali flimkien ma’ numru ta’ organizzazzjonjiet u residenti ressqu żewġ azzjonijiet fil-Qorti kontra l-approvazzjoni tal-proġett massiċċ tad-DB fuq dak li kien is-sit tal-ITS. Waħda mill-azzjonijiet fil-Qorti tappella l-approvazzjoni mill-Awtorità tal-Ambjent u r-Riżorsi (l-ERA)  ta’ Valutazzjoni tal-Impatt Ambjentali (EIA) difettuża sew li saret dwar il-proġett, filwaqt li l-azzjoni l-oħra qed tappella d-deċiżjoni tal-Bord tal-Ippjanar biex il-proġett jitħalla jsir, deċiżjoni li injorat il-policies tal-ippjanar u li involviet proċess irregolari u inġust. 

Iż-żewġ azzjonijiet fil-Qorti ġew imressqa wara li żewġ appelli oħra tagħna ġew miċħuda mit-Tribunal għar-Reviżjoni tal-Ambjent u l-Ippjanar (EPRT) ix-xahar li għadda. Id-deċiżjoni tal-EPRT li ma tilqax l-appelli tagħna kienet mistennija peress li t-Tribunal għandu rekord tal-mistħija li jiddeċiedi b’mod konsistenti kontra dawk li joġġezzjonaw u favur l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar (PA) u forzi oħra b’saħħithom. Fl-2019, l-EPRT kien ċaħad l-appell tagħna kontra l-ewwel deċiżjoni favur il-proġett tad-DB, imma d-deċiżjoni tiegħu ġiet mibdula mill-Qorti, li ikkanċellat il-permess tad-DB.  

L-iżvilupp propost mid-DB, fuq art li qabel kienet pubblika, jikkonsisti f’żewġ torrijiet residenzjali ta’ 17 u 18-il sular il-wieħed u lukanda ta’ 12-il sular. Dawn se jitilgħu litteralment faċċata ta’ żona residenzjali kbira f’Pembroke u eżatt ħdejn żewġ siti ta’ Natura 2000. Il-proġett se jinbena wkoll madwar u fuq żewġ siti skedati, St George’s barracks u Għar Ħarq il-Ħamiem, sistema ta’ għerien terrestri ta’ valur ġeoloġiku u ekoloġiku uniku, kif ukoll siti oħrajn ta’ valur storiku. Ir-residenti kemm-il darba esprimew l-inkwiet tagħhom dwar id-daqs enormi u l-intensità ta’ dan l-iżvilupp sproporzjonat f’żona primarjament residenzjali kif ukoll it-tħassib tagħhom dwar kif Paceville huwa mistenni li jkun estiż u jibqa’ dieħel f’Pembroke.

Grazzi għar-rispons b’saħħtu li kellna mill-pubbliku għall-kampanja tagħna ta’ ġbir ta’ fondi s-sena li għaddiet, aħna erġajna qegħdin f’pożizzjoni fejn nistgħu inkomplu niġġieldu kontra dan il-proġett mostruż billi nieħdu dawn l-azzjonijiet fil-Qorti. 

L-appelli fil-Qorti ġew imressqa minn dawn li ġejjin:

• Il-Kunsill Lokali ta’ Pembroke
• Il-Kunsill Lokali ta’ San Ġiljan 
• Il-Kunsill Lokali tas-Swieqi
• ACT Malta
• Din l-Art Ħelwa
• Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
• Friends of the Earth Malta
• Il-Moviment Graffitti
• Nature Trust Malta
• Rota
• The Archaeological Society Malta
• Residenti ta’ Pembroke u s-Swieqi

bl-appoġġ ta’: BirdLife Malta, Ramblers Association of Malta u Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) Malta.