We have come together once again to make our voices heard against the monstrous DB project on the land where ITS used to be. Four years have passed since these massive buildings were proposed on this public land.
This Press Conference was convened by the residents of Pembroke, several NGOs, and the Local Councils of St Julian’s and Swieqi. The Pembroke Local Council has always objected to this project, and even today is against the latest plans submitted by the DB group. However, it would not have been wise for the Local Council to participate in this Press Conference because on Thursday, the day after tomorrow, it will vote at the Board meeting which will decide on this project.
It is good to remember why, after four years, we are in this situation. The project was approved by the Planning Board in 2018 during a farcical meeting. Nevertheless, several NGOs, three Local Councils and several residents, along with the support of many others, initiated various legal proceedings against this decision and managed to win a court case which revoked the permit granted to the DB. Following many changes to the plans, the DB group submitted new plans consisting of a 12-storey hotel and two 17- and 18-storey residential towers. This translates into only a minimal change in the total size of the project. Once again, a number of organisations, the three Local Councils of Pembroke, Swieqi and St Julian’s, and thousands of people, objected to this project. Over four objection periods, the public submitted a national record of around 17,000 representations to the Planning Authority. We are therefore very disappointed with the PA case officer report that is recommending the approval of this project, which is meaningless and useless for the community and for our country. How can the Authority, which has the public responsibility for regulating buildings in Malta, ignore such a large number of objections like they mean nothing?
This is one of the worst projects which have ever been proposed in our country. Not only will it be taking public land, but its disproportionate size in the sensitive areas it will be built in will have a disastrous impact on both people and the environment. The plans proposed by the DB group continue to ignore crucial and essential issues for the surrounding environment, the infrastructure as a whole, and above all, the residents of Pembroke, St Julian’s and Swieqi. This is a development which is totally disproportionate for a primarily residential area and will lead to Paceville spilling over into Pembroke.
Adjacent to the project are two sites of great ecological importance, so much so that they are sites designated as Natura 2000. In the very place where the project is proposed, there are two scheduled sites that are supposed to be given very high protection by law: the barracks of St George and Għar Ħarq Ħamiem.
The absurdity of this project also stems from the proposal of a tunnel that leads to this site only, and without which, the project cannot be done due to the traffic it will generate. Uncontrolled traffic is already a big problem in Pembroke. This tunnel, specially designed for this project, is expected to pass under a Natura 2000 site and will open next to the houses of Pembroke residents. We do not know what its impact will be because this has not been studied. In addition, it is expected that this tunnel, specially made for a private project, will be paid for by all of us from our taxes: public funds for a private project.
The bitter experience of the pandemic has shown us more than ever how essential it is to protect the rural and urban environment we live in, how important it is to have clean air and a sustainable lifestyle, how much we need to reduce, and not increase, the madness and noise on the streets and in our residential areas. If the Planning Authority has learned nothing from the last year and a half of hardship for so many people, when will it learn? Who will protect us?
If the Planning Board is to look at fair and sustainable planning, environmental protection, and the quality of life for thousands of residents and visitors, it is obvious that it should categorically reject this project which will cause so much damage to our quality of life and the environment. Today we are asking: is the Board able to hear the voice of the people and the voice of reason, or will it once again be the puppet of great commercial interests and not care about our quality of life and the environment that it is supposed to protect and improve?
St. Julian’s Local Council
Swieqi Local Council
ACT
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Friends of the Earth Malta
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Rota
Sustainable Built Environment Malta
The Archaeological Society Malta
Il-proġett tad-DB huwa wieħed mill-agħar proġetti qatt proposti f’pajjiżna; il-Bord tal-Ippjanar għandu jirrifjutah
Ninsabu hawnhekk magħqudin, għal darb’oħra, sabiex insemmgħu leħinna kontra l-proġett mostruż tad-DB fuq l-art fejn kien hemm l-ITS. Għaddew erba’ snin minn mindu dawn il-binijiet massiċċi ġew proposti fuq din l-art pubblika.
Din il-Konferenza Stampa ġiet imsejħa mir-residenti ta’ Pembroke, numru ta’ għaqdiet mhux governattivi, u l-Kunsilli Lokali ta’ San Ġiljan u s-Swieqi. Il-Kunsill Lokali ta’ Pembroke dejjem oġġezzjona għal dan il-proġett, u anki llum huwa kontra dawn l-aħħar pjanti li ssottomettew id-DB. Iżda ma kienx ikun għaqli li jipparteċipa f’din il-Konferenza Stampa għaliex pitgħada l-Ħamis ser jivvota fil-laqgħa tal-Bord li ser jiddeċiedi fuq dan il-proġett.
Tajjeb li nfakkru għala, wara erba’ snin, qegħdin f’din is-sitwazzjoni. Il-proġett kien ġie approvat mill-Bord tal-Ippjanar fl-2018 waqt laqgħa farseska. Iżda numru ta’ għaqdiet, tliet Kunsill Lokali u bosta residenti, bl-appoġġ ta’ ħafna nies oħrajn, bdew diversi proċeduri legali kontra din id-deċiżjoni u rnexxielhom jirbħu kawża l-Qorti li ħassret il-permess li ngħata lid-DB. Wara ħafna tibdil fil-pjanijiet, id-DB Group issottomettew pjanti ġodda li jikkonsistu f’lukanda ta’ 12-il sular u żewġ torrijiet residenzjali ta’ 17- u 18-il sular il-wieħed. Dan ifisser biss tibdil minimu fid-daqs totali tal-proġett. Għal darba oħra numru t’għaqdiet u t-tliet Kunsilli Lokali ta’ Pembroke, San Ġiljan u Swieqi, flimkien ma’ eluf ta’ nies, oġġezzjonaw għal dan il-proġett. Fuq medda ta’ erba’ perjodi ta’ oġġezzjoni, il-pubbliku ressaq rekord nazzjonali ta’ madwar 17-il elf rappreżentazzjoni lill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar. Għalhekk ninsabu ferm diżappuntati bir-rapport tal-case officer tal-PA li qiegħed jirrakkomanda l-approvazzjoni ta’ dan il-proġett bla sens u bla fejda għall-komunità u għal pajjiżna. Kif tista’ l-Awtorità li għandha fuq spallejha r-responsabbiltà pubblika li tirregola l-bini f’Malta tiġi taqa’ u tqum minn ammont daqshekk kbir t’oġġezzjonijiet, qisu xejn mhu xejn?
Dan huwa wieħed mill-agħar proġetti li qatt ġew proposti f’pajjiżna. Mhux biss se jkun qed jieħu art pubbliku, iżda d-daqs sproporzjonat tiegħu fl-inħawi sensittivi li ser jinbena fihom ħa jħalli impatt diżastruż kemm fuq in-nies kif ukoll fuq l-ambjent. Il-pjanti proposti mid-DB Group jibqgħu jinjoraw kwistjonijiet kruċjali u essenzjali għall-ambjent tal-madwar, l-infrastruttura kollha kemm hi, u fuq kollox ir-residenti ta’ Pembroke, San Ġiljan u s-Swieqi. Dan huwa iżvilupp totalment sproporzjonat għal żona primarjament residenzjali u ser iwassal biex Paceville jibqa’ dieħel bil-goff ġo Pembroke.
Biswit il-proġett jinsabu żewġ siti ta’ importanza ekoloġika kbira, tant li huma siti ddeżinjati bħala Natura 2000. Fil-post innifsu fejn huwa propost li jitla’ l-proġett hemm żewġ siti skedati li bil-liġi suppost jingħataw protezzjoni kbira ħafna: il-barracks ta’ San Ġorġ u Għar Ħarq Ħamiem.
L-assurdità inkredibbli ta’ dan il-proġett toħroġ ukoll mill-proposta ta’ mina li tagħti għal dan is-sit biss u li mingħajrha l-proġett ma jistax isir minħabba t-traffiku li ser jiġġenera. It-traffiku bla kontroll diġà huwa problema kbira f’Pembroke. Din il-mina magħmula apposta għal dan il-proġett mistennija tgħaddi minn taħt sit tan-Natura 2000 u tiżbokka maġenb id-djar tar-residenti ta’ Pembroke. L-impatt tagħha ma nafux x’se jkun għax ma ġiex studjat. Barra minn hekk, huwa mistenni li din il-mina magħmula apposta għal proġett privat se nħallsu għaliha aħna lkoll, bit-taxxi tagħna: fondi pubbliċi għal proġett privat.
L-esperjenza kiefra tal-pandemija wrietna aktar minn qatt qabel kemm hu essenzjali li nħarsu l-ambjent rurali u urban li ngħixu fih, kemm hu importanti li jkollna arja nadifa u stil ta’ ħajja sostenibbli, kemm għandna bżonn innaqqsu u mhux inżidu l-ġenn u l-istorbju fit-toroq u fl-inħawi residenzjali tagħna. Jekk l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar ma tgħallmet xejn minn din l-aħħar sena u nofs ta’ tbatija għal ħafna nies, meta se titgħallem? Min se jipproteġina?
Jekk il-Bord tal-Ippjanar se jħares lejn ippjanar ġust u sostenibbli, lejn il-ħarsien ambjentali u lejn il-kwalità tal-ħajja ta’ eluf ta residenti u viżitaturi, huwa ovvju li għandu jirrifjuta b’mod kategoriku dan il-proġett li se jagħmel tant ħsara lill-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna u lill-ambjent. Illum qed nistaqsu: il-Bord kapaċi jisma’ l-vuċi tal-poplu u l-vuċi tar-raġuni, jew ser jerġa’ jkun il-pupazz ta’ interessi kummerċjali kbar u jiġi jaqa’ u jqum mill-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħna u tal-ambjent li suppost qed jipproteġi u jtejjeb?
Kunsill Lokali San Giljan
Kunsill Lokali Swieqi
ACT
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Friends of the Earth Malta
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Rota
Sustainable Built Environment Malta
The Archaeological Society Malta
