The natural environment and quality of life in Pembroke are facing yet another very serious threat from destructive and unsustainable development. Following the approval of the db project, the takeover of natural land by the new Chinese embassy, and the ongoing threat of monstrous development at Villa Rosa, Government has now announced an entire sports and commercial complex on public and natural land in the area of Triq Gabriel Henin.

No consultation has been held so far with residents or with other stakeholders, such as environmental NGOs, and no official plans have yet been published. However, it has been announced that the site will be handed over to sporting clubs for the development of two football pitches with spectator facilities, a five-a-side pitch, a futsal facility, administrative buildings, and other amenities.

We emphasise that we are in no way opposed to sporting clubs having their own facilities, and we strongly support Valletta FC having its own football ground. However, we are absolutely certain that there are other sites where such activity can take place without destroying our natural heritage and creating intolerable conditions for residents and others who frequent the area.

Most of the site in question is untouched natural land that, besides having strong intrinsic value, also lies adjacent to a protected Natura 2000 site. It is widely recognised that the protection of such sites does not end abruptly at their boundary, but extends to the wider surrounding area where activities are likely to impact the Natura 2000 protected status, including its biodiversity.

In this case, we are talking about a project that would lead to continuous and disruptive activity, such as intense light and noise pollution from floodlighting and mass events. Pembroke will simply become another Paceville.

The impacts on quality of life will be devastating, not only for residents, whose physical and mental wellbeing will deteriorate, but also for the many children who attend the childcare centre, primary school, and San Miguel Resource Centre, which caters for children with individual educational needs and is located right next to this site.

Anyone with experience of traffic in Pembroke already knows too well that a project of this sort is pure madness. The additional heavy traffic generated by such a development will make it almost impossible to enter or leave the locality.

We also have to highlight that while this project is being presented under the label of sporting facilities, Government has been actively incentivising the use of sporting facilities in Malta for unrelated commercial development. Under the Legal Notice on the Commercialisation of Sport Facilities, land designated for sport can also include development such as retail outlets, shopping malls, supermarkets and catering establishments.

Moreover, Government is currently seeking to amend the Local Plan to allow even further commercialisation of such sites, where sporting activity would become secondary to commercial activity. Alarmingly, even more intensive commercialisation would be permitted on “development brief” sites within the Local Plan, which happens to be the type of site earmarked for this development in Pembroke.

We deem it totally unacceptable that decisions of such importance and impact are taken behind people’s backs and without any consideration of the harm they will bring to residents, communities, and nature. We call on Government and its authorities, as well as on the Opposition, to respect our communities, our natural heritage, and the common good of our country — this complex does not belong here.

The press conference is being organised by Pembroke residents and supported by the following organisations: Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Ramblers’ Association Malta, Friends of the Earth Malta, and Għawdix.

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Tgħaddux gaffa minn fuq il-komunitajiet u l-wirt naturali tagħna

L-ambjent naturali u l-kwalità tal-ħajja f’Pembroke qed jerġgħu jiffaċċjaw theddida serja ħafna minn żvilupp distruttiv u mhux sostenibbli. Wara l-approvazzjoni tal-proġett db, il-ħtif ta’ art naturali mill-ambaxxata ġdida Ċiniża, u t-theddida kontinwa ta’ żvilupp mostruż f’Villa Rosa, il-Gvern issa ħabbar kumpless sħiħ sportiv u kummerċjali fuq art pubblika u naturali fiż-żona ta’ Triq Gabriel Henin.

S’issa ma saret l-ebda konsultazzjoni mar-residenti jew ma’ partijiet oħra interessati, bħal għaqdiet ambjentali, u għadhom ma ġew ippubblikati l-ebda pjanti uffiċjali. Madankollu, tħabbar li s-sit se jingħata lil klabbs sportivi għall-iżvilupp ta’ żewġ grawnds tal-futbol b’faċilitajiet għall-ispettaturi, grawnd tal-five-a-side, faċilità tal-futsal, binjiet amministrattivi, u faċilitajiet oħra.

Nixtiequ nenfasizzaw li bl-ebda mod m’aħna kontra li l-klabbs sportivi jkollhom il-faċilitajiet tagħhom stess, u nappoġġjaw bis-sħiħ lil Valletta FC biex ikollha l-grawnd tagħha. Madankollu, aħna assolutament ċerti li jeżistu siti oħra fejn it-tali attività tista’ sseħħ mingħajr ma jinqered il-wirt naturali tagħna u mingħajr ma jinħolqu kundizzjonijiet intollerabbli għar-residenti u għal dawk kollha li jiffrekwentaw iż-żona.

Il-parti l-kbira tas-sit inkwistjoni hija art naturali mhux mittiefsa li, minbarra li għandha valur intrinsiku qawwi, tinsab ukoll maġenb sit protett tan-Natura 2000. Huwa fatt magħruf li l-protezzjoni ta’ dawn is-siti ma tiqafx ħesrem mal-konfini tagħhom, iżda testendi għaż-żona usa’ tal-madwar fejn attivitajiet jistgħu jħallu impatt fuq l-istatus protett tan-Natura 2000, inkluż il-bijodiversità tagħha.

F’dan il-każ, qed nitkellmu dwar proġett li se jwassal għal attività kontinwa u distruttiva, bħal tniġġis qawwi bid-dawl u storbju kkawżat minn floodlights u avvenimenti tal-massa. Pembroke sempliċement se jsir Paceville ieħor.

L-impatti fuq il-kwalità tal-ħajja se jkunu devastanti, mhux biss għar-residenti, li l-benesseri fiżiku u mentali tagħhom se jiddeterjora, iżda wkoll għall-ħafna tfal li jattendu ċ-childcare centre, l-iskola primarja, u ċ-Ċentru tar-Riżorsi San Miguel, li jilqa’ tfal bi bżonnijiet edukattivi individwali u jinsab proprju ħdejn dan is-sit.

Kull min għandu esperjenza tat-traffiku f’Pembroke diġà jaf wisq tajjeb li proġett ta’ dan it-tip huwa ġennata sħiħa. It-traffiku qawwi żejjed li se jkun iġġenerat b’dan l-iżvilupp se jagħmilha kważi impossibbli li wieħed jidħol jew joħroġ mil-lokalità.

Irridu wkoll nenfasizzaw li, filwaqt li dan il-proġett qed jiġi ppreżentat taħt it-tikketta ta’ faċilitajiet sportivi, il-Gvern ilu jinkoraġġixxi b’mod attiv l-użu ta’ faċilitajiet sportivi f’Malta għal żvilupp kummerċjali mhux relatat. Skont l-Avviż Legali dwar il-Kummerċjalizzazzjoni tal-Faċilitajiet Sportivi, art mogħtija għall-isport tista’ tinkludi wkoll żvilupp bħal ħwienet, shopping malls, supermarkets u stabbilimenti tal-ikel.

Barra minn hekk, il-Gvern bħalissa qed ifittex li jemenda l-Pjanijiet Lokali biex ikun jista’ jippermetti aktar kummerċjalizzazzjoni ta’ dawn is-siti, fejn l-attività sportiva ssir sekondarja għall-attività kummerċjali. B’mod allarmanti, kummerċjalizzazzjoni saħansitra aktar intensiva se tkun permessa fuq siti li jagħmlu parti mid-“development brief” fi ħdan il-Pjan Lokali, li nzerta huwa proprju t-tip ta’ sit identifikat għal dan l-iżvilupp f’Pembroke.

Huwa totalment inaċċettabbli li deċiżjonijiet ta’ importanza u impatt bħal dawn jittieħdu minn wara dahar in-nies u mingħajr l-ebda kunsiderazzjoni tal-ħsara li se jġibu lir-residenti, lill-komunitajiet, u lin-natura. Nappellaw lill-Gvern u lill-awtoritajiet tiegħu, kif ukoll lill-Oppożizzjoni, biex jirrispettaw lill-komunitajiet tagħna, il-wirt naturali tagħna, u l-ġid komuni ta’ pajjiżna — dan il-kumpless mhux postu hawnhekk.

Il-konferenza stampa ssejħet mir-residenti ta’ Pembroke u sabet l-appoġġ ta’ dawn l-għaqdiet: Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Ramblers’ Association Malta, Friends of the Earth Malta, u Għawdix.