Pembroke residents' anger at PL/PN consensus on land for football complex

Pembroke residents put both big political parties under the spotlight on Saturday as they protested against a bipartisan decision to allocate virgin land to the construction of a massive sports and commercial complex. 

Dozens of residents were joined by activists and some politicians at the site to be developed at Triq Gabriel Henin.

The land will be handed over to Valletta FC and Swieqi FC to develop into two football pitches with spectator stands, a five-a-side pitch, futsal facility and other commercial amenities. Parliament unanimously voted in favour of the land transfer earlier this year. 

Residents say the plan – approved without any local consultation – will destroy untouched natural land, flood the area with noise and light pollution and add heavy traffic to an area already at risk of gridlock due to other massive projects in the town. 

"You stole our bay, our sunshine and the quiet moments in our home. Now you will choke it from all sides, without even coming here to hear us out," resident Rita Schembri said, addressing the Labour and Nationalist parties. 

Schembri noted that a parliamentary petition that had amassed 1,500 signatures was effectively cancelled when parliament was dissolved due to the May 30 snap election. 

"You have a duty to hear those who signed [the petition] and those who had yet to do so," she told the parties. 

Fellow resident Adriana Camilleri noted there are eight schools and education institutes in Pembroke. Children who attend them stand to lose out from the large-scale project and the traffic it would bring with it, she told the crowd.  

David Zammit told the crowd that the two full-size football pitches would also be used for non-sporting mass events and that nothing precluded further commercialisation of the space.

"Land given for sports could end up being used for hotels, shopping malls or restaurants. History teaches us that once this sort of development begins, it is hard to stop," he said. 

Alternatives

Residents and NGOs backing them say they are not against Valletta FC being given land for a stadium, but argue other, more suitable sites can be found. 

“Pembroke will become another Paceville,” Moviment Graffitti, which is backing residents, warned. 

“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 certain 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,” the NGO said. 

Who is backing residents?

Pembroke residents who object to the plan are being backed by Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Ramblers’ Association Malta, Friends of the Earth Malta, and Għawdix.

PN MP Albert Buttigieg was also at the protest, despite his party's stand. 

Residents are also being backed by ADPD. Party candidate Marcus Lauri said it was a contradiction to see the government talk up its ‘wellbeing index’ while also backing the destruction of open spaces. Fellow ADPD candidate Mario Mallia, who also attended the event, said the Pembroke plan added to a long list of development projects that would hurt public wellbeing.

Momentum has also made it clear it opposes the stadium plans for Pembroke and has instead suggested allocating land in Marsa for Valletta FC's stadium. The party leader, Arnold Cassola, and candidate Mark Camilleri Gambin were also present at the protest. In a press release, the party said the government's plan is "indefensible" and said Pembroke residents have the right to ask why their homes, why their open spaces and protected areas are worth less than a deal between political parties and a football club.

"What we saw today in Pembroke is a frustration felt in towns and villages right across Malta - residents come last whenever public land is on the table," the statement read.

Residents and activists gathered on land to be developed into a sporting complex in Pembroke. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Years of projects 

Pembroke has been the subject of considerable focus by developers of large-scale projects: Pembroke residents vocally objected to a massive tower project by db Group at St George’s Bay as well as to changes to local plans to facilitate the development of a similar project at Villa Rosa. There have also been concerns about plans to build a massive Chinese embassy on unbuilt land in the town. 

The area to be developed into football stadiums lies adjacent to a protected Natura 2000 site. Some years back, plans to allocate the land to a private school were scrapped following pushback from residents. 

Objectors say the large-scale development will lead to continuous disruptive light and noise pollution from floodlights and spectators that will impact the Natura 2000 site and its biodiversity. 

They also say the sports complex will have a negative impact on children attending three separate facilities very close by - a childcare, primary school and school for children with individual educational needs. 

The government has been accelerating the transformation of sporting facilities into fully fledged commercial complexes. Laws were changed to allow for the commercialisation of such facilities some years ago, paving the way for sports clubs to develop malls, parking lots and restaurants as part of their sports projects. 

Authorities are now preparing to amend local plans to further facilitate such transformations. The Planning Authority has said the change is intended to align local plans with the law.

Activists say the changes go beyond that and will allow for sports clubs to develop intensely commercialised facilities on “development brief” sites within the Local Plan.

The Pembroke site targeted for sports development happens to be one such site.