Almost 90% of residents of Triq il-Wileg in San Lawrence and the surrounding areas are objecting to a planning application for 14 apartments and a five-storey building in an otherwise pristine environment.

They said in a statement the development would create an unprecedented eyesore and architectural monstrosity in a traditional serene street village and an oddity which could be viewed from afar from all directions.

This sort of building, they said, did not serve the community purposes and such a monstrous development would only serve the greediness of the notorious Gozitan developers who seemed to have taken it upon themselves to flout all acceptable standards of good sense, acceptable style and good architecture.

In a petition, they are calling on the PA to reject the application which would create congestion where it should not, would not solve the problem of suitable and reasonable accommodation and would degrade the skyline and the aesthetics of the place.

The development is also being objected to by the council and the Superintendence of Heritage.