Activists urge government to withdraw Pembroke football campus proposal
Concerns raised over the impact of the proposed Pembroke sports complex on the environment and traffic in the area
Updated at 11.30am with Momentum's statement
Several organisations have urged the government to withdraw proposals to transfer land in Pembroke for the development of a large football ground.
In a statement on Tuesday, activist group Moviment Graffitti echoed the concerns of residents, who learned that the government plans to build a sports complex in Pembroke adjacent to the locality's Natura 2000 site.
"We must not turn Pembroke into a dumping ground for all sorts of intense and unsustainable commercial activities that will lead to it becoming an extension of Paceville."
In February, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that the government would allocate a site in Pembroke for Valletta FC to develop a “football campus”.
The Premier League club said in February that the football campus will be a first-of-its-kind sports facility in Malta, forming part of a holistic master plan aimed at delivering high-level sporting infrastructure.
Following the announcement, hundreds signed a parliamentary petition objecting to the transfer of "beautiful virgin land" in Pembroke to the Valletta Football Club.
By Tuesday morning, the petition had more than 900 signatures.
"Residents in Pembroke are gravely concerned about this new development, which adds to a growing list of enormous projects engulfing their locality — the db City Centre project, Villa Rosa, and the Chinese Embassy," Moviment Graffitti said.
"Back in 2017, we joined Pembroke residents in the fight against the development of a private school on this green area. The battle was won through the joint pressure of residents, the Pembroke Local Council at the time, and other NGOs.
Moviment Graffitti said the project also comes at a time when the government is showing its intention to change the Local Plans to allow intense commercialisation of sports facilities, a change which would have a "detrimental" effect on the locality, which already hosts three football clubs, padel complexes, and other sports facilities.
The activists warn that the proposed large-scale sport complex will significantly impact the Natura 2000 Park through light, noise and traffic pollution.
Pembroke residents were not consulted on the project, the statement read, and that it would bring more traffic to a locality already heavily congested by other large developments.
"In 2012, Valletta FC were awarded a sizeable piece of land in Ħal Farruġ to develop a sports village. Despite this, they are now being given yet another sizeable piece of public land to develop another sports complex," the statement reads.
"The organisations call on the Government to withdraw this proposal immediately. Although this green area is technically within the development zone, it is in fact natural land and an essential public open space. The Government must incorporate it within the Natura 2000 park and assure Pembroke residents that no such development will take place."
The activists encourage the public to sign the parliamentary petition.
The organisations which endorsed the statement are:
BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Għawdix, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta and Ramblers Association Malta.
Pembroke site one of few remaining open spaces: Momentum
In a statement, Momentum said that while it recognises the importance of investing in sports infrastructure, the party said the proposal will raise serious environmental, social and governance concerns that cannot be ignored.
“The Pembroke site in question is one of the few remaining open spaces in the area and lies adjacent to a Natura 2000 site. Its development risks irreversible damage to biodiversity, increased pressure on surrounding ecosystems, and the gradual erosion of Malta’s already limited natural spaces," Momentum leader Arnold Cassola said.
Momentum notes that the land is estimated to be worth between €75 million and €100 million, and added that any transfer of public land of such high value must be handled with the highest level of transparency, accountability and in the public interest.
The party expressed its full support for the parliamentary petition and also called for an independent Environmental and Social Impact Assessment to be carried out.