The school’s learning pods, as seen in the master plan filed with the Planning Authority.

Chiswick House School is looking for an “equitable solution” to its proposed development on unbuilt land in Pembroke – a project that has been lambasted by local residents.

The proposed project would see the construction of a primary school with 36 classrooms and outdoor sport facilities.

According to an outline proposal by CHS (Chiswick House School) Ltd, there will also be 82 parking spaces.

The site earmarked for development on Gabriele Henin Street falls within the development zone but lies not far away from scheduled garigue.

Backed by the local council, residents are objecting to building the new school.

They have expressed concern about the increased traffic that the new school will generate and commented that the development will decrease the amount of open space in the area.

When contacted, CHSMC Director Bernie Mizzi told this newspaper that Chiswick House School welcomed the feedback it had received from individuals and entities.

“We have been and will continue to be in constant consultation with the authorities and all interested parties to ensure that an equitable solution is found,” she said.

Asked about the nature of the feedback, and CHS Ltd’s reaction to the residents’ concerns, Ms Mizzi did not comment further and stuck to her statement.

So far, more than 90 representations have been filed with the planning authority, mostly echoing the residents’ concerns.

The development is also being discussed on social media, and a Facebook group called Leave Pembroke Alone has been created specifically for those who oppose the school project.

In the meantime, there has also been an online discussion about images of proposed “learning pods”, which one social media user described as nice and “futuristic”, while another one compared them to spaceships.

One particular objector, who filed a representation with the PA, described the project as an “eyesore”, while another commented: “The architecture of this building is offensive to Maltese identity.”