The db Group has started preparatory work on its massive City Centre project at the site of the old Institute for Tourism Studies at St George’s Bay.

This follows objectors’ eight-year losing battle against the project in front of the Planning Authority and the law courts.

db Group shall not hesitate to seek damages to protect its rights- Spokesperson

The group’s contractor this week started erecting concrete hoarding around the site and installing site offices.

The project overcame the final hurdle last month when Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti quashed an appeal, upholding the Planning Authority permit granted to db Group.

The group will now excavate the site and build three towers rising 17, 16 and 12 floors. The project, described as world class by the developer, will include a hotel, high-end apartments and retail and commercial spaces.

A computer generated image of the City Centre project overlooking St George's Bay.

The court’s decision was met with dismay and disappointment by Pembroke residents and environmental NGOs, who are now exploring other avenues to challenge the project.

Sources said residents, who joined NGOs and local councils in objecting to the project, are rallying the troops to organise another legal challenge, although it is unclear on what grounds they will do so.

When contacted, a company spokesperson warned that the db Group “shall not hesitate to seek damages to protect its rights”.

'We've invested millions in the project'

He said that, after almost a decade of thorough scrutiny from various authorities, tribunals and courts and a thorough judicial process during which all possible legal arguments were raised and determined, it was surprising that people continued to threaten further litigation.

“The db Group has always honoured its legal and procedural obligations to the hilt and will continue to. Simultaneously, the group has already invested millions of euros in the project – to acquire the land, in bank loans, services, consultancies and other expenses,” the spokesperson said.

Originally, db Group had planned to build a 37-storey tower and 17-storey hotel on the site. The Planning Authority approved those plans in 2018, having hired a private jet to fly in a board member specifically for the vote. The member in question voted in favour.

Objectors mounted a legal battle and, in 2019, the court revoked the permit after it was revealed that another PA board member who voted in favour of the project stood to financially benefit from the decision through a real estate agency he owned.

Db Group then downscaled the project and resubmitted a planning application, which the PA subsequently approved in 2021 by a narrow 4-3 margin.

Objectors sought to overturn that decision at the Environment and Planning Tribunal. When they were unsuccessful they turned to the law courts, with that avenue also running into a dead end.

The chief justice noted in his final judgment that the appeal was based on planning issues rather than points of law and the court could not decide on matters beyond its powers.