Several organisations would like to express their grave concerns at the Government’s announcement that a sports complex will be built in Pembroke. According to reports in the media, the sports complex will host at least two football clubs and include at least one stadium with a capacity of upwards of 2,000 spectators. This will be built on a green area opposite a residential zone, in an environmentally sensitive area very close to the Natura 2000 Park in Pembroke.

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. 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.

This project also comes in the wake of Government signalling its intention to change the Local Plans to allow intense commercialisation of sports facilities across Malta and Gozo. Such a change would have a detrimental effect on the locality of Pembroke, which already hosts three football clubs, a number of padel complexes, and other sports facilities, and which would now be able to expand into large commercial spaces that have no benefit to residents or the community.

There are several environmental and social objections that the organisations would like to raise about the proposed sports complex.

This is an environmentally sensitive area overlooking the Natura 2000 Park in Pembroke. A development of this scale will negatively impact the park through light, noise, and traffic pollution.

Moreover, Pembroke residents were not consulted on this project, especially in the context of several large developments that are already having an adverse impact on the locality, its quality of life, and its surrounding environment. For example, this project will bring even more cars and traffic to a locality that is already heavily congested.

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 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. 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.

We encourage the public to sign the petition organised by the residents on this issue: https://parlament.mt/en/petition?id=326

Organisations
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Għawdix
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Ramblers Association Malta

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Pembroke Taħt Attakk: Residenti u NGOs Imħassba Serjament dwar il-Pjan għall-Kumpless Sportiv

Diversi organizzazzjonijiet jixtiequ jesprimu t-tħassib serju tagħhom dwar it-tħabbira tal-Gvern li se jinbena kumpless sportiv f’Pembroke. Skont rapporti fil-midja, il-kumpless sportiv se jospita mill-inqas żewġ klabbs tal-futbol u jinkludi grawnd bi spazju għal aktar minn 2,000 spettatur. Dan se jinbena fuq art mhix mimsusa faċċata ta’ żona residenzjali, f’żona ambjentalment sensittiva biswit Park Natura 2000 f’Pembroke.

Ir-residenti f’Pembroke huma inkwetati serjament b’dan l-iżvilupp ġdid, li jżid mal-lista dejjem tikber ta’ proġetti enormi li qed jifgaw il-lokalità tagħhom, fosthom: il-proġett db City Centre, Villa Rosa, u l-Ambaxxata Ċiniża. Lura fl-2017, ingħaqadna mar-residenti ta’ Pembroke fil-ġlieda kontra l-iżvilupp ta’ skola privata f’din iż-żona naturali. Il-battalja ntrebħet permezz tal-pressjoni konġunta tar-residenti, il-Kunsill Lokali ta’ dak iż-żmien, u NGOs oħra.

Dal-proġett jiġi wkoll wara li l-Gvern wera l-intenzjoni tiegħu li jibdel il-Pjanijiet Lokali biex jippermetti l-kummerċjalizzazzjoni intensa ta’ faċilitajiet sportivi madwar Malta u Għawdex. Bidla bħal din se jkollha effetti negattivi ħafna fuq il-lokalità ta’ Pembroke li diġà tospita tliet klabbs tal-futbol, numru ta’ kumplessi tal-padel, u faċilitajiet sportivi oħra, u li issa se jkunu jistgħu jespandu fi spazji kummerċjali kbar li m’għandhom l-ebda benefiċċju għar-residenti jew għall-komunità.

Hemm diversi oġġezzjonijiet ambjentali u soċjali li l-organizzazzjonijiet jixtiequ jqajmu dwar il-kumpless sportiv propost.

Din hija żona ambjentalment sensittiva li tħares fuq il-Park Natura 2000 f’Pembroke. Żvilupp ta’ din l-iskala se jkollu impatt negattiv fuq il-park permezz tat-tniġġis mid-dawl, mill-istorbju, u t-traffiku.

Barra minn hekk, ir-residenti ta’ Pembroke ma ġewx ikkonsultati dwar dan il-proġett, speċjalment fil-kuntest ta’ diversi żviluppi kbar li diġà qed ikollhom impatt negattiv fuq il-lokalità, il-kwalità tal-ħajja tagħha, u l-ambjent tal-madwar. Pereżempju, dan il-proġett se jġib aktar karozzi u traffiku f’lokalità li diġà hija konġestjonata ħafna.

Fl-2012, Valletta FC ingħataw biċċa art imdaqqsa f’Ħal Farruġ biex jiżviluppaw raħal sportiv. Minkejja dan, issa qed jingħataw biċċa art pubblika oħra biex jiżviluppaw kumpless sportiv ieħor.

L-organizzazzjonijiet jappellaw lill-Gvern biex jirtira din il-proposta immedjatament. Għalkemm din iż-żona naturali teknikament tinsab fiż-żona tal-iżvilupp, fil-fatt hija art naturali u spazju miftuħ pubbliku essenzjali. Il-Gvern għandu jinkorporaha fil-park Natura 2000 u jassigura lir-residenti ta’ Pembroke li żvilupp bħal dan mhux se jseħħ. M’għandniex inġibu lil Pembroke post fejn jintefa’ kull proġett kbir, b’kummerċjaliżmu intens u mhux sostenibbli, li se jwasslu biex Pembroke jsir estensjoni ta’ Paceville.

Inħeġġu lill-pubbliku biex jiffirma l-petizzjoni organizzata mir-residenti dwar din il-kwistjoni: https://parlament.mt/en/petition?id=326

Għaqdiet:
BirdLife Malta
Din l-Art Ħelwa
Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar
Għawdix
Moviment Graffitti
Nature Trust Malta
Ramblers Association Malta