Crowd-funded appeal against 38-storey DB tower filed

Three local councils, NGOs and residents are appealing the Planning Authority’s decision to approve the DB project on the former ITS site in Pembroke after a successful crowd funding campaign

A photomontage of the db Group 38-storey tower overlooking St George's Bay
A photomontage of the db Group 38-storey tower overlooking St George's Bay

Several organisations and residents have formally filed an appeal with the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal against DB project.

The 17 appellants include residents, NGOs and three local councils – Pembroke, St Julians and Swieqi.

They are contesting the Planning Authority’s approval of a 38-storey residential tower and 17-storey hotel on the site of the former tourism school in St George’s Bay.

The project, which goes by the name City Centre, was proposed by the DB group and approved amid widespread controversy last September.

READ MORE: NGOs fundraising for legal challenge to DB Group project

The appeal represented an unprecedented crowd funding initiative which saw the public donating €24,350, well above the €15,000 target that was reached in the first four days of the campaign.

“The eager participation in this campaign is a result of the public’s outrage at a project that will benefit the very few at the expense of the people’s wellbeing and the environment,” the groups said in a statement on Friday morning.

The groups also said they were considering possible legal action against the DB Group project, beyond the planning appeal and were therefore still collecting donations.

The fundraising campaign for the ITS-DB Legal Action Fund is supported by eight NGOs: Friends of the Earth, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, BirdLife Malta, Moviment Graffitti, Ramblers Association, Nature Trust (Malta) and Żminijietna – Voice of the Left.

READ MORE: PA board approves 38-storey db Group development