Tunnels and roads project in St Andrews will only benefit big developers, opponents insist

Plans to build several tunnels and upgrade junctions along the St Andrews main road are inadequate to address traffic problems experienced by residents, opponents have argued.

A group of residents from the area, along with 15 NGOs, insisted that Infrastructure Malta’s plans mostly serve big developers in Pembroke, Swieqi and St Julians.

Plans of the proposed works were only unveiled recently showing how various tunnels will be built to enable traffic flow in the congested area.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that this project will do very little to address the severe traffic problems experienced by residents. Instead, the largest part of these tunnels and roads are designed to accommodate big developers and their ambitions for monstrous projects in the area, chief among them the db Group project on the ex-ITS site,” the groups said.

A tunnel link between the Coast Road and Pembroke is a necessary pre-condition for the db City Centre project to go ahead.

There are other large projects planned for the St George’s Bay area, all the way to Paceville.

The St Andrews main road remains the only section of the Ten-T Network between the Coast Road and Regional Road that has not been upgraded.

However, opponents insist the roads agency’s plans show that access to Pembroke and Swieqi will not be facilitated.

“The project instead envisages a long route - part road, part tunnel - leading to the proposed db Group project. The road leading to this tunnel would obliterate a natural area in St Patrick’s, Pembroke, and the 1.5km tunnel would be located under a Natura 2000 site with very likely negative impact as regards to noise pollution and fresh water biodiversity,” the groups said.

They noted that a tunnel in Pembroke had already featured in the now-defunct Paceville Masterplan, where it was designed to serve the entire area by passing under St Andrew’s, and without affecting the green area in St Patrick’s.

“This previous plan seems to have been scrapped for three local tunnels that simply serve the db Group and other possible large-scale commercial projects in the St George’s area, effectively taking natural and open spaces from the public to accommodate big developers,” the objectors said.

They also criticised the plans that will result in cars and traffic getting closer to residences in Pembroke and Swieqi.

The tunnel location in the Għar Ħarq Ħammiem area, which is a site of natural, geological and scientific importance, is disturbing, they added.

“NGOs and residents are totally in favour of a much-needed infrastructural upgrade in the area. However, they demand that such an upgrade serves the people, improves their quality of life and safeguards the natural environment, instead of short-changing everyone in order to accommodate a few developers,” the groups said.

The statement was signed by a group of Pembroke and Swieqi residents, and 15 NGOs: Archaeological Society of Malta, Attard Residents Environmental Network, Bicycle Advocacy Group, BirdLife Malta, Din l-Art Ħelwa, Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Futur Ambjent Wieħed, Green House, Isles of the Left, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust Malta, Ramblers Association Malta, Triq l-Għarbiel Residents Group and Żminijietna – Voice of the Left.

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