PM getting cold feet on DB’s extra floors permit as PA postpones decision at eleventh hour

Prime Minister Robert Abela seems to be reacting to public pressure against his latest attempts to introduce new planning laws favouring big business, as the Planning Authority (PA) has surprisingly postponed its decision to issue a permit allowing the DB Group to build an extra 13 floors at the former ITS site in St George’s Bay.

Minutes before the Planning Board was about to start discussing the latest DB extension of its two towers in Pembroke by 13 storeys, Chairman Manuel Camilleri asked for a ten-minute break.

Upon his return, he announced that the Board’s meeting would be halted immediately, as one of the members, the NGO’s representative, Romano Cassar, was not present because his nomination had not yet been published in the Government Gazette.

This unexpected announcement, made at the eleventh hour after the Board had already discussed and decided on another permit, stunned those present at the meeting and was interpreted by many as “an excuse to postpone the issue of the permit”.

This ‘excuse’ became quite apparent as it is not supported by the law governing the Planning Board’s meetings (the Development Planning Act).

Also, the same Board had no problem denying an application from the well-known rogue developer Marco Gaffarena to convert a field in Kirkop into warehouses during the same session.

“Romano Cassar was not present for the same session when the same Board shot down the Gaffarena permit. What happened in the meantime and why was the session abruptly halted as soon as the discussion was about to start on the DB’s permit?”, those following the project said.  “It is obvious that Robert Abela wants this permit to be issued after the budget to avoid further controversy.’

NGOs have announced a large protest against Robert Abela’s pro-business planning reform, set to take place in Valletta on Budget Day.

Additionally, the sudden suspension of the PA Board meeting occurred just minutes after media reports indicated that the Pembroke local council, which has a Labour majority, had changed its stance and would be voting against the DB Group’s extension.

The Council did not submit any objection when the application was first published. It later emerged that the Council had reached a financial agreement with DB Group.

This arrangement, along with the absence of objections to DB’s application, led to significant backlash from the Pembroke community.

DB Group received a concession for public land following a tender issued by the Labour government led by disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat to transform the former ITS institute into a five-star hotel and two residential towers.

In its latest application, the group is seeking permission to add 13 more floors to its already approved two residential towers, creating an additional 82 apartments for sale.