BCA gives extension to db Group to continue work at ITS site till end of June

Works on the db Group St. George’s Bay project which are still being carried out at the former ITS site will continue under a concession which is valid only until the end of June, a db Group spokesperson said.

Residents around the area in Pembroke and Swieqi have complained about works on the project continuing, despite the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) issuing a ban on demolition and excavation works in selected tourist areas, starting from 15 June to 30 September of this year.

St. George’s Bay is a popular tourist area all year round, but particularly in the summer months. Streets nearby are all listed in the MTA’s list of tourist areas where demolition and excavation works will be prohibited in the coming months.

The Malta Independent received reports that the company acquired a concession to continue works, and reached out to db Group for confirmation, and an explanation as to why works have continued despite the ban.

db’s spokesperson said that the concession was issued by both the BCA and MTA and covers only a limited part of the site, the area facing Pembroke.

He continued that the concession is valid only till the end of June, and that the sooner works are finished, the better.

The project has been at the centre of a years-long controversy after several environmental NGOs, residents and the local councils of Pembroke and Swieqi filed an objection to the project, and then an appeal, against db Group, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the Planning Authority (PA), to stop development from moving forward.

Last April, the First Hall of the Civil Court had rejected a request for a retrial of the objection filed by the NGOs, meaning that the permit still stands.

Proposed in 2017, the plans for the site include the construction of 386 room 5-star hotel rooms in a 12-storey hotel, as well as 179 residences housed in two towers, 17 and 18 storeys high. The plans also included office space, a shopping mall, restaurants and a car park.