Pembroke Residents Reject Council's Support for Football Campus Plan
The Pembroke local council's backing of plans to develop football facilities on undeveloped land in the area is drawing sharp criticism from residents who say the council is misrepresenting public sentiment [1].
The government announced last month that it would provide land in Pembroke to Valletta FC and Swieqi United FC for sports facilities, with the former planning a substantial "football campus" on the site. The Futsal Malta Association will also have facilities developed there [1].
Despite the announcement, the council remained vague about the development's location until confirming it would be on the undeveloped portion of the Pembroke Development Brief Area outlined in the North Harbour Local Plan [1].
History of Opposition to Site Development
This is the same site that faced fierce community opposition just six years ago. In 2017, when Chiswick House School proposed building a primary school there, around 1,500 objections were filed—a remarkable figure in a town with fewer than 4,000 residents. The Pembroke local council led the charge against the school's plans, which were ultimately refused because no development brief had been formulated [1].
"No indication was given why Valletta FC is no longer developing its premises on land which the government provided to it less than 6 years ago: a 6,000sqm plot of land in Ħal Farruġ provided on a 45-year lease," the report noted. "The Pembroke land – which enjoys sea views – is however evidently more valuable than an inland plot within an industrial area" [1].
Council's Assurances Fall Short
Following a meeting with Valletta FC on Saturday, Pembroke mayor Kaylon Zammit welcomed the government's decision, saying it would prevent "apartments and commercial developments" [1].
The council outlined several demands: underground parking, advanced lighting technology, a substantial green buffer zone between facilities and residences, and community-use provisions. They also insisted that Valletta FC president Claudio Grech—a former Nationalist Party MP—assured them the club had no plans to turn the grounds into a "commercial development like several other clubs" [1].
The council pledged to hold a public meeting before any planning application is submitted and said it would meet with Swieqi United FC and the Futsal Malta Association next [1].
Residents: Council Misrepresenting the Community
The public reaction suggests residents remain unconvinced. An open letter sent to the press accuses the council of speaking "in the name of" residents without genuine consent [1].
"The statement is objectionable not only for its content, but for the sheer presumption underlying it. It gives the unmistakable impression that the council is either supportive of the project or is prepared to present itself as speaking in the interests, and to some extent in the name, of the residents of Pembroke. That is an unacceptable abuse of representation," the letter stated [1].
The author said he knew of no Pembroke resident backing the plans, calling the council's suggestion otherwise "misleading and offensive." They also criticised the council's assurances about "working on details" and "safeguarding residents' interests" as patronising, arguing that real decisions were being shaped behind closed doors [1].
The community's concerns come against the backdrop of frustration with other major developments in Pembroke, notably the db group's intensive redevelopment of the former ITS site [1].