ADPD – The Green Party has sharply criticised db Group’s latest proposal to add seven more storeys to its development on public land in St George’s Bay, describing it as further evidence of a political and economic system captured by land speculators.
Party Secretary-General Ralph Cassar said the application demonstrates “how speculators are never satisfied and always demand more,” blaming the root of the issue on public land granted for private development by the Labour government under former Minister Konrad Mizzi. He also recalled Mizzi’s 2018 parliamentary motion that altered land-use conditions for Corinthia Group, allowing similar speculative development.
ADPD Chairperson Sandra Gauci added that the construction and land speculation sector now holds significant power, comparing it to usury in its insatiable demands. “Over the years we’ve seen serious accidents, homes collapse, and a wild west of speculation, often on public land, under both PN and PL governments,” Gauci said. “Labour today is no different from the ‘barons’ it used to condemn.”
The party also warned of widespread conflicts of interest in Parliament, where some MPs, from both major parties, have direct ties to the construction industry. ADPD renewed its call for full-time MPs to minimise such conflicts.
“The facilitation of speculative development on public land, from Manoel Island to Hilton, to the db and Corinthia sites, shows how the interests of a powerful few continue to override the quality of life for many in places like St Julian’s, Pembroke and Gżira,” Gauci concluded. “Empty talk of open spaces rings hollow while government keeps enabling unrestrained development.”
Newsroom
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