Partit Demokratiku has filed an objection to db Group's plans for the former ITS site at St George's Bay.

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, the party said it would continue to prioritise the needs of residents “over the desires of the few”.

Pembroke residents have protested vividly against plans to develop the site into a massive tourist and retail complex including a 37-storey tower, and many of the concerns they highlighted during a meeting held earlier this month were cited in the PD's objection to the project.

The party is objecting to the controversial project on several grounds, from the Planning Authority's failure to introduce a masterplan for the area as well as concerns about the giant shadows the proposed skyscraper at the site would cast over various residential areas of Pembroke.

In its objection, the PD also noted that the auditor general was investigating the way in which db Group had acquired the land at the site, following a storm of controversy over it having been handed to the private sector for a fraction of its actual value.

The party also highlighted cultural and environmental fears surrounding the project, noting with concern that an underwater cave system and British-era barracks in the area were threatened by construction plans.

eNGO Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar have also come out against the project, calling it a “proposal of unparalleled hideousness” and a form of “visual violence”.

“The emissions and traffic congestion created by this project will add to the nightmarish scenario caused by this project,” FAA said on Friday.

“The project is not acceptable in principle and design and will only serve as a landmark of land despoliation for private profit.”