The new Chinese embassy planned to take up 19,500 square metres of Pembroke countryside has been given the green light by the Planning Authority.

9 members out of the 11-strong board voted in favour of the project, with NGO representative Annick Bonello and local council representative Kevin Borg the only two to give the project the thumbs down.

The embassy will rise to a height of six floors – double the three floors permitted in the local plan for the area, which was already earmarked for the development of an embassy in a zoning application in 2012.

It will have 20 residential apartments and a garden of 5,000 square metres, while two of the embassy blocks will be five storeys over the ground floor – far above the 16 metre height limit – as what PA Executive Chairman Martin Saliba described as a ‘concession’ in view of the developed footprint being reduced from 9,500 square metres to 3,700 square metres.

Planning Authority chairman Vince Cassar implored the applicant to take the council’s concerns into consideration, but this was to no avail.

The board also turned down a request by the Chinese government to slash the planning gain for the project from the envisioned €478,000.

The Chinese government had already objected to paying the full sum, claiming exemption by the Vienna Convention for diplomatic missions on taxes and other dues, but then refused a compromise proposed by Saliba, who suggested reducing the planning gain to €350,000 in view of the fact that 5,000 square metres of soft landscaping had been removed from the project.

The proposal was refused by the Pembroke local council, who noted that the 5,000 square metres in question included tennis courts, while ERA chairman Victor Axiak expressed surprise that the Chinese had refused to pay the planning gain.

Pembroke councillor Kevin Borg called on the Chinese to revise their plans again, retain protected pine trees and endemic flora and fauna, lower building heights and introduce green walls.

Axiak meanwhile said that its hands were tied by the embassy zoning application approved in 2012, but promised to ensure that ERA conditions are abided by.

Several other objections came from Moviment Graffitti, National MP and environment spokesperson David Thake, and Labour candidate Mark Causon.  A petition against the project also garnered 6,000 signatures going into the hearing.

The Chinese government had not published the case officer’s report, photomontages, or any plans of the embassy before the hearing for security reasons.  An attempt by The Malta Independent to gain access to the plans for the embassy was denied by the Planning Authority before the hearing.

Plans can now be made seen by the public under supervision of Chinese embassy staff.