The Pembroke local council is rejecting the idea of having a 22-storey tower built on the existing park and ride area close to the Luxol grounds.

In a statement on Facebook, the council said that although this seems to be “a preliminary hypothetical plan”, it is of the opinion that this project is a “non-starter” in terms of existing policies.

The council said that this is because the site is surrounded by several historic and scheduled British era buildings, including the Pembroke Clock Tower, “which no doubt does not deserve to be buried under other, taller modern building”.

The council was referring to a story on LovinMalta which reported on the proposed tower to be built “if the new metro plans proposed by the government come to fruition”.

Last Saturday, the government announced plans for a metro system, with one of the three lines starting in Pembroke.

The plan for the metro is still in its embryonic stage and will take between 15 and 20 years to be completed, once work starts.

Renders of the proposed station for Pembroke place it in the midst of a completely revamped park and ride area, complete with several modern looking buildings, a cafeteria and a high-rise tower in the centre, Lovin Malta reports.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the Pembroke Local Council welcomed the “confirmation of rumours that we have been hearing about for some time which have mentioned that the Pembroke P&R is planned to host a Metro station. We believe that this is a project that the country can benefit from if its planning is done well.

“On the other hand, with reference to what has been raised in sections of the media regarding a twenty-two-storey tower, while the Council understands that this is only a preliminary, hypothetical plan, the Council is making it clear that this news was came to our attention from the media. The Council is of the opinion that this idea of a high-rise building at the Pembroke P&R site is 'a non-starter' in terms of existing policies, as the site is surrounded by several historic and scheduled British-era buildings, including the Pembroke Clock Tower, which no doubt does not deserve to be buried under other, taller modern building.

“We look forward to discussing these ideas better,” the council said.

The Pembroke council has in the past protested against another high-rise project, the one planned by the db Group on the site of the former Institute of Tourism Studies. It is one of three local councils which has filed an appeal against the project which was given the go-ahead by the Planning Board.