During a heated two-hour annual general meeting of the Sliema local council yesterday, residents who are opposing the proposed car park in Qui-Si-Sana argued that there was already a car park in High Street, which was never full, while major developments in the area - including MIDI and Ghar id-Dud - would include car parks.
"So why come up with a project to ruin the only open space in Sliema?" one of the residents stressed adding that there was "no need" for this development, a point backed with applause by those present.
The meeting was attended also by Environment Minister George Pullicino.
Mayor Albert Bonello Dupuis on behalf of the council said the fresh plans submitted for the Qui-Si-Sana car-park were not acceptable.
The council was not going to wait forever for the developer to come up with acceptable plans, the mayor added. Unless new plans were presented within two months, the council would not want to have anything more to do with the developer.
But according to the residents, this was not going to solve their problems, because - as one resident claimed - if one developer failed to provide acceptable plans, another would submit fresh ones.
The Qui-Si-Sana residents are vehemently against the proposed car park. Alternattiva Demokratika counsellor Michael Briguglio agreed that the project should not take place, adding that it was obvious the development would include a commercial area.
He stressed that the council should continue insisting that the residents should be consulted about the issue. The council should ask the Prime Minister to put the development brief aside because the development was not in the interest of the residents, he claimed.
The Environment Minister said a public consultation meeting had been held, but the residents angrily denied this. The project, Mr Pullicino said had to be carried out on the basis of the development brief, adding that although he held no power over the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, which was autonomous, as a citizen, he would be the first one to insist that Mepa honours the development brief.
Mr Pullicino refuted the claim that there was enough parking space in Qui-Si-Sana noting that the other projects would offer only enough parking for the residents living there and for the business they would generate.
He explained that the main aim for the project was to have a place where commuters could park without taking up street parking spaces, leaving these free for Sliema residents. People who work in Sliema parked their cars in the street for the duration of their working day. With the availability of a car park, these workers would have to use the car park or else incur a fine.
One residents was quick to argue that he did not agree that people working in Sliema should have to pay at least Lm2 a day to park their vehicle.
Another resident said there were no parking problems during working hours in Qui-Si-Sana. The real parking problem lay in the centre of Sliema.
"What is the use of a car park 1.5 miles away from the centre?" he asked.
Another resident asked why the government could not introduce a system whereby non-residents pay to access Sliema by car, similar to the situation in London.