Withdraw the car park brief

I am amazed by the mayor of Sliema mounting a personal attack on Qui-Si-Sana residents for daring to stand up and resist the rape of their neighbourhood. The local council deplores Sliema's overdevelopment yet gives its full backing to a project that is, in reality, the sale of public land for private speculation.

The Qui-Si-Sana Development Brief is being marketed to the public through a tissue of deception and misinformation, trying to blind Sliema residents by the promise of easy parking. It is what Albert Bonello Dupuis does not tell us that is significant.

Packaged with the Qui-Si-Sana car park comes the removal of all parking from the Ferries and the introduction of the Residents Parking Zone.

While no one objects to the RPZ itself, this scheme intends to turn our parking problem into a cash cow, milking Sliema residents on the premise that we can afford to pay.

Despite assurances to the contrary, the brief specifically mentions charging residents and only allows for one car per household to be admitted to the scheme. Any other cars will have to park in the Qui-Si-Sana Car Park - against payment.

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority not only ignored the objections of residents of Tigné and Qui-Si-Sana to the car park but, two years after public consultation, raised the height of the project a further three metres in order to accommodate a full floor of commercial space, with especially relaxed parameters on how this space may be used. The public and local council were never informed of this change.

The council at the time, under mayor Robert Arrigo, supported the residents of Tigné and Qui-Si-Sana, opposing the brief and the resultant disruption it will bring about.

Instead of abiding by the outgoing council's policy, Mr Bonello Dupius and his friends turned us away. No Nationalist councillor was prepared to help and to drive the point home, took a block vote in favour of the brief. It had to be the Labour and Alternattiva councillors who stood by us and gave help and advice.

Surprisingly, the Nationalist dominated council reversed its stand in May 2005 and passed a resolution to meet the PM, with a view to asking him to withdraw the brief. This meeting never took place, though in September, Mr Bonello Dupuis himself told us the brief was to be scrapped.

Barely weeks later, the Nationalist councillors again changed their stand, block voting once more in favour of the car park and associated commercial development. This breathtaking about-turn took place a very short time after the Nationalist councillors held a private meeting with a senior minister. One would be forgiven for thinking that we were victims of a ploy to make us drop our guard.

Mr Bonello Dupuis' condescending, patronising tone does not fool anyone. We voted for him and his councillors on the strength of promises to represent us. Instead we found spineless puppets who jerk in unison to the tune of their political masters. The Qui-Si-Sana garden is to be turned into a Paceville-style complex under the pretence of building a car park and these brave councillors all vote in favour, acting as rubber stamps for decisions taken above!

We do not oppose positive developments, however we object to the pointless destruction of a garden and residential area.

We ask that the Qui-Si-Sana development brief be withdrawn and a decision on the construction of a car park postponed until the RPZ is working and the new developments are open to the public.

Fresh data may be gathered and then, if necessary, a new traffic and parking scheme devised, which takes into account the well-being of the whole community, both residential and commercial.