Sliema mayor Anthony Chircop said the council will shortly put forward a proposal for a better organised surface car park at the Ferries.

Mr Chircop said the proposal will increase the number of available car spaces but admitted the project could not be ready by Christmas.

He was addressing a gathering of Sliema business people this afternoon. The meeting was organised by the association representing the Sliema business community.

Mr Chircop said the proposal was much cheaper than the underground car park project, which had been proposed by then resources minister George Pullicino and was ditched by the Government after the election.

The underground car park that would have cost millions of euros to build was abandoned because it was not deemed to be cost-effective. Mr Chircop admitted that even he had reservations about the expensive project.

Shop owners want the Ferries car park to be turned into a paid parking zone using a pay and display system. They also want a short-term solution to turn a disused private site between High Street and Tower Road into a temporary car park but planning bureaucracy is preventing this from happening despite the owner agreeing to the concept.

Mr Chircop also said that the council was asking for the bus lane along the Ferries to be temporarily suspended for the Christmas period to avoid traffic congestion.