The Sliema Local Council has appealed against the decision to grant planning permission to a temporary car park which has been a persistent source of dust pollution and road safety complaints.

Located on Tower Road, in front of the iconic Villa Drago, which formerly served as the Libyan Embassy, the car park was opened a couple of years ago on the site where the Regina Hotel stood. The hotel used to be a popular wedding venue in the 1960s but the site became an eyesore after the hotel was pulled down about a decade ago.

A development permit was issued in 2014 for a four-star hotel on the site, but works have yet to start. Instead, the developer opted to convert the open space into a temporary parking facility bearing the name of the old hotel and to lay gravel over the surface.

“We are not against the car park,” Sliema local councillor Paul Radmilli told the Times of Malta. “We simply want the car park in conformity with the law and showing basic respect to pedestrians, drivers and neighbouring residents.”

Since the busy car park is not surfaced with asphalt, residents have for years complained of dust pollution, particularly on windy days.

The council is also concerned about the lack of signage and basic safety features such as mirrors at the entrance and exit on Tower Road. This, the council says, poses a threat to pedestrians and motorists as drivers have their line of vision obscured by the car park’s boundary wall when entering and exiting.

No such conditions were included when a development notification order (DNO), a fast-track permit for minor developments, was issued for the site in 2014, or when it was renewed last year. The permit is currently valid until June 2017.

The council argues that the permit is illegal without such condition, as the law on DNOs states that the development should not have “any negative impact on the site and its surroundings”.

The case had its first hearing before the Environment Planning Tribunal yesterday but has now been deferred until November.

The Planning Authority has previously said the car park will not be allowed to operate beyond July 2017 unless it is covered by a full development permit, due to changes in the regulations.

Such a procedure means the application will have a period of public consultation during which the local council and members of the public will be able to voice their objections.