The Sliema council has said it is “extremely disappointed” that talks held over a period of months with the authorities on a residential parking scheme have collapsed.

Mayor Anthony Chircop said discussions with Transport Minister Joe Mizzi and Transport Malta had taken place since June 2013 in an attempt to reintroduce a timed parking scheme in Sliema.

“We were always told the authorities were working on a holistic study covering all of Malta’s localities. Now we have been informed this has been shelved to see what impact the new public transport operator will have on the traffic flow,” Mr Chircop said at a press conference yesterday.

Residential parking schemes were allowed in many towns and villages in Malta and Gozo but not in Sliema, he said, arguing that the council wanted a timed parking scheme. The council had attempted to introduce such a scheme in May 2013 but backtracked after opposition from the Malta Union of Teachers, shop owners and residents.

Other localities have residential parking schemes and we don’t

The government consequently suspended the scheme on the grounds that it was introduced “unilaterally and without an adequate trial period” and had caused problems in the area. But timed parking on the Strand and in Manwel Dimech Street was maintained.

Mr Chircop said the council had been planning to introduce the scheme in phases and was going to study its impact before further extending it.

A “surprise” legal notice by the government repealed the one giving the council the green light to implement a parking scheme, although the exemption for Sliema residents to park at The Strand and Manwel Dimech Street through a parking scheme was kept.

“Other localities have residential parking schemes and we don’t,” Mr Chircop said. “The authorities felt they had to suspend the scheme in Sliema and we objected to this as we felt it would benefit the area,” he said while pointing out the traffic problem had worsened. “We were hoping that things would change but we are back to square one,” he added.