The sloped, stepped spectator stands next to the Floriana football pitch will be transformed into an open-air parking area offering about 300 spaces after the project got the green light from the planning authority.

Recommended for approval, the project will level out the graded steps by almost 2.5 metres below Triq Il-Mall in Floriana, to bring it in line with the adjacent car park.

The project, handled by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, forms part of a larger development that includes the construction of a spectator stand and roofing over the existing car park. This involves separate planning applications.

The car park will cover about 5,000 square metres and the football ground does not form part of the project footprint. It will have two access points: the existing access leading to Great Siege Road and a new one to The Mall.

In its recommendations, Transport Malta noted that a car park did not generate “new traffic” but “accommodated” cars that were already on the roads.

The car park’s main purpose is to replace “some of those places lost” by the Valletta City Gate project.

The corporation this week issued a call for tenders for the construction of the car park.