An initiative by President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca will breathe new life into Floriana, according to locality mayor Nigel Holland.

Addressing a meeting of the newly-set up Floriana Regeneration Forum, Mr Holland said he hoped to see incentives to stop the area from turning into a ghost town.

The locality, he noted, was in need of “drastic measures” to combat its dwindling population, poor air quality and the high number of unoccupied residences.

The forum, which falls under the auspices of the Office of the President, includes representatives from the local council, the band club, religious entities, political and sports clubs.

They held a roundtable discussion yesterday on the challenges facing the locality.

The President said she hoped to find ways to help inject some more life into Floriana.

Deputy mayor Matthew Pairs said the aim of the initiative was not to scrounge money from the government or the presidency but, rather, to find ways to tap into existing funds to look for self-sustaining solutions.