The moral of the story sends a mixed message: If Merchants Street, in Valletta is for pedestrians only then it is totally wrong to allow anybody to park there at any time.

Unfortunately, lately, there does not seem much cohesion when certain plans are brought into action. The new design of Valletta has not catered for parking of members of Parliament. The present House in the Grand Masters Palace is totally inadequate, thus causing the problem with parking.

I can understand that MPs must be given some protection both from the elements and becoming possible vulnerable targets while making their way to the House. The new building housing Parliament by City Gate could further cause chaos – where are the MPs going to park?

Why cannot we have a Parliament at Fort St Elmo, which could be a sealed protected area? It would probably cost a fraction of the money being spent to build a new House to restore the fort.

I have slowly started to accept Renzo Piano’s plans. They would eventually blend in but not the new Parliament. If it comes to fruition it is going to cause a security problem as any minor issue would probably cause the main entrance to Valletta to be closed.