Sliema rails against removal of parking, Midi extension

Sliema businesses rail against removal of parking, residents launch MIDI offensive.

21 June 2011, 12:00am

2 min read

The Sliema Business Community (SBC) has joined the Sliema local council in expressing disappointment on the removal of 62 parking spaces so that new public transport operators Arriva can operate their lanes on the Tigné seafront.

“The SBC expressly states that at no time were its members either informed of the negotiations taking place with Arriva, or the matter relating to the car parking spaces being a subject of negotiation,” the SBC said.

For the past few years the SBC had been meeting with the parliamentary secretariat for local government on various occasions to discuss the €3 million paid in commuted parking payment schemes (CPPS) by Sliema businesses to create additional parking spaces in Sliema.

“Although many areas were identified, no conclusions have been reached. This latest development goes completely against the spirit of the private-public partnership discussions so conscientiously entered into during the past few years.

“The SBC strongly urges the government to immediately re-instate the 62 car parking spaces and find an alternative solution to Arriva. After all, Arriva have not contributed €3 million to the Sliema business community,” the SBC said.

In another statement, the Sliema Residents Association (SRA), the Qui-Si-Sana and Tigné Residents Association (QTRA) and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar (FAA)said new designs had been submitted to extend the Midi Tigné North development with several high-rise tower blocks, “exploiting the lack of a clear MEPA policy on this issue.”

“It is high time that MEPA finally enforces developers’ duties to inform the public and enter into a real public consultation process which would produce constructive debate on mega projects like Tigné North and Town Square, that will add hundreds more residential units to our already overcrowded town,” the NGOs said.

“These new pressures compounded with poor roads and overloaded utilities will adversely affect Sliema residents’ wellbeing and deteriorate further their quality of life.”

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Haha, tajba wkoll din! You're too b***dy chicken to even show your name and you want others to "get out and block the roads".

Adrian Busuttil •

"...new designs had been submitted to extend the Midi Tigné North development with several high-rise tower blocks". Seems Sliema has cancer.

Robert Attard •

Sliema and its residents have for decades suffered the consequencies of unsustainable developmetn thanks to MEPA's blessings in spite of MEPA's own Northern Harbours Local Plan 2006, which makes very pertinent references to Sliema as a locality whichis overdeveloped and tehrfore cannot accomdate further development. The Air Quality Plan for the Maltese Islands Jan 2006, identifies Sliema as one of the liocality withteh worst air pullution which exceeds EU safety levels. However MEPA argues that the projects it authorises by themselves do not augment the air pollutuion levels in Sliema and in spite its responsibilites to monitor and to safeguard residents against air pollutioin, expects that other entities such as Transport Malta to tackle the air pollution problems caused by vehicular traffic. Converesly Tranport Malta lamens that furtehr development in Sliema will precipitate the already Sliema precarious traffic problems and tha tit cannot do much to solve such problems because the Government and MEPA have already decided on this matter and the present road infrastructure is inadeqaute for present trafffic and cannot cope with future increased traffic demands generated by further development projects authorised by MEPA. Again Tranport Malta and Sliema Local Council have for tehpast years passin the bucket as to who is going to propose traffic managment plan to mitigate the Sliema traffic problems. While in 2007 The Sliema Local Council had unanimously agreed and decided to comisision a holistic traffic management plan for Sliema, such holistic traffic management plan has not seen the light of day yet. The SLC has on occasions rejected some piece meal traffic mamagement proposals byTransport Malta. The recent Bisazza Street tragi - commedy is yet the latest in a series of planning blunders resulting from the the evident lack of corrdination and cooperation betweenn different entities/ministries. This circus has been going for years and years to the detriment of Sliema residents' health and quality of life.

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Another qassata from the government. Thank god that they are well paid.

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Don't let the arrogant authorities and arrogant Arrive get their way. Destroying parking spaces just to help Arriva is not on. Get out and block the roads if necessary.