The government is making a fresh attempt to build an underground car park on The Strand in Sliema, reviving a years-old plan.

The plan is to shift the current parking (in front of the Zara store) underground and embellish the area above into an open landscaped space.

Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia announced a call for preliminary market research into the project on Monday through a post on Facebook.  

He said the call wants information and ideas on how the project could move forward.  

The call, published on the government’s tendering website, will expire on January 12. 

Plans to build an underground parking area in the area are over a decade old.  

During the last days of a PN administration in December 2012, the Planning Authority had approved plans for a 200-space underground car park.

The above-ground garden was to include the current war memorial, a monument dedicated to Sliema Wanderers football player Tony Nicholl and a monument to sculptor Censu Apap.  

The €7 million project was expected to be partly financed by fees from the PA’s commuted parking payment scheme. One of the main problems that emerged at the time was that the project would be carried out partly on reclaimed land, which is prone to flooding.

But in April 2013, the new PL administration shelved the plans due to cost concerns.  

Permits for the project were renewed in 2018 but the project remained on paper. That permit expired earlier this year.  

Last week, plans to renew the permit were submitted for a second time. The appointed case officer is currently evaluating PA/05407/23.

Works on a ferry landing station across the proposed parking project have dragged on for the past four years, much to the frustration of residents.