Business groups worried about council's parking plan

Two business organisations are planning to meet the St Julians mayor over a local council proposal to provide a parking space for every home - a plan they believe could deal a blow to the leisure industry.

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and The Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU said they would be requesting a meeting with mayor Peter Bonello following an interview in Friday's The Times.

Mr Bonello said the scheme would be launched shortly and fine tuned in the first two months, after which it would become a permanent arrangement.

He also said in the interview that the council had taken into consideration the impact the scheme would have on the business community and as a result a number of parking bays would be available for parking for 90 minutes.

When contacted, Philip Fenech, representing the GRTU leisure section, said that while such a system had been adopted in other areas, it was important to understand that a centralised policy could not fit all localities.

"We do understand the residents' parking frustrations but it is crucial that a balance be struck between their needs and those of the entrepreneurs who have invested in the area," he said.

Mr Fenech also pointed out that St Julians and Paceville were very particular localities and while a 90-minute parking system could work in areas where people only went in order to shop it would fail to work where people visited mainly to eat, have a drink or watch a film - activities which took longer than 90 minutes.

"We are unhappy with the council's proposal and today (yesterday) we were inundated with calls from entrepreneurs who fear this move will mean more patrons will stay away from St Julians and Paceville," he said.

The businessmen were also concerned that recruiting staff would be harder with nowhere for them to park.

"This move is going to make it harder than it already is for businesses in this locality to survive. The logical way forward is to safeguard the interests of both the residents and the businessmen who have invested so much," Mr Fenech said.

This feeling was echoed by MHRA president Justin Zammit Tabona, who is eager to meet the mayor to get precise details of the council's plans.

"All I can say for the moment is that our industry has seen better days and at a time when restaurants are not having their best season we fear such a move could hinder the industry even more," Mr Zammit Tabona said.