Main Guard a good home for Parliament

When the senate in Madrid outgrew the elegant palace in which it was housed it was not abandoned. Instead, a modern building was built behind the palace, across the street, and both premises were connected by an ample underground passage. The same could be achieved for our Parliament if the Main Guard and its adjacent side buildings were to be connected through a passage under Strait Street to a modern edifice, both of which would serve as the new home for a reinvigorated Parliament. The utilisation of the Main Guard would free the Royal Opera House site for a cultural purpose.

Security considerations for Parliament would be better met in the Main Guard, especially if an underground parking place for parliamentarians - and members of the staff of the President of Malta - were to be provided under the present unsightly square used as a parking area. Utilisation of the Main Guard would also provide an opportunity to tidy up the unsightly development that has taken place at roof level on one side of this building.