Mepa has given the go-ahead for the building of a €7m underground car park for 200 vehicles at the Ferries.
The roof of the car park will be a public garden on the site of the current car park.
The garden will feature fountains, the current war memorial, a monument dedicated to Sliema Wanderers football player Tony Nicholl and another to sculptor Censu Apap.
There will also be tourist information and boat ticket kiosks as well as of public conveniences.
The project will be started in the first half of next year following the tendering process. It will be concluded in about a year.
€3.5 million of the €7 million needed for the project will come from Mepa’s commuted parking payment scheme.
The Resources Ministry welcomed Mepa's approval and said that this project complemented the upgrading of the commercial and residential zone in Sliema, which has been already carried out by the government.