Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541179
IN 2024, the Planning Author- ity approved 1,466 permits, which led to a shortage of 4,387 parking spaces. Developers paid a total of €16,176,304 in lieu of these un- provided spaces, contributing to either the Urban Improve- ment Fund or the Commut- ers Parking Provision System (CPPS), both administered by the Planning Authority (PA). The parking provision refers to a system that allows devel- opers to pay a financial con- tribution instead of providing the full number of parking spaces required by planning regulations. When a develop- ment project cannot include all the necessary on-site park- ing, due to space limits, design constraints, or other factors, the developer pays a fee to the Planning Authority. These figures, obtained by MaltaToday from the PA, in- dicate a decline from the re- cord 8,000 unprovided parking spaces in 2018 — although this also reflects a sharp drop in permits for new dwellings since the peak of the building boom. However, the trend also comes at an environmental cost, as the shift to basement parking has increased excavation and construction waste without contributing to a shift towards public transportation. St Paul's Bay — a relatively modern locality where under- ground parking is not con- strained by heritage concerns — recorded the highest number of uncatered for parking spaces (309). Other localities with ma- jor parking shortfalls included Birkirkara (277), Gżira (203), Msida (190) San Ġiljan (189), Qormi (185), Sliema (181), Marsa (142), Żabbar (136), Marsaskala (134) Fgura (130) and Mosta (125). In Gozo, the shortage was most pronounced in Rabat and Żebbuġ, where 111 and 106 spaces respectively were not provided in 2024. Overall, 516 parking spaces were not catered for in Gozo — 12% of the national total. Localities in the ninth and tenth districts to- gether accounted for over 1,000 spaces, or 23% of the total. Comparison with 2018 Comparable PA statistics from 2018 show 2,501 permits failed to meet demand for 8,021 parking spaces. However, this coincided with a record 12,829 dwelling permits that year, compared to 8,716 in 2024. The number of permits in- volving a parking shortfall has also fallen steadily — from 2,501 in 2018, to 2,380 in 2019, to 1,549 in 2020, and 1,466 last year. The reduction, however, was not universal. In Gozo, for in- stance, the number of unpro- vided parking spaces rose from 392 in 2018 to 516 in 2024. Some localities like Marsa have also registered a notable in- crease. Planning sources attribute this decline partly to higher charges for unprovided park- ing spaces introduced in June 2018. However, the number of unprovided spaces remains substantial, and Malta is still dealing with the legacy of ear- lier permits without parking. The shift to basement garages, meanwhile, continues to gener- ate large volumes of excavation waste and increased nuisance for residents. Moreover, while the parking shortage created by some developments increases the number of people looking for free on street parking spots, developments incorporating parking spaces nurture car de- pendency. How the PA uses parking funds The CPPS and UIF funds are financed through developer fees paid when required park- ing facilities — such as under- ground garages — cannot be provided on site. Fees also ap- ply when a change of building use increases parking demand (for instance, converting a shop to a restaurant), when addi- tional floors are built, or when outdoor catering areas take up parking spaces. Funds can finance a wide range of projects: parking fa- cilities, public transport ini- tiatives, sustainable mobility schemes, gardens, landscaping, street furniture, lighting, res- toration, and accessibility im- provements. Since June 2018, developers have paid €2,500 for each of the first two unprovided spac- es; €6,000 per space from the third to ninth; and €9,000 per space thereafter. This replaced 1990s rates that charged €2,096 per space in CPPS areas and €1,164.68 in UIF localities. This increase has resulted in more funds available for ur- ban improvements. Despite the sharp decrease in the number of permits creating a parking shortfall, contributions to the PA's funds have increased from € 10 million in 2018 to €16 mil- lion in 2024. By the end of 2024, the local- ities with the highest available balances were led by St Julian's (€5.68 million), followed by Gżira (€2.92 million), Rabat Gozo (€2.58 million), St Paul's Bay (€2.36 million), and Naxx- ar (€1.95 million). The national total stands at €58 million. The St Paul's Bay case study St Paul's Bay saw 70 permits with parking under-provision in 2024, resulting in 309 miss- ing spaces and €1.15 million de- posited in its Urban Improve- ment Fund. Mayor Censu Galea described the system as "broken", argu- ing that it worsened parking problems without empowering councils to fix them. He said the council cannot use the money 10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 NOVEMBER 2025 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Building permits issued in 2024 leave Developers paid over €16 million in contributions to the Planning Authority fund for not providing parking spaces in new developments. Figures also suggest a reduction in under-provision since 2018 New buildings without parking spaces will result in more cars being parked on the street Left to right: St Paul's Bay Mayor Censu Galea and Kamra tal-Periti President Andre Pizzuto