Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541179
to develop a new car park be- cause "nobody in his right sens- es is ready to invest in it, know- ing that people are used not to paying for parking and prefer to use limited on-street parking which is free." Galea added that "simply put, nobody is ready to build a new car park if residents are not willing to pay for it — otherwise the investment will never be recovered." He also lamented that the money cannot be used for oth- er purposes such as improving pavements, while a substantial amount is being saved for a new civic centre. Galea argued that the system should be reformed to allow councils to use UIF funding for a wider range of in- terventions. The mayor further warned that the current system, which lets developers "buy their way out" of providing parking spac- es, is contributing to congestion as residents spend more time searching for parking spaces. Even when garages are includ- ed in new developments, they are often sold separately from the apartments, meaning some new residents still rely on on- street parking. The problem is compounded by the fact that St Paul's Bay has over 40,000 cars registered in the locality. Kamra tal-Periti calls for reform Kamra tal-Periti president André Pizzuto reiterated the chamber's call to scrap the system, repeating the criti- cism first made in 2018 when contribution rates were raised. The Chamber had warned that the Planning Authority's ap- proach to parking provision "risks worsening Malta's traffic and environmental problems rather than solving them," cit- ing research that shows how providing abundant parking encourages private car use and discourages public transport. Instead, the KTP looks at models in other countries where "developers have a max- imum parking allowance" and are obliged to contribute to the costs of new or improved bus services to serve new develop- ments. The Chamber argues that "when parking is freely availa- ble or integrated as a standard part of new developments, it acts as a powerful disincentive for people to shift to buses, cycling or walking." Instead of insisting on minimum parking requirements, the Authority "could have explored the in- troduction of maximum stand- ards — a strategy increasingly adopted in other European cit- ies to limit car dependency." Moreover, there is little ev- idence garages in new devel- opments are being effectively used for parking, as many re- main unsold or vacant, inflat- ing property prices and land use inefficiency. Rather than reducing car ownership or pro- moting green transport, the KTP warns that, "the current system is incentivising develop- ers to dig deeper and construct larger underground car parks," generating massive amounts of construction waste that often end up in landfills. "Instead of solving parking shortages, the system has fos- tered a cycle of car dependen- cy, traffic congestion, poor air quality and declining urban liveability." The chamber calls for a decisive shift from poli- cies that accommodate cars to those that promote sustainable mobility — reducing parking supply, improving public trans- port, and reclaiming space for people rather than vehicles. System under continuous review - PA Asked for comment, a PA spokesperson said the Author- ity periodically reviews the Commuted Parking Payment mechanism and its procedures for fund disbursement—most recently in 2022—to encourage the use of PA funds for green- ing projects, Green and Blue Infrastructure, and social sup- port, while still allocating funds for new parking facilities or initiatives supporting a shift to sustainable transport. The spokesperson added that the requirement in policy P18 of the Design Policy, Guidance and Standards 2015 (DC15) — to require contributions to a CPPS/UIF when full parking provision is physically, techni- cally, or otherwise undesirable — "remains valid today." He noted that "as with many plan- ning and transport tools, this works best as part of a broader transport policy mix, and its ef- fectiveness is therefore assessed within the overall context of the national transport strategy." 11 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 NOVEMBER 2025 leave Malta with 4,400 parking shortfall Rank Locality Car Spaces Number of Permits UIF/CPPS Paid (€) 1 San Pawl il-Bahar 309 70 1,152,000 2 Birkirkara * 277 91 1,083,000 6 Gzira** 203 64 808,000 4 Msida*** 190 47 828,004 3 San Giljan**** 189 48 920,500 5 Qormi 185 64 429,500.50 7 Sliema 181 65 627,000 8 Marsa 142 21 311,500 9 Marsascala 134 41 542,200 10 Fgura 130 38 422,000 * includes two permits in border with Santa Venera and Msida ** includes three permits in border with Ta Xbiex *** includes a permit in border with Ta Xbiex ****includes a permit in border with Sliema These figures include amounts that are available for use by both Local Council and non-Local Council bodies. These figures are exclusive of contracts that have already been signed and exclusive of applications already submitted for PA funding which have not yet been contracted. Rank Locality Balance (€) 1 St Julians 5,684,362 2 Victoria 2,576,560 3 Gzira 2,917,817 4 St Paul's Bay 2,363,115 5 Marsaskala 2,048,243 Localities with highest balances derived from UIF ad CPPS funds These figures, obtained by MaltaToday from the PA, indicate a decline from the record 8,000 unprovided parking spaces in 2018