The project to create an underground car park at the Sliema Ferries is currently at ‘pre-market consultation phase,’ a spokesperson for the Infrastructure Ministry told The Malta Independent on Sunday, adding that the government is “actively seeking and evaluating feedback from the private sector regarding its potential and viability.”

Minister Aaron Farrugia had resurrected the idea for the underground car park and embellishment project on top of the site which currently houses a street-level car park in a post on social media on 13 November.

The original planning application for the proposed project was filed back in 2012. News reports in 2012 read that work on the project, which was estimated back then to cost €7 million, was to start in the first half of 2013. But the project was then put on the backburner following the 2013 election. In April 2013, after the PL was voted into government, PN MP at the time George Pullicino, under whom the project fell a year earlier, had asked a Parliamentary Question to Joe Mizzi, who was the transport minister, asking whether the new government would remain committed to implementing the underground car park and public garden on the Sliema shoreline.

In response, Mizzi said that the project wasn’t an immediate priority for the government at the time, saying that the last estimated cost for the project as it was planned was more than 60% higher than the original estimate, and that it would have required the digging up of works Transport Malta had just completed in the area.

In 2018, an application by a government department was filed to renew the permit for the project which had been granted in 2012, and was approved. Now, another application asking to renew the permission was filed with the Planning Authority. The description of works reads as follows: “Renewal of PA1496/18: Renewal of PA2459/12 - Proposed regeneration works at part of Triq ix-Xatt. Proposal to include removal of existing parking landscape areas, excavation works, construction of underground car park and an overlying landscaped deck area.” The application form reads that it was filed on behalf of a government department and that the total site area is 5,873 sqm.

Artist impression

In the November 2023 Facebook post resurrecting the project idea, Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia said that his ministry was publishing a call for expressions of interest to collect information and ideas as to how it is to move the project on the Sliema site which today houses a parking area close to the Ferries forward. “The project will take place so that the parking area will move underground and the part on top be turned into an open space for people to enjoy.” As such, he said his ministry was welcoming proposals of interest, ideas and information with the main aim for this to occur.

The area itself has seen floods in the past. There is also reclaimed land in the area, and the underground car park would also be below sea level. The Malta Independent on Sunday sent a number of questions to the ministry asking whether geological studies will be carried out and what lies beneath the surface of the site. The ministry was also asked what assurances can be given that the car park will not flood and what precautions will be taken in this regard, whether there are concerns about the porous rock, and whether the local council was consulted, among other things.

A spokesperson for the ministry said that “the project is currently in the pre-market consultation phase, where we are actively seeking and evaluating feedback from the private sector regarding its potential and viability. The Minister engaged directly with the Mayor to discuss this project, and the feedback received thus far has been positive.”

Pressed to send answers to the rest of the questions asked, the spokesperson said: “Our previous response highlighted that the project is presently in its pre-market consultation phase. This phase primarily focuses on collecting diverse insights and viewpoints to help define a comprehensive project in line with the objectives stipulated within the PMC (pre-market consultation) document. Consequently, it's not a stage for submitting formal proposals or making definitive decisions,” adding that as such, the nature of the queries fall outside the scope of what can be addressed during this phase.

The Pre-Market Consultation document states that “the purpose of this Preliminary Market Consultation is to collect market opinions and project ideas for       the regeneration of a site identified in Triq ix-Xatt, Sliema, Malta.” It also reads that the “objectives of the project should include the enhancement of traffic management of the area thus addressing the overbearing presence of motor vehicles on the streets through the development of an underground car park, and the improvement of the quality of the outdoor environment within the locality of Sliema.”

This newsroom contacted geologist Peter Gatt, to ask whether such a project is doable given the location, and what studies should take place.

The Sliema Ferries underground car park project is doable, Gatt said, adding however, that there are other locations in the vicinity that would be less costly.

He said that any project, including this one, is doable, "but what you have to consider is the cost and potential hazards. Since we are talking about the Sliema Ferries, any excavation below the surface is going to be below sea level, so it’s going to be in a situation where you have continuous flow of water coming in, whether it is from the sea or the aquifer."  He said that this would be quite expensive to deal with, firstly due to the requirement to pump water out at certain stages, “secondly as the rock itself would be saturated with water, which would make it even weaker than it would normally be. Then there is the issue of whether there is man-made material fill or not.”

He said that the geology of the site seems problematic and will result in significant water infiltration into the excavated site because of faults and other discontinuities reported in the site investigation, referring to what was said in a Construction Management Plan that had been submitted with the original 2012 planning application. He said, however, that “we do not know if the site investigation was done by the competent person, which would have to be a geologist,” highlighting the need for the State to recognise the geologist profession by means of a warrant.

“The Malta Chamber of Geologists has repeatedly asked Minister Zrinzo Azzopardi to recognise the role of the profession in the construction industry, but the minister has not acted on the recommendation of the Chamber. The minister also excluded the Chamber of Geologists from the newly set up Building and Construction Consultative Council. This can result in more ground failures during excavation, sometimes with tragic consequences,” Gatt said.

The Construction Management Plan itself reads, among other things, that “the lowest finished level of the proposed design is (-) 2.40m from the existing road level.”  The plan had also said that, due to the relatively high water tide, “an engineering solution must be found, that which will ensure that the car park remains waterproof. Since the repair of any water leaks is difficult below ground level, a robust system must be designed to keep the park dry at all times.” It also said that “given that the water level is close to the existing ground level considerable uplift forces will be generated by the displacement of the car park below the water table.” It also said that “within the area, the geo-technical studies found the Globigerina Limestone to have significant discontinuities – vertical, oblique and horizontal. Geological faults were found below the shore-line to the East and North of the car park. The discontinuities (whether joints or faults), could provide preferential water flow paths. The site investigation found a fault passing beneath the proposed car park site, with cavities recorded at depth.”

Regarding the Sliema Ferries proposal, Gatt said that "more discussions should be held about which is the best site that can be chosen” for this project, “and which site offers the best geological situation to avoid any hazards and avoid making it a very expensive venture."

"If there is threat of flooding, and it would be the case as its right next to the sea, then the cost would increase significantly," Gatt said. 

He stressed the importance of ensuring that a real geological investigation has been or will be conducted prior to moving forward with the project. This is as, he said speaking generally, "unfortunately in this country a geological investigation is taken to mean taking a number of core samples, and that's it. That is not a geological investigation, that is just the sampling of rock or soil below the surface. A geological investigation requires a report drawn up by a geologist, in other words a geological report which would include more information. The so called site investigations conducted in Malta don't offer geological data, or interpretation of what there is on a site. It’s just an exercise in taking core samples and logging it and it stops there. It is not enough."