The St Paul's Bay and Qawra community can now start using the Qawra Maria Regina College car park after an agreement was signed between the St Paul's Bay local council and the school.

Through the agreement, the car park passed into the hands of the St Paul’s Bay Local Council, which will now be responsible for its operation. The agreement will not affect the use of the parking lot by the educators and school administration nor for when there are mass activities organised by the school.

"This agreement is part of our work to bring education closer to the community and we are doing this through various means. In every school we are modernising as well as those being built, where possible we are opening the facilities for the use of the respective communities. We believe that school spaces should be available to the community when they are not being used for the education of our children", the Minister for Education Clifton Grima said.

He explained that among the facilities that are available for the use of the community are sports facilities, halls and other spaces.

The agreement will go on for six years and will be renewed annually. During the time of the agreement, the maintenance of the parking lot will be in the local council’s hands. Additionally the local council will also be making a donation for the duration of the contract which will go towards the purchase of resources for the school.

The St Paul’s Bay mayor Alfred Grima thanked all those who were involved in the talks that led to this agreement.

"This agreement will lessen the problem of lack of parking for the community of St Paul’s Bay and Qawra and therefore the council is grateful that its request has been granted and that through the agreement this community will be better served”, he said.