The building is located adjacent to Saint James Cavalier and the ruins of the Royal Opera House, and opposite the City Gate Shopping Arcade and Palazzo Ferreria.

[2] The area was bombarded during World War II, and the station and surrounding buildings were demolished in the 1960s as part of a project to redevelop the entrance to Valletta.

[3] The area was converted into an open space known as Freedom Square (Maltese: Misraħ il-Ħelsien), which was surrounded by a shopping arcade.

The square now covers from the corner of Palazzo Ferreria to the first column across of the subjected parliament, and to the Spanish steps next to the City Gate.

[6] The building of the Parliament House was a part of the City Gate Project, which was meant to redevelop the entrance of Valletta.

At this point, it began to be covered in limestone which had been quarried in Gozo, and cut into specific shapes in Italy, before being sent back to Malta.

Members of Parliament and other guests gathered at the old chamber at the Grandmaster's Palace, and walked to the new building accompanied by the police force band.

Others attacked the modern design of the structure itself,[22] including the Labour MP Carmelo Abela, who called the Parliament House "an ugly building built on stilts".

[23] The building's design, particularly the system of cladding,[24] was compared to a dovecote (Maltese: Barumbara tal-ħamiem)[25] or to a cheese grater[26] by the general public.

[28] The ultramodern design that contrasts much with the rest of Valletta has gone as far as the UNESCO questioning the city's title as a World Heritage Site.