Shop owners in the upper part of Merchants Street are considering their options after getting ‘confirmation’ today that the Monti stalls will move up the road right to the corner of Melita Street on Monday.
Tonio Camilleri, president of the Merchants’ Street Business Community Association said all 72-member shop-owners were strongly against the move, which, he said, would harm their businesses.
He complained that the government had not notified them of the move, despite a promise made to him by the Principal Permanent Secretary.
“All shop owners are on the same page, we do not want the Monti stalls up the road beyond Old Theatre Street. We want them to remain in front of the old market,” Mr Camilleri said.
He observed that the stalls were currently already further up from Old Theatre Street, having been moved ‘temporarily’ up to Lucy Street two-and-a-half years ago because of works on the Palace walls.
“Today we received confirmation that as from Monday the stalls will be set up in Merchants Street between Melita Street and Old Theatre Street," Mr Camilleri said.
“No one had even the courtesy to phone us,” he said, while adding that the hawkers themselves already knew which spaces had been allocated to them.
The association had been voicing its objections for weeks, and over the past days also met Economic Services Minister Chris Cardona.
The controversy has been ticking over ever since the stall owners were promised that the market would be set up in Ordnance Street. Those plans were dropped after security concerns were raised that the stalls would have been close to the new parliament. Many had also objected that the stalls would mar the Renzo Piano project.
Mr Camilleri said that ever since the stalls moved a short distance up Merchants Street the shops in that area had seen a drop in sales.
However there were a number of other concerns. HSBC, for example, was concerned about the stalls right outside its door, especially when cash had to be moved, he said.
Furthermore, no one knew what would happen to the six outside dining areas currently set up in the middle of Merchants’ Street. Would they be removed, or would patrons be surrounded by stalls 1.5 metres away from them?
Five franchises based in Mechants’ Street had already expressed their concerns and were threatening to leave, he said.
Mr Camilleri expressed concerns about access to ambulances and other vehciles should an emergency develop.
He also pointed out that Merchants’ Street, along with Republic Street was listed as Zone A areas and shop owners therefore paid high ground rents to the government,. Would this change?
The shop owners were not objecting to the Zone A category, but only that the area would suffer as a result of the Monti, he said.
Associations which are objecting to the monti move will be holding a meeting tomorrow, They are the GRTU, the Chamber of Commerce, the Malta Employers’ Association, the Merchants Street Business Association, V-18, Valletta Alive Foundation and Valletta local council.