Residents groups and activists are urging the public to join a Sunday lunchtime protest highlighting the lack of safety and public access to Valletta streets.

Moviment Graffitti said the march will denounce the "government’s inaction against the commercial tables, chairs and structures that are choking our pavements, squares, streets and beaches".

Residents and visitors of the capital often flag the chaotic situation of tables and chairs on Valletta streets.

Last year, tables and chairs on Merchants Street triggered a judicial protest by the University of Malta against the Valletta local council.

The Ombudsman's Office has even taken to parliament to demand proper rules and procedures for outdoor catering areas.

Earlier this year, independent party Residenti Beltin uploaded footage of an ambulance squeezing past tables and chairs.

The issue of tables and chairs is not limited to the capital.

The Marsascala local council last year asked the Lands Authority to demarcate areas where restaurants and cafes can take out their tables and chairs. It also urged the authorities to act on illegalities.

The locality's residents claim businesses are taking pavements away from pedestrians, often illegally, making it difficult to navigate sidewalks, especially for those with pushchairs or mobility issues.

The situation is also frustrating Sliema residents, where a local took the unusual step of applying for permission to take up public land herself instead of a commercial entity.

Residents and activists have also expressed frustration about the taking up of public space in the Mellieħa Square.

Residents from these localities and others will be joining the protest on Sunday, which will kick off at around 12.15pm close to the MUŻA museum on Merchants Street.

Photo: Moviment Graffitti

The protest is being organised by Moviment Graffitti, Sliema Residents Association, Residenti Beltin, Marsaskala Residents Network, Azzjoni Tuna Artna Lura, Residenti Melliħin, Residenti San Pawl il-Baħar and Marsaxlokk Heritage Group.

In a statement ahead of the march they said that despite the various promises made by the government that it will curb the excessive encroachment of public spaces by businesses and restore public access, "effective action and serious enforcement are still nowhere to be seen".

"This rampant take-up of public land by businesses is adding to the deterioration of our quality of life," they added.

The march forms part of the Il-Bankini taċ-Ċittadini campaign launched five months ago.

"We shall be marching through the streets of Valletta — that look more like an obstacle course with each passing day — to highlight how safe and public access is practically non-existent.

"The various demands put forward by residents’ groups from some of the most affected localities - including a call for the law to be made more robust, effective enforcement, and transparency in the way encroachment permits are issued - have largely been ignored by the authorities. Repeated meeting requests to the Prime Minister to discuss our proposals have so far been met with deafening silence," they added.

The proposals can be found here.