Restaurants that were allowed to put tables and chairs outdoors due to health measures during the pandemic now expect to be able to keep the concession, according to the Valletta mayor.

Alfred Zammit said the social distancing measure, introduced after COVID-19 impacted tourism in 2020, was aimed at saving jobs in a crisis, but it was now being abused.

“We don’t want to kill business. That would be like shooting ourselves in the foot. But no one should be allowed to do whatever they want.”

The Labour mayor was speaking days after a protest in the capital against the private sector’s excessive take-up of public space.

Zammit said concessions given to restaurants should be clearly marked out.

“What is happening is they [restaurants] fill up their encroachment and then add planters and decorations.”

Restaurants also display fresh fish stands, ice cream stands and sandwich boards in areas where they are barred from doing so, he said.

“If you are renting an encroachment from the government, this should not be exceeded,” he said, adding that those without permits to set out tables and chairs should be regulated.

“Those without a permit should get one. That will mean more tax revenue for the government,” he said.

He said the problem with excessive tables and chairs in Merchants Street is made worse by scaffolding at the St John’s Co-Cathedral Museum project.

Zammit said Malta’s tourist hotspots, such as Marsaxlokk, Sliema and St Paul’s Bay have similar problems with encroachment.

“I am not saying this to dodge the problem but to say that enforcement is the problem,” he said.

We don’t want to kill business... But no one should be allowed to do whatever they want- Alfred Zammit

He said local government needs to be given more respect and treated seriously.

“We are ridiculing local councils by reducing them to customer care,” he said.

“Local councils are a local government which is elected, just like MPs are elected to parliament.”

And the law says that councils need to be consulted on anything that happens in a locality.

“That law is not always respected. When I call government entities, they sometimes ignore us.”

Meanwhile, Local Government Minister Owen Bonnici told Times of Malta that it is important to strike a balance between economic growth and residents’ well-being when it comes to tables and chairs encroaching on public spaces.

“It is crucial that economic growth is sustainable and does not trample on the welfare of Maltese and Gozitans,” he said.

“This is a delicate balance, but one that we need to find.”

Bonnici said a clear example of striking a balance took place weeks before when Valletta’s Merchants Street was temporarily freed of canopies, tables and chairs to make way for processions during Holy Week. 

This is a delicate balance, but one that we need to find- Local Government Minister Owen Bonnici

“The balance we found when it came to Easter celebrations in Valletta is a model that worked and we want to make sure we continue to see this sort of balance,” he said.

The same canopies, tables and chairs were placed back on the street shortly after the Easter celebrations.

When asked for his opinion on the canopies taking over the streets of Valletta, he said it is important to make sure Valletta continues to thrive economically but to also keep the residents in mind when moving forward. 

When pressed about whether such “balance” existed in towns such as Sliema, Gżira, the minister said it is important to acknowledge the difference between the “baroque” capital city and more modern towns.