Two establishments in Valletta have been slapped with fresh enforcement notices on their tented structures located around the area of St John’s Co-Cathedral.
Establishments Luciano and San Giovanni Café have both been issued enforcement notices on tents erected without a permit in St John’s Square and Merchants Street in Valletta. Daily fines are due on both cases.
Aside from the presence of the plastic tent, the enforcement also found Luciano restaurant to be in breach of its permit to place tables and chairs in the square.
The establishment was found to be taking up more space for their tables and chairs than stipulated by their permit and also in breach of a number of conditions upon which the permit had been granted.
The restaurant is also in breach of permit conditions that oblige it to remove outdoor tables and chairs while closed.
According to the original permit, the eatery only has permission to place tables and chairs outdoors between 4pm and 9pm from Monday to Saturday and 9am and 1pm on Sunday.
We expect the authorities to lead by example
The proprietor of Luciano has already filed an appeal against the enforcement action and the case is currently pending in front of the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal.
While welcoming the decision to issue enforcement notices, the Valletta Residents Revival Group were sceptical of the efficacy of enforcement.
In the case of Is-Suq tal-Belt, whose canopies were slapped with enforcement on October 30 last year, no enforcement action can be taken until the appeal is decided by the EPRT. Is-Suq’s appeal sitting was cancelled at the end of last November and to date has yet to be rescheduled.
“It is disappointing to note that one of the establishments’ owners has already appealed the enforcement order, clearly manifesting his indifference to the very city that gives him business,” the group told Times of Malta.
“This situation cannot persist, and we expect the authorities to lead by example and that these abusive and highly intrusive structures in Valletta are dealt with.”
“Residents and businesses can live and work together in a mature and respectful manner, but this will only be possible if both sides meet half-way. We want businesses to trade responsibly while respecting the rule of law. Their respect towards Valletta and its residents will be a shining example to all other stakeholders.”
The murky permit status of tented structures in St John’s Square was first highlighted by Times of Malta in December, after the establishments came under fire for the presence of the tents obscuring typical examples of Valletta architecture, including a Grade 1 scheduled, 19th century Unicorn fountain by sculptor Mariano Gerada.