Sliema residents who were unaware that their street was about to be renamed after the late PN MP Robert Arrigo are protesting against the council’s decision to change the name without consulting them.

Up until a few months ago, the residents of Triq Tigne in Sliema were none the wiser that plans were being made to change the name of the street and were surprised to read news reports that it was a done deal.

In a demonstration at Fort Cambridge on Saturday, where the part of the street has been renamed, residents gathered to voice their displeasure that the name change had been passed through without them being consulted.

They are also frustrated they will have to go through the hassle of updating all of their documents, such as passports and ID cards, with their new addresses. 

Mark Xuereb told Times of Malta that while it was surprising to find out about it from the media, the experience has been “unfortunate” in trying to get the local council to reverse the decision. 

“Primarily this is a plea for communication,” Xuereb said of the protest. 

“We acknowledge that the council does good work, but this decision was made without even informing, let alone consulting the 300 or so families that it impacts.” 

He stressed that residents are not opposed to the street being renamed after Arrigo, a former Sliema mayor who died in 2022, per se, but of the massive inconvenience that the name change is going to put them through. 

“Robert Arrigo was a fantastic man whose hidden hand helped more people than can be known,” Xuereb said. 

“We agree with the idea that Sliema should honour him in some way, but perhaps this can be achieved in some other way like a monument or an award in his name.” 

Xuerueb said the subsidiary legislation regulating street names says these should not be changed unless necessary and that this principle should also be respected in Triq Tigne. 

He argued there are also historical reasons to keep the name, as it commemorates Rene Jacob de Tigne, a knights-era military engineer who was the mastermind behind the Order of Malta’s defences. 

“One could also argue that it would be good to keep the name tied to the place where barracks and fortifications defended us from pirates and Ottomans,” Xuereb said. 

Resident Grace Borg similarly agreed that the issue was not about naming the street after Arrigo. 

“If they told us they wanted to put a bust of him here we probably would have paid for it,” she said. 

But the lack of consideration with residents and failure to communicate once opposition to the name change was flagged to the council was very disappointing she said. 

“The council didn’t realise exactly how many people this change would impact and it must admit its mistake and revoke the change,” Borg said. 

“Because only part of the road name was changed it has effectively also split up what used to be one whole street that is going to cause untold confusion,” she continued. 

“It’s a stupid decision and we won’t accept it.” 

Borg said the change will impact businesses on the street which will have to overhaul all of their information and burden residents with having to update sensitive information such as banking details. 

“It’s not going to stop here and if we have to go to court about it, we will,” she said. 

Sliema mayor John Pillow declined to comment when approached.