Thursday, 24th July 2008
The end of the Magic Kiosk
Square to be restored to former glory
The turquoise, aquarium-like structure that has graced Sliema Ferries for the past 20-odd years is fast approaching its demise, judging by a judicial protest which makes clear that the government has no intention of extending the lease to the notorious Magic Kiosk beyond this December.
The protest was filed yesterday on behalf of the Lands Department, which had leased the area for the development of the kiosk between 1974 and 1979. In fact, the land occupied by the kiosk was not leased all in one go but in two separate contracts.
The protest points out that one of the contracts expired in 2004 but the tenant, Joseph Pace, did not evacuate the area. This time, the government is giving advance notice before the second contract expires - on December 19, 2008 - that the lease agreement will not be extended. The decision is an initiative of Resources Minister George Pullicino, who has been working at it since 2005, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Lands Jason Azzopardi.
The idea is to restore the square to its former glory and clear it of the kiosk. Plans are well under way and are likely to be combined with the paving of Tower Road.
The Magic Kiosk was born in controversy as a result of Mr Pace's association with the late Labour Minister Lorry Sant and was even targeted by the boycott which the Nationalist Party called in the early 1980s against establishments that advertised on the national broadcasting station as part of its civil disobedience campaign.
Before the present kiosk, St Anne's Square was an open space with a small family-run kiosk.
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Comments
1) i'm not a labourite, but one who strongly believes in the socialist ideology. Labour is, many-a-time, a wannabe socialist, if you ask me...with all due respect to any labourites, of course
2) Stop listening to Net and anything related to it, and get out on the streets and speak to people - no better proof than hearing it from the horses' mouth!
Can't score more points then demolishing something that reaks of old labour's doing....Like removing a tainted part of sliema, which had Labours help in being created.
@Jessica Attard: Are you still living in Malta, or do you just believe the Labour Propoganda machine blindly? We don't have unemployment problems. There are plenty of jobs, just some people prefer un-employed benefits. That way they get free money and don't have to work for it...
I swear when it comes to the real world, I think many Maltese live on another world dreaming about the day Labour will be in power....
I think its people with your vision that run MEPA., and frankly there are to many people with such a taste for architecture in this country. No wonder its becoming a dump !
Maybe you should take a look at this:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080724/local/asds
THIS COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE EQUALITY, AND THAT THE FOCUS IS SERVING THE PUBLIC.
Anyway, until it stands, I suggest you go and take-away a REAL burger for 80 Maltese cents. You don't make that type of deal in too many places these days.
If you stop watching Super One, you would learn something. For your information unemployment in Malta have been going down month over month even with the closure of some large companies like Bortex. What that tells you is that not only work have been created for the new workers coming on to the job amrket but also for those who have unfortunately lost thier jobs.
And by the way, how about making PUBLIC use of the Australia Hall which was "donated" to its present owners? It could surely be used for a multitude of public purposes instead of just rotting away, suffering vandalism, and gathering piles of rubbish and syringes. Or do its present owners intend to finance themselves the PROFESSIONAL restoration it deserves? Well now they do have their own Headquarters.
Reclaim some of the public spaces which has been abused and degraded by these types of kiosks and bars. Total eye sore it was.
Get a nice, bright public area with plenty of greenery as oppsed to that disgusting portakabin.
Having said that giving the Kiosk back to Bonello's was only a mere suggestion to do justice with them for what happened to them in 1974. Frankly I do not know their political orientation (if they have one) nor is it important in this context. That is unless the way you see it is that justice does have a political colour after all.
@R Glanville - Magic Kiosk's operator has overstayed his lease by 4 years which was sufficient time for him to have phased out his workforce and helped them find alternative work. Whilst appreciating your concern towards them I feel that it is not fair on the other hand to retain the monstrosity in operation on the excuse of the jobs of the workforce... ultimately who's pocketing the profits and what's the opportunity cost of this situation?
Let's hope we tread carefully now when rehabilitating the area. A small kiosk with traditional seating arrangements surrounded by trees and shrubs would still allow current patrons of the Magic Kiosk to "watch the world go by", while reducing the eyesore that had been built abusively anyway.
I don't, on the other hand, believe it should be taken from a "red-eyed" baby to be given to a blue-eyed one. Why not issue a tender for a limited number of years? That way, competition would be the deciding factor and the Maltese citizen the ultimate winner.
Then what we'll gain instead? I bet that this square will soon be offering refuge to junkies (and their needles) and to foreign vandals especially in Summer. Please keep Magic Kiosk right where it is.
@Amanda Mallia: For once I agree totally with you. Demolishing those beautiful houses is just hopeless nonsense. But what can you expect from MEPA? and to make it worse it's under the Par Idejn Sodi of our Gonzi!!
@D Fenech: I will join your bet, since in Sliema they have JPO the greenboy who's an expert in building on green areas.
@Bernard J Schranz: OMG let's remove the Magic Kiosk and give it to Bonello perhaps he is a blue-eyed boy....maybe a canvasser of the green politician of the year too.
Only in Malta!!!!!
Ii would be a pity when the Magic Kiosk would be demolished.
It would be a complete hypocritical travesty if another kiosk would be allowed to be built.
If the plan is to restore ST.Anne Square to its former glory then I would even suggest that all the buildings around it have to be in the same style as I am sure that once the MK would be demolished the contradictory style would be open for all to be seen.
Having read the article I could not help myself from laughing on your journalist choice of words as 'notorious'. Why notorious when it was a very important place for people of all political belief met there and it contributed enormously towards the successful period of the tourisim industry in the 1970s and early 1980?
All I wish for is that the new design would be pleasing to the eye, benches, shrubs, trees and a little fountain BUT NO KIOSKS AND THE NOTORIOUS TAXI STAND WOULD BE REMOVED METERS AWAY AS IT IS A MAGNIFICENT EYESORE!
Nice bananas
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080724/local/asds
The square should be retained as an open area and more trees or other shrubbery should be planted to make it as green as possible, something Sliema needs very badly. It would not be amiss to dig out part of it to have the kitchen pertaining to the Kiosk situated underground so that less of the outdoor space would have to be used up.
If you want justice served, give back the kiosk to the Bonello family and have them run it. It will be the best form of justice this family can get for the way it was dealt with by the bullyish attitude of the then MLP government of Mintoff.
They certainly deserve it.
Now how about giving the same option to the current leaseholders !
The destruction continues!
I must also object to the choice of words of the journalist where he says that the aluminium structure "graced" the Ferries. What grace?
I do agree with you though, A. Mallia - demoloshing that block is an awful shame - why do we see it and MEPA does not? For every step forward, such as this new open area is, we seem to take 2 back.
I'm sure someone will try and politicise the issue now...
Magic Kiosk is an eye sore and I agree with it's removal. But that is not enough. The whole area starting from Manoel Island bridge all the way up to Preluna and the Qui Si Sana and Tigne areas need to be improved as roads and pavements are just one big disaster. Then they wonder why PN lost the most votes from those areas. Wakey wakey Dr Gonzi
As long as they don't chop down that TREE! next to it.
Like they chopped down the trees next to Is-Suq Valletta
Your exact thought crossed my mind... let's hope we do actually see the square restored to its original glory
Bonello's was the first to go. That is the reason the leases date from 1974 and 1979 respectively.
As for the boycott, there was an unofficial boycott because people were outraged by the way the previous leaseholders were evicted. I do not recall the Magic Kiosk ever advertising on Xandir Malta.
I am extremely sceptical about the intention of restoring the square 'to its former glory' at the very same time that cafes and other catering establishments in the area have been given carte blanche to appropriate to themselves the public thoroughfare. A couple of years ago there was a major controversy concerning the redeveloping of buildings in this tiny square.
We will see.
Hope that the planners will turn this small corner spot into a restful haven of trees/benches........also maybe install energy saving solar street light solar system.......
I agree that Magic Kiosk must go but please spare a thought to the people who have worked there for long years; waiters, cooks and cleaners. I am in no way saying that for this reason Magic Kiosk should stay but when hard and necessary decisions like this have to be taken in the light of many irresponsible decisions of the past, maybe just maybe, the government should have assistance programmes for these people to be able to make the transition gradually.
After all whether it was a Labour or Nationalist government, the government is still the government , each time convincing the voter that it should be the team to govern and it is hight time they take responsability not only for their own party's mistakes but also for the mistakes of the other. After all wrong decisions are still being taken and will continue to be taken since we are all human. The least we can do is consider the hardships that reversals of decisons impose on other innocent parties.
It is a shame that those houses you posted about will be demolished.
Money talks and guess what walks?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080405/letters/sliema-earmarked-for-demolition
We seek to restore a square (all is well and good), and yet, almost a whole block of lovely old houses just off Tower Road, directly behind the Preluna, has been earmarked for destruction, the permit having been granted 2 days ago. (See application number 06269/06 on the MEPA website: http://www.mepa.org.mt/Planning/index.htm?../asps/DC_search_by_arch.htm&1 ).
When are we ever going to learn?