Kurt Sansone
City Gate shop owners face uncertain future
Renzo Piano's plans for Valletta's entrance may have mesmerised people but shopowners under the City Gate arcades, set to lose their premises, are angry for being ignored.
Entrepreneur Reginald Fava was "disappointed" and "disgusted" at the way the government ignored shop owners at City Gate, who will have to make way for the grandiose Valletta project when the arcades beneath which they operate are demolished.
"No consultation whatsoever has taken place and we are absolutely in the dark as to what will happen to our shops," an irritated Mr Fava said.
"The government gave Renzo Piano his brief, so it knew from the onset that our shops would have to go. We expected to be informed."
He said that a government surveyor turned up at his pharmacy one day to take the necessary measurements and informed his employees that the shop had to close down.
"I find this attitude objection-able," Mr Fava said.
His pharmacy, Chemimart, employs 10 people and it has been operating from beneath the arcades since 1968 like most of the other shops there.
"Will the government give us an alternative place, offer compensation or simply throw us out," he asked.
Less worried by the impact of the project was Alfred Mifsud, the chairman of Crystal Finance Ltd, which also operates an outlet at City Gate. He admitted to not being consulted but said the project was still at consultation stage.
"I do not believe that the rights of a shop here and there should supersede the rights of the public. Even so, it must be noted that shop owners also have rights that must be respected," he said, confident that shop owners will be consulted at some stage.
Valletta's new-look entrance will do away with the arcades and the shops on one side of Freedom Square. The outlets operating from the ruins of the old opera house will also have to close down as they do not feature in Mr Piano's plans.
The work on the project is supposed to start next January and the government wants to finish it by the end of this Administration in four years' time.
The shops are on a government lease, which expires at the end of this year. Mr Fava, who is also chairman of the group of importers, distributors and retailers of the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, insisted that shop owners had rights and also obligations towards their em-ployees.
"This is arrogance and I am against arrogance from whatever quarter it comes," he said.
Similar words were expressed by the owner of Zak shoe store, Charles Borg. The shoe store under the arcades employs four people. "We are totally in the dark about our future. By October, I should be placing my orders for the summer season of 2010 and I do not know whether I should be placing them or not," Mr Borg said.
He raised another issue of concern for shop owners in Valletta: parking.
Mr Borg said the project would do away with almost 2,500 car park spaces because the Yellow Garage area would be converted into a garden and cars would no longer be able to park on Freedom Square and the road above City Gate.
"I do not know why the government did not consider an underground car park beneath Freedom Square like the one that was proposed during the Labour Administration between 1996 and 1998. I question whether the government's haste to finish the project by the end of its term in office has forced it to abandon the car park plan," Mr Borg said.
He is not miffed by the argument that shop owners should have known what the plans were.
"If we were to abide by that philosophy we would not have invested or imported another shoe since 1988 when the first plans for City Gate were announced," Mr Borg said.
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Joseph Galea
Jul 1st 2009, 22:30
I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said: "The best thing to do is make the right decision; the next best thing is to make the wrong decision. The worst thing to do is take no decision." If it was up to some people, naysayer Galea L. among them, we would continue arguing about what to do at the entrance to Valletta for another century. Where he/she gets the statistics that 'the majority is against the Piano project' is a mystery. I say get this project built as soon as possible. It will surely be a major improvement on the current situation.
Raymond Sammut
Jul 1st 2009, 19:21
@ Galea. L
People living in apartments can be relocated (with government assistance as necessary). Most of us, if not all, relocate several times in our lifetime for various reasons. Relocation is only one of several ongoing human activities.
Apartments and commercial shops on a historical site are simply not acceptable. The time of expediency for the economic reasons we had back in the sixties and seventies should not become a permanent feature of the Maltese way of life. All shops on both sides of the historical gate should be removed, and residents relocated. Needless to say, consultation and planning should be in place and is the responsibility of the government of the day. And "car parks" inside a historical city like Valletta should be abolished altogether. They should never even be considered for obvious reasons, such as, stress to pedestrians, pollution and continious damage to irreplaceable structures from emissions.
R Pace Bonello
Jul 1st 2009, 18:55
Mr Galea, you confuse me!
Galea. L
Jul 1st 2009, 18:30
Godwin Cassar
I am not trying to justify past mistakes, but a photo which appeared on the media (I am sorry but I did not keep the link) the last fortnight if not last week showed similar structures where the flats now stand. The only difference was that there were the stairs on both sides of the entrance. So it is not something that PL did that was not previously there.
As for the majestic project different people have different opinions about its suitability for our capital City and the majority seem to be against it.
This does not mean that the project is not good and not suitable for a new area or city, but the majority and I am one of them think that it is pure blasphemy with the rest of the buildings in Valletta.
R Pace Bonello
Jul 1st 2009, 18:29
I fail to understand the reaction of Mr Fava and other shop owners when they were fully aware of the conditions of their lease. The shop owners surely know what a contract is and should have planned ahead for the time when the lease expires. They have nobody but themselves to blame.
All the government has to do is to give them a date for them to vacate the premises without offering them alternative premises and, definitely, no compensation.
Of course expect these shop owners to play the "employment" card!
c. camilleri
Jul 1st 2009, 16:23
These shop owners knew from the very beginning that the lease of the shops is of a temporary nature and that they have to leave the place once work started to replace the ruined theatre. So coming with excuses now holds no water. They had all the time in the world to find an alternative place. This is what always happens. Now they expect the Govt to solve their problems.
Elizabeth Camilleri
Jul 1st 2009, 14:21
I think the fact that the project for Valletta is being pushed ahead should be welcome news for us Maltese and not a reason to argue.
Godwin Cassar
Jul 1st 2009, 14:17
@ Galea L.
If we all agree that our capital city's entrance should be dignified and not commercial or residential in nature, then a solution shouuld easily be found by government. I can't understand how you use past mistakes as a reason to stop such a majestic project for Valletta.
@Tanya Briffa
If they manage to put these plans together in four years time they'll have good reason to celebrate!!!
Tanya Briffa
Jul 1st 2009, 13:21
I strongly suspect that the government is actually not considering anything beyond doing something, anything, by the end of its administration to gain voter points. What's a few hundred lost votes from shopkeepers, residents, would be visitors trying to park in Valletta, if you're going to get a grand ceremony with thousands flocking to the party just before election time.....
Galea. L
Jul 1st 2009, 13:19
Godwin Cassar
Your hatred, similar to that shown by the PN leaders for anything done by Labour shows no bounds Cassar when you know that people live in the above apartments.
Stephanie Falzon
Jul 1st 2009, 12:32
With all due respect to the shopowners, and I hope a just solution is found for all parts, I think that the main stakeholder in the Valletta project is the general public, so it makes sense that we were the first to know.
Josephine Farrugia
Jul 1st 2009, 12:22
I must say I admire Mr. Mifsud's comments. He's one of the few so far who seems to be looking at the bigger picture.
Godwin Cassar
Jul 1st 2009, 12:20
I think the plans do justice to the fact that a shopping arcade should not be the first thing that one sees when entering a capital city! Take down the arcade on the other side of the road as well!
Hector Mamo
Jul 1st 2009, 12:07
Filwaqt li nifhem il-kwistjonijiet tas-sidien tal-hwienet, ikolli nghid li l-iktar li naqbel ma' Alfred Mifsud li f'post bhal dan l-entratura tal-Belt id-drittijiet tal-pubbliku huwa aktar importanti minn tal-hwienet.
Imma nahseb li l-Gvern ghadu fil-hin biex isib soluzzjoni gusta ghall-partijiet kollha.
lorraine camilleri
Jul 1st 2009, 10:26
i feel sorry about shop owners in city gate area, the question is were is going to be heald carnival in the years to come! and activities like notte bianca!some were done in this square and if as im thinking activities have to be moved to floriana( fosos) these have some story(history) value, aren t these going to have some sort of damage on the long run. i thing its something more to be considerd.