Efforts to introduce new monti stalls for the market in Ordnance Street, Valletta, have come to a standstill, and it would appear that for the time being, the old, rusty stalls will continue to greet visitors to the capital.

Government sources yesterday told this newspaper that it was “unlikely” the old stalls would be replaced by new ones any time soon – nearly a year after the monti was moved from Merchants Street.

The move was heavily criticised by architects, who felt that setting up a market at the Renzo Piano City Gate went against the spirit of the project.

Mr Piano’s lead architect, Antonio Belvedere, described the decision to place stalls between the majestic Parliament building and Pjazza Teatru Rjal as “shameful”, saying it was akin to “making a cake, then spitting on it”.

In the end, no stalls were placed between Parliament and the theatre. The number was decreased and the remainder located in a section of Ordnance Street next to the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity.

They don’t tell us any thing. When they decide, they decide. Until then, we keep using the stalls we’ve always used

The government said the rusty metal stalls would be replaced by new, more fitting ones shortly after the move took place.

The first design for the hawkers’ stalls, however, a metal frame fronted with white marine plywood and a red, eight-pointed cross motif, was greeted with a chorus of disapproval in January 2015, prompting its withdrawal.

A subsequent call for expressions of interest to redesign the stalls received 50 submissions in less than 24 hours.

Asked what had happened to the designs and the pledge to introduce new stalls for the market, a spokeswoman for the Economy Ministry declined to comment

Questions from this newspaper were not replied to by the time of going to print.  Meanwhile, monti hawkers said they too were in the dark about whether or not the stalls would be changed.

“They don’t tell us anything. When they decide, they decide. Until then, we keep using the stalls we’ve always used,” one seller told this newspaper. Meanwhile, it is not known what has come of the stalls designed originally, which cost a few hundred euros each.

Economy Minister Chris Cardona said back in February that they were not going to waste and he had received numerous requests from those interested in using them for other markets.