The Chamber of Architects this evening added its voice to objections being made to the transfer of the Valletta market to Ordinance Street, and the design of the stalls.

It welcomed the government's decision to hold a competition for the design of the stalls after the original design drew a storm of criticism. The Design Review Panel will be chaired by a representative of the Chamber.

"Kamra Tal-Periti recognises the responsibility it has been tasked with in this Panel. This will be a flagship experiment for similar committees in the future which will bring together relevant stakeholders for particular projects. We are encouraged with the public's demand for better design and we believe that the democratization of public projects is the way forward to guarantee a better built environment," the Chamber said.

It said, however, that moving the market to the area near the new parliament was incompatible with the context and called for public consultation on such projects.

"Any interventions in and around the City Gate area should be consistent and compatible with the original design brief and actual project realisation. We encourage Government to reconsider this location," its said.