Heritage NGO Din l-Art Ħelwa insisted today that Ordnance Street and the entrance to Valletta are unsuitable for the Monti open market, particularly because of the potential spill over across the new Parliament building up to Victory Square.

"This idea lacks vision for the area and may be the result of a hurried decision taken without sufficient reflection on the devaluation it is going to bring to the investment made to upgrade City Gate. It is ironic that while the Government plans to relocate and tidy up the unsightly kiosks and stalls just outside the entrance to Valletta, on the other hand it may now be proposing to place market stalls just within the city walls thus restoring dignity to one side and taking it away from the other," the NGO said.

"While acknowledging that the current market site at Merchants Street may have its drawbacks and that other solutions may be considered, the entrance to Valletta is wholly unsuitable for this open-air market," the society said.