Tables and chairs have appeared on Merchants Street outside Valletta’s newly revamped Suq, prompting irritation among Valletta residents and patrons.

The three umbrella-shaded dining areas are covered by a Planning Authority permit issued to Suq operators Arkadia Group in 2017. The permit was granted after the company told the PA that the patio area outside the revamped market would be used to host outdoor exhibitions.

Photo: Ivan Martin

Arkadia subsequently reneged on that pledge and began using the patio area as an outdoor dining area, and the PA controversially allowed that change of heart last May, reversing its initial decision.

Valletta local council had objected to that move, warning that the decision “will have future repercussions and sets a precedent for other public open piazzas around Valletta”. On Friday, Valletta mayor Aleixei Dingli told Times of Malta that the council's position had not changed.

The Valletta 2018 Foundation has been far more circumspect, with foundation chairman Jason Micallef having told Times of Malta in June that he saw no problem with the decision.

“Merchants Street is full of tables and chairs. Do the people approve of those?" Mr Micallef asked. "If the operators submitted an application which the PA unanimously approved, who am I to contest that decision?” 

Residents of the capital city expressed their frustration on social media, with many expressing a note of nostalgia for the not-too-distant past.

“They got rid of the monti to put this mess in its place,” one local fumed. “It’s disgraceful. There’s no consideration for us residents,” another agreed. “Money and more money, and nobody cares.”