Valletta residents welcome rare refusal of outdoor seating permit in capital city’s packed streets

Valletta residents who’ve spent years calling out authorities for failing to stop business owners from occupying public spaces with illegal chairs and tables chalked up a rare win after the Planning Authority (PA) refused an outdoor seating permit for an ice cream shop in Triq ir-Repubblika.

The Valletta outlet in question, run by ice cream chain Yolé, sought to extend an illegal outdoor catering area comprising tables and chairs. The application was rejected by the PA’s board in a hearing held on Tuesday.

Residenti Beltin, a pressure group that transitioned into an independent political party, welcomed the refusal of PA/937/26, reiterating its long-held belief that Valletta’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage site means that the city’s character must not be lost to “piecemeal commercialisation”.

A spokesperson for Residenti Beltin, Billy McBee, noted that the PA’s refusal was grounded in Yolé’s illegal placement of tables and chairs before it attempted to extend the area, referring to legislation which clearly delineates that “illegal development cannot be simply sanctioned away”.

“The encroachment also obstructs the visual and physical permeability of public arcades, contravening planning policy on Outdoor Catering Areas,” McBee said.

“This refusal should not be treated as an exception but as confirmation of standards that must apply across the capital. What applies to one must apply to all. The Planning Authority has drawn a clear line; now it must be enforced,” McBee added.

Planning documents list a company named AGV Non Ferrous Malta Ltd as the applicant, which is solely owned by an individual named Frank Cachia. The website for AGV Group Malta confirms the link between AGV and Yolé.

The latest refusal follows yet another refusal by the PA to grant a similar permit to the same outlet in September last year.

Notably, in January of this year, Valletta’s local council issued an order of removal to the ice cream shop’s owner, with the council warning that all outdoor furniture which was not removed after a 10-day deadline would have been confiscated at the operator’s expense.

Though Valletta’s residents welcomed the PA’s refusal, the lack of physical enforcement in Malta’s planning regime makes it profitable for businesses to operate even when faced with low daily fines and public anger about their illegal uptake of public space.

The side effects of the creeping commercialisation of Valletta’s real estate, which is becoming an increasingly popular nightlife destination, is well-documented.

The government has been largely silent in the face of rampant abuse, with Cabinet ministers deflecting responsibility for the illegal use of public space when questioned.

Though the slow disintegration of Valletta’s historical character threatens its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the authorities are yet to engage in any serious, coordinated enforcement efforts to address public space access issues in the capital city.