PA removes Stivala’s illegal paving after chief acknowledged 5,000 cases awaiting direct actio

The Planning Authority moved in on Tuesday morning to remove illegal paving outside developer Carlo Stivala’s Piccolo Padre restaurant in Sliema, part of his hotel, following weeks of controversy over the occupation of public land.

The operation marks a rare direct intervention by an authority whose chief, Johann Buttigieg, acknowledged last year that more than 5,000 cases were awaiting direct action.

Officers from the PA’s Compliance and Enforcement Directorate, assisted by police, removed paving extending over part of the public road outside the restaurant at Stivala’s Centric Hotel on The Strand.

The paving formed part of an unauthorised outdoor arrangement that included a canopy extending across the pavement and partly onto the carriageway.

The PA issued enforcement notice EC/00122/26 earlier this month, requiring the removal of the structure and associated works. Although the canopy was subsequently dismantled, the paving remained.

In its latest statement, the authority said the failure to remove the paving required a further enforcement operation. It stressed that compliance meant addressing all illegal works covered by the notice.

The intervention follows complaints from Sliema Local Council and residents over pedestrian obstruction, accessibility and road safety.

On 2 October, The Shift reported that Buttigieg had stopped short of ordering direct action against the unauthorised structure. Asked what he was doing about the construction and why the authority had not intervened directly, the embattled CEO, who is under pressure to resign, did not reply.

The distinction between issuing an enforcement notice and physically removing an illegality has remained central to criticism of the authority’s response.

Buttigieg defended his approach during a September 2025 interview with The Malta Independent, saying: “I believe in taking direct action, but when there are no other solutions.”

He distinguished between a small room in an isolated location and a scrapyard, explaining that he prioritised cases affecting neighbours or the environment. No direct action was taken over the past two years by the PA despite thousands of illegalities across the islands.

During that interview, he said more than 5,000 cases were awaiting direct action and claimed the authority had carried out its most direct actions during his tenure as chief executive.

The PA described Tuesday’s operation as evidence of its commitment to protecting public spaces and ensuring effective enforcement.

It said it would pursue further intervention where those responsible failed to comply.