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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 FEBRUARY 2015 3 News Monti relocation a 'welcome change' say hawkers, shoppers MARTINA BORG CONTRARY to the deluge of criti- cism by stakeholders and online commentators, participants in a MaltaToday vox pop in Valletta ex- pressed optimism about the upcom- ing relocation of the monti, or Val- letta flea market, from Merchants Street to Ordinance Street. Market hawkers and shoppers who spoke to MaltaToday almost unani- mously agreed that the new location for the monti stalls, positioned be- tween the new parliament building and the open air theatre, was a "wel- come change", and that the contro- versial stalls, though perhaps not aes- thetically pleasing, were very sturdy and promised to be more efficient. Many of the hawkers were hostile to the questions and refused to ex- press their opinion about the new location of the stalls and the design of the stalls themselves, for various reasons. Both monti vendors and casual shoppers were asked for their opinions on the matter, with vendors agreeing that the move to the road between Pjazza Teatru Rjal and the new parliament building would give a much-needed boost to their sales. "Visitors only come here if they are specifically looking for the open air market. Moving the stalls to such a central area will ensure that more people will pass by the stalls," one of the vendors said. Hawkers had been moved from their original position in the area of Merchants Street which links St John Street to Old Theatre Street, and the section in Old Theatre Street due to embellishment projects that are still underway. The market stalls had been moved further down Merchants Street to the stretch linking Old Theatre Street to Archbishop Street, including the square in front of the covered market (Is-Suq tal-Belt). Street hawkers had immediately expressed disagreement with this de- cision, claiming that the area was too small, and that the previous govern- ment had placed their livelihoods at stake when it made this decision. Shoppers who spoke to MaltaToday were happy to hear about the stalls moving closer to the bus terminus, since this would make shopping more practical, particularly in the event of "unpredictable" weather. Only one respondent was critical of the new plans, as he felt that a mar- ket should not be given pride of place next to such a "magnificent struc- ture" as Renzo Piano's parliament building. The news that the monti would move to Ordinance Street and possi- bly spill over to the square in front of the new parliament building caused widespread outrage, with many argu- ing that the monti stalls would in no way fit the elegant new entrance to the city that was designed by world- renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, and which cost the country an estimated €45 million. Piano's lead architect, Antonio Belvedere, spoke out about the deci- sion and said that placing the stalls between the parliament building and Pjazza Teatru Rjal was something like "making a cake, then spitting on it." The European Walled Towns group also criticised the move, describing it as "an insult" to the history and cul- ture of the capital city. In a statement to the media, the group described Pi- ano's project as a "remarkable site". "A striking entrance to a city, a World Heritage site, a city that will be the European Capital of Culture in 2018, will be ruined by this move and the shabby-looking market stalls," they added. The news of the relocation was not greeted too kindly by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) either, who claimed that re- locating the monti to such a central location may have an adverse effect on tourism. "MHRA stresses that it is the plan to place the market at the main en- trance of the Capital City, next to two important landmarks, and not just the design of the stalls which is tak- ing us away from our quality vision," the association said. Vox pop participats were also asked to comment on another stick- ing point in the whole affair: the new proposed market stalls – made of metal and painted wood featur- ing the eight-pointed cross – which have since been recalled by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in the wake of a public backlash. While one of the respondents labelled the design of the stalls as "unstylish", most ven- dors found the much-maligned new stalls to be sturdy and efficient, and didn't appear too fussed about their aesthetic appearance. While the Prime Minister stepped in to ensure that the designs of the stalls is changed, he insisted on the new location, claiming that a monti between the new parliament build- ing and the open air theatre would "instill life in the city". Opposition leader Simon Busuttil however tweeted that for him "cul- ture always wins over mediocrity. Therefore, under (sic) my watch, Val- letta Monti will not stay where it's an eyesore to the Renzo Piano project". Others, among them Valletta may- or Alexiei Dingli and Valletta 2018 Foundation chairman Jason Micallef, also expressed dismay at the plans, with Dingli observing that the new location of the monti would create noise pollution for residents, while also taking up precious parking places, with Micallef calling on the government to "respect the area be- tween the new Parliament and Pjazza Teatru Rjal". Hawkers at the Merchants Street monti welcomed the upcoming relocation to Ordinance Street Hawkers should 'change their act, not their stage' – Michael Falzon TEODOR RELJIC FORMER Nationalist minister and Malta Developers Association presi- dent Michael Falzon lambasted the proposed move of the Valletta monti from Merchants Street to Ordinance Street in Valletta, where it would spill over onto the Renzo Piano-designed parliament and City Gate structure. "It seems that the move to Ordi- nance Street is a political promise. Even so, the overflow should not be positioned in the new spaces created by the Piano project," Falzon said. He also described as misguided the belief that a move to Republic Street would yield more sales for the hawkers. "The monti stall vendors think that if they move to a more prominent part of the city, they will increase their sales and have therefore lob- bied the two main political parties to agree to their moving nearer to City Gate. I think this is a fallacy because the decline in their sales is related to the trashy quality of goods on offer as well as to the fact that today there are many other open air markets in most towns and villages. Obviously they need to change their act rather than their stage," Falzon told MaltaToday. Architect Chris Briffa said that it wasn't the design of the stalls that was the main issue – which has since been neutralized anyway after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat declared they are to be changed – but the lo- cation. "A 'made-in-China' market can- not be located at a city's entrance, let alone next to a country's (new) parliament," Briffa said, adding that a more commercial site, "preferably outside Valletta, close to a transport hub and possibly with nearby park- ing spots," would be more suitable, and in the end more profitable to the hawkers. Fellow architect Edward Said how- ever believes that the monti should still be located in Valletta, but that Republic Street is not the appropri- ate place for it. "A monti shouldn't be first thing you see as you enter Valletta. It's already bad enough that you have the horrible arcade to your left. But even if you look at it his- torically – Merchants Street is, well, 'merchants street', so by relocating to Republic Street, you're disrupting the nature of the monti," Said said, sug- gesting that the monti should remain in Merchants Street, provided some alterations are made. "I think placing it in the covered market (Is-Suq), with some spillover onto the street, wouldn't be a bad idea," Said said. The move has also been criticised by the Valletta 2018 Foundation, and in an ironic twist of fate, the Valletta Design Cluster – a V18-sponsored space reserved for the incubation of creative ideas among local designers – was announced in the same week as the monti controversy. Asked about how initiatives like the Design Cluster – a co-initiative by the Valletta 2018 Foundation and the Malta Cultural Directorate – can blossom while similar controversies regarding the use of public space in Valletta crop up, Cultural Direc- torate manager Caldon Mercieca mentioned that efforts by the Val- letta Master Plan – an integrated city management plan – and the Valletta 2018 Foundation will hopefully help address the "existing fragmented ap- proach in Valletta". "Nevertheless, however watertight these coordination efforts are, there will always be decisions which loop- hole or bulldose their way through these structures. It will then be civil society's role and the role of the media to provide a balancing voice to that of the would-be decision-makers. Con- troversy of this kind strengthens de- mocracy, re-distributes power away from the centre, and gives diversity of views (and of power-centres) a po- litical role," Mercieca added. PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD