Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/946236
maltatoday SUNDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2018 4 News KURT SANSONE THE Valletta Council wants to reg- ulate buskers that sell their 'artistic' goods in the capital, with mayor Alexiei Dingli saying the situation is becoming "intolerable". A byelaw that makes it incumbent on buskers to obtain permission from the council is expected to be discussed on 13 March. "The situation in front of the law courts and in De Valette Square is becoming intolerable with the num- ber of stalls being set up by buskers," Dingli told MaltaToday. He complained that buskers who sell products only require a licence from the trade department with no input from the council. Perfor- mance buskers require no permit whatsoever. Under the Trading Licences Act, selling by busking is subject to vari- ous conditions, including that the product being sold is produced on site or is a work of art. The law also says that place where a busker stops to sell his goods has to be at least five metres of walking distance from the entrance of any commercial es- tablishment. Furthermore, no selling by busk- ing can be carried out in the pre- cincts of any hotel or shopping complex if not by written permis- sion from the management. But the law also bans selling by busking in various spots around Valletta, including Castille Square, St George Square, the City Gate area and the bus terminus. The square in front of the law courts and De Valette Square next to the open- air theatre are not mentioned by the law. Dingli believes the proposed regulations by the council will help maintain order. The byelaw is ex- pected to limit the number of busk- ers who sell products from make- shift stalls in specific areas. It will also give preference to buskers who live in Valletta. "Prime sites like that in front of the law courts have been turned into street markets with the situation getting worse during the summer months," he added. Dingli said five years ago the coun- cil had asked the trade department to refer any applications for buskers who sell their goods to the council. The request fell on deaf ears. "Through the byelaw, the council will have some form of control on the matter," Dingli said. The byelaw will also introduce a fine for buskers who do not ob- tain the necessary permit from the council. Councils are empowered to intro- duce byelaws but these have to be approved by the minister for local councils before they can become law. Late last year, the Gzira and Victoria councils introduced byel- aws to ban the drinking of alcohol in public places in a bid to curb un- ruly behaviour and unnecessary lit- tering. Valletta local council to regulate and limit artisan 'buskers' JAMES DEBONO AFTER being shelved following the 2013 general election for being too expensive, the Government is now seeking the renewal of a per- mit for the construction of an un- derground car park at the Sliema ferries. The permit issued in 2012 would have expired had the Government not chosen to apply for its renewal. The 200-vehicle car park – a pet project of former PN minister George Pullicino – was meant to alleviate parking problems along the Strand. A spokesperson for Planning and Transport Minister Ian Borg con- firmed that the Government has opted to apply to renew the origi- nal permit. "No changes have been affected to the approved drawings" and "the proposal will be subjected to the normal course of any PA ap- plication of a similar nature," a spokesperson confirmed. No details were given on how the new car park will be managed. The Sliema Local Council has repeat- edly called for the devolution of public car parks in the locality. Replying to a question in parlia- ment by George Pullicino in April 2013, former transport minister Joe Mizzi had announced that the car park did not fall within the Government's immediate priori- ties. The reason given for shelving the project was that the cost esti- mate exceeded 60% of the original projection. The project was approved by the PA in December 2012. €3.5 million of the €7 million needed for the project was to come from the Planning Author- ity's commuted parking payment scheme. One particular difficulty faced by the project is that the Sliema ferries are located on reclaimed land and the area is renowned for flooding problems. Asked by MaltaToday in 2012 how an underground parking was being proposed on reclaimed land, minister George Pullicino replied that the government entrusted a renowned marine engineer for this project, Joe Bugeja, who has de- signed and constructed maritime works both locally and overseas. The target date for the comple- tion of the project was set for April 2013. The proposal also included the removal of existing parking land- scape areas, excavation works, construction of an underground car park and an overlying land- scaped deck area. The parking was to be located below a landscaped garden, and included a steel su- perstructure feature held by steel cables mimicking a sailing ship, as well as two 20-square-metre hex- agonal kiosks. The garden was to have featured fountains, the cur- rent war memorial, a monument dedicated to Sliema Wanderers football player Tony Nicholl and another to sculptor Censu Apap. The site is presently divided into two parts: about half of it is used as a parking lot, while the other half is landscaped. The site also incor- porates 39 on-street car parking spaces. Sliema ferries car park still on the cards As proposed: the Sliema ferries car park and overground rehabilitation