Nine residents’ groups plus Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar and Moviment Graffitti, have issued a joint statement regarding the recent measures announced on tourism.

They said that ”while we welcome the measures being taken to curb tourist disturbance, it is ironic that the authorities are ignoring the elephant in the room causing most disturbance – the ongoing commercialisation and obstruction of public areas through the unchecked spread of illegal tables and chairs, A-frame signs, kiosks, and the takeover of beaches and open spaces for private commercial use.”

They stated that the government’s announcement of on-the-spot fines for tourists and non-residents who litter or cause noise disturbance ”should mark the beginning of consistent enforcement standards across the country, not selective enforcement applied only to individuals.”

The organisations insisted that ”if immediate penalties are justified for littering and public disturbance by visitors, then the same principle should apply to all residents, Maltese or otherwise, and especially businesses that continue to occupy, obstruct, and degrade public spaces on a daily basis.”

They pointed out that residents across Malta and Gozo are ”facing the ongoing commercialisation and obstruction of public areas through the unchecked spread of illegal tables and chairs, A-frame signs, kiosks, and the takeover of beaches and open spaces for private commercial use.”

”At the same time, residents continue to endure excessive amplified music being played outside soundproofed premises, often late into the night and in clear breach of regulations intended to protect residential communities,” the organisation said. ”These are not isolated incidents. They represent a persistent and visible misuse of public space and a sustained disturbance to residents’ quality of life.”

”We therefore call on the authorities to apply the same urgency, enforcement standards, and immediacy now being proposed for tourists to businesses operating illegally in our towns and villages,” they said.

The organisations went on to say that residents expect the immediate removal of illegally placed tables, chairs, structures, and commercial obstructions from public spaces, together with effective enforcement against the use of amplified music outside permitted and properly soundproofed areas. Action against businesses operating in breach of regulations governing public space and noise pollution must become visible, consistent, and immediate.”

”Any system of on-the-spot enforcement directed at businesses must also reflect the seriousness and scale of the illegality being committed at the expense of the public,” the organisations said. ”Fines must be substantial enough to act as a genuine deterrent, not symbolic penalties that businesses simply absorb as part of their operating costs. Token fines send the message that abuse of public space and disregard for residents carry no meaningful consequences.”

They argued that ”public spaces belong to the public. Pavements, squares, promenades, beaches, and residential streets cannot continue to be treated as extensions of private commercial operations at the expense of accessibility, safety, and residents’ wellbeing.”

”If on-the-spot enforcement is considered necessary to protect public order, cleanliness, and quality of life, then it must be applied consistently and without hesitation to all forms of infringement, including those committed by commercial operators,” the organisations added.

”Residents are asking for enforcement that is immediate, visible, and equal for everyone, a form of justice that has been too long denied!”

Bizzejjed Group

Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar

Marsaskala Residents Network

Marsaxlokk Heritage

Moviment Graffitti

Pembroke Residents

ResidentiBeltin

Sliema Residents Association

St Paul’s Bay Residents

Swieqi Pressure Group

Tuna Artna Lura

Photo: FAA Marsalforn

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