Updated | Busuttil will pull plug on mediocre monti stalls

A Nationalist government will not allow the Valletta ‘monti’ hawkers to set up in Ordinance Street or anywhere near the Piano project, party leader Simon Busuttil has said.

“For me, culture always wins over mediocrity. Therefore, under my watch, Valletta Monti will not stay where it's an eyesore to the Renzo Piano project.”

Culture always prevails over mediocrity. Under my watch, #Valletta monti will not stay were it is an eyesore to the Piano project.

— Simon Busuttil (@SimonBusuttil) January 31, 2015

Renzo Piano’s lead architect on the City Gate project, Antonio Belvedere, is said to be crying over a government decision to relocate the monti stalls next to the new parliament building.

Belvedere was equally unenthusiastic over the design of the new stalls – a design which has attracted the disgust of many. Speaking to The Times of Malta, the Italian architect also said that there was “an issue” with the quality of the monti itself. He argued that this was “a souk bout without the charm of a souk. A souk is charming, it’s full of energy, it’s messy but the mess gives you the sense of the beauty of life. This is just a mess.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat believes that a monti between the new parliament building and the open-air theatre would “instil life in the city”. He was forced to step in to see that the design of the new stalls – made of metal and painted wood featuring the eight-pointed crosses – is changed.

“What can I say? It’s a shame, I am crying,” Belvedere told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat believes that a monti between the new parliament building and the open air theatre would “instill life in the city”. He was forced to step in to see that the design of the new stalls – made of metal and painted wood featuring the eight-pointed cross – is changed.

The design of the stalls was ordered by the committee to improve the Valletta monti, led by architect William Lewis, with 75 stalls constructed so far.

Other relevant authorities – among them Valletta mayor Alexiei Dingli and Valletta 2018 Foundation chairman Jason Micallef – also criticised the initative. Referring to the stalls as “cheap-looking”, Dingli also observed that the new location of the monti would create noise pollution for residents, while also taking up precious parking spots.

Micallef said he was “saddened” by the decision, while in a Facebook statement, the Valletta 2018 Foundation said that it is “against the decision, the design and the concept of the new monti stalls and their location,” adding that it “does not see the move as befitting the architectural fabric of the city’s entrance, nor will it benefit Maltese culture in the run up to 2018”.

Online backlash to the stalls has been vociferous, with a Facebook page calling for a rethink of the plans – set up by Valletta’s deputy mayor, Christian Micallef, with support of Matthew Paris, deputy mayor of Floriana – garnering just under 2,000 ‘Likes’ by the time of going to print.