Just like Paceville... Valletta braces itself for music outdoors till 1am

A legal notice allowing some of Valletta’s most popular streets to play music outdoors until 1am is raising fears that the intensified gentrification of the capital city will push residents out.

“Just like Paceville” – complained one boutique hotel owner alerting MaltaToday to the legal notice that now allows the capital to have extended music playing hours just like entertainment hotspots Paceville, Buġibba and Qawra. 

The affected streets are popular for restaurants and bars and are Merchants Street, Old Bakery Street, Old Theatre Street, Republic Street, South Street, St Lucia Street and Strait Street. 

The seven streets are now exempt from the ban on late-night music that comes into force after 11pm for all establishments, save for the condition that the volume be kept “at a moderate level”.

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The law does not stipulate measurable levels for the sound of the music that can be played.

Valletta’s mayor Alfred Zammit, the presenter of Kalamita on One TV, is also a restaurateur.

Valletta has undergone radical changes since it was first slated to become a European Capital for Culture, with hotels and restaurants expanding rapidly.

A KPMG consultation with the business community and stakeholders found that  gentrification had led to some financial pressures, noise pollution, waste generation and the encroachment of public spaces. Valletta 2018 left a total economic impact of over €325 million and generated a total investment of €678 in the Maltese economy, yet the effects included rising property prices and priced out residents from their own town.