[WATCH] Valletta residents call on local council to request repeal of late night music legal notice

The Valletta Residents Revival Group called on the Valletta local council to request the repeal of the Legal Notice allowing music to be played until 1am, until a consensus was reached.

During a protest on Wednesday afternoon in front of the Valletta local council, the VRR Group presented a position paper against the Legal Notice which seeks to allow establishments in popular streets in Valletta to play music outdoors until 1am.

The Group called the Legal Notice “totally obscene”, saying that it was written and presented to Parliament without any consultation with the residents.

“It is an affront not just to us who have been enduring the degradation of Valletta as a habitable city for years, but also a blow to the face of all those who for so many years have been striving and working to make the city a superior leisure destination in Malta.”

It added that the Legal Notice goes contrary to all living standards, as well as to the European guidelines on night time noise levels, published by the World health Organisation.

The group said that the "lack of vision and strategy" of the legislators was leading to unnecessary misunderstandings between the business community and the residents.

“In fact, we recognise the investment that many businesses have continued to make in recent years, which continues to make Valletta a centre of activity and entertainment [...] What we oppose is the imbalance between the needs of businesses, and those of the residents and the community,” VRR said.

It criticised the politicians for not holding any consultation on the matter, which it said directly impacted the livelihoods and the mental health of the residents.

The Group took a dig at the Valletta local council, which it said is “led by those that always enthusiastically serve partisan interests instead of those of the Valletta residents.”

“We remind you that the Council is supposed to represent us residents and not the Government,” VRR said.

The Group said it was ready to meet and discuss with other stakeholders, including the business community, in order for a balanced and fair solution to be found.

“The members of VRR Group are all residents of Valletta and proud of this unique and very special city. We believe that the City is a delicate context and requires collective effort and commitment with the participation of all stakeholders. As residents, we expect that we too will be considered key stakeholders in the running of our City,” VRR said.

The Valletta Residents Revival Group started out as a Facebook group in 2015 and it seeks to offer a stronger voice to Valletta residents.

READ MORE: The Prime Minister insisted that balance was achieved on late night Valletta music