V18 chairman Jason Micallef today objected that the upper part of Ordnance Street will be taken up by hawkers when they are relocated from their present site in Merchants Street.

The government has picked Ordnance Street for their new location, and the possibility exists, given the limited space, that the part between Teatru Real and the new Parliament will soon be occupied by hawkers.

Speaking during a news conference this morning, he said that V18 had teamed up with seven organisations, including the Manoel Theatre, St James Cavalier, the Philharmonic Orchestra, among others and sent a letter in July last year to Minister Chris Cardona’s office, suggesting that V18 and the rest of the organisations should be roped in on the matter, but to no avail.

He said that he hopes commonsense will prevail and the government takes into consideration V18’s concerns.

Mr Micallef said he was surprised to get a reply in August last year from a committee he did not know about, chaired by William Lewis, instead of Minister Cardona’s office, which bluntly told V18 that its proposals have not been approved.

Mr Lewis was responsible for the original design of the stalls, which has been scrapped and a fresh call for expressions of interest made. He is also the PL’s organising secretary.

He said he is also concerned that Jean La Vallette Square would eventually end up occupied by vehicles of hawkers. “An iconic Renzo Piano building, among other prestigious buildings surrounding the project deserve much better than this.

“We are on a journey which will take us to 2018 where Valletta won’t only be celebrated by us Maltese but by the rest of Europe as well.

The part shaded in blue is the area proposed by V18 which should be occupied by hawkers. The part of Ordnance Street which is not shaded is the area which may also be occupied by hawkers and to which V18 is objecting to.

“There was an agreement during the previous legislature with the EU that Valletta would be regenerated; our responsibility is to ensure that Valletta’s open spaces remain as they are and not end up being an eyesore.”

He also pointed out that the stalls would choke the open spaces and entrances such as that of St James Cavalier would be inaccessible to the public as a result of the stalls.

“V18 was proactive when it started asking the government what plans were in the pipeline concerning Ordnance Street but the information was scant from the very beginning,” Mr Micallef pointed out.

Mr Micallef also hit out at the “disparaging” comments on the merchandise sold by hawkers.

The V18 chairman was accompanied by the executive director of the foundation Karsten Xuereb.