The decision not to allow hawkers to sell their wares on the bridge leading to City Gate in Valletta is a step in the right direction.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Small and Medium Enterprises Edwin Vassallo last week announced that with immediate effect, it will be prohibited for hawkers to stay near the entrance to the capital city. From now on, hawkers will also need a licence.
The new regulations also affect buskers and other entertainers. They will not need a licence. However, if they do sell any products related to their activity, they will have to apply for one.
It has taken some time for the government to move hawkers and buskers away from the main entrance to Valletta. This should have happened a long time ago, but now that a decision was taken, we can look forward to having a more “decent” entrance to Valletta
Many complaints were made in the media – that the presence of so many hawkers and buskers in such a strategic place was giving an ugly image to the capital city. Their re-allocation elsewhere should help to make City Gate look better. From a tourism viewpoint, they are the last thing you would expect to see when entering the city “built by gentleman, for gentlemen”.
Yet, this is only the start. A lot still needs to be done to improve City Gate’s image. For many years, there have been plans and counter-plans as to how the area should be upgraded – but nothing much has been done. City Gate itself, as well as the area just beyond it – including the remains of the Royal Theatre and Freedom Square, both of which now serve as parking areas unless there is an activity like Carnival – are in need of a major facelift.
It is a pity that the entrance to the capital city is in such a state. Proposals that have been made for City Gate and for the Royal Theatre site have always been met with harsh criticism, but it must be said that the issue cannot continue to be put on the back-burner for much longer. Action must be taken to enhance the area and make it more attractive, not only for tourists, but also for the thousands of Maltese who visit the capital city every day.
The most recent suggestion put forward for the old theatre site was to have a new Parliament building there. But, again, little has been heard about the proposal in the past months, after a barrage of criticism soon after the proposal was made. A decision must be taken, however. The ruins of the Royal Theatre are not a pleasant sight.
Whether it is converted into a cultural centre or a Parliament building, you will always have people who are in favour or against the project. The problem, however, lingers on, 64 years after the theatre was bombed and we still have not made up our minds what to do. The matter should be seen to in the short-term.
Some years back, the bus terminus was also the subject of a heated debate. There had been plans for an underground terminus so that the entrance to the capital city would be free of cars and, in turn, less dangerous for pedestrians. But even this issue was pushed aside and the bus terminus remains an eyesore.
Ultimately, it is a question of money. To upgrade the bus terminus area, reconstruct City Gate and rebuild on the Royal Theatre site, whatever construction is decided upon would cost millions of liri, which the country can ill-afford at this moment in time.
Yet, on the other hand, one must admit that, one day or another, something has to be done. One scenario could be that rather than have the three areas in question all built at one go, the project could be staggered over three phases. But, then again, this would turn City Gate into a construction site for a period of time that not many of us would appreciate.