The CVA and Monti saga has now seen a further, mostly welcome, development: the government is offering to remove all parking from Palace Square and to continue the pedestrianisation of Republic Street from Archbishop Street to St Christopher Street.

The offer is listed as one of three options the government has offered to Union Haddiema Maghqudin, GRTU and the Valletta local council in a bid to resolve the impasse and controversy due to the Monti hawkers parking their vehicles in Palace Square.

The government has given the three organisations up to 25 July to present their reactions.

The government lists the three options as possible ways out of the present, real, difficulty:

1. When Park & Ride is expanded, Palace Square, and Republic Street between Archbishop Street and St Christopher Street to be pedestrianised and not used any more for parking of cars. The Monti hawkers will still be exempt of CVA charges and will be free to park where permitted.

2. Parking will still be allowed in Palace Square and in the lower part of Republic Street to St Christopher Street but not to Monti vans, which can be parked anywhere else in Valletta.

3. The current CVA exemption granted to Monti vans to be removed except during the setting up and dismantling of stalls and an adequate place for them to park somewhere, such as St James Ditch.

The government has told the three organisations it considers Palace Square to be the centre of national life and admits the Monti vans parked there are an eyesore. Besides, work is due to start on the paving of this square and the corresponding part of Republic Street in a few weeks’ time.

It rebutted GRTU’s arguments against the 100 parking spaces reserved for residents of the pedestrianised zones and admitted that the exemption given to Monti owners was similar to the exemption given to delivery vans. However, it also admits that the parking of these vehicles for long hours in Palace Square and Republic Street was not anticipated and complained that GRTU had been amply consulted on the exemption granted to the Monti owners and GRTU had never expressed any reservation at the time.

The government told the organisations it expected a joint recommendation from them, as their separate advice would almost certainly be irreconcilable.