No monti hawkers will be allowed near the new Parliament building in Valletta, the government has decided, ending months of speculation that the placing of the stalls near Renzo Piano’s masterpiece will be an insult to the institution.

The hawkers will be located in the southern side of Ordnance Street, and this will mean that not all licensees will have a place. The government will be offering them compensation to surrender their licence.

The original plan was to have the hawkers situated between the new Parliament building and the open air theatre, but following public pressure the government was forced to revise its idea.

Up to 15 hawkers of the 72 who currently hold a licence to operate in the Valletta monti will be asked to give up their licence, Economy Minister Chris Cardona said.

The number will need to drop to just over 50 for the hawkers to be located comfortably in the southern side of Ordnance Street. Dr Cardona said that some hawkers have already shown an interest in surrendering their licence, but definitive talks will still need to be held.

The government’s plan is to finalise the deal with the monti hawkers in time for them to relocate from Merchants Street to Ordnance Street before Christmas. The design of the new stalls will be unveiled in the coming days, after the original sketches were discarded by the government following public outcry.