Valletta’s main thoroughfare Republic Street got a new addition on Wednesday, with three restaurants deciding to set up tables and chairs right in the middle of the busy street.

Pictures sent to this newsroom show how three restaurants, one of which belongs to the Labour Party’s Valletta club, had set up several tables and chairs in the middle of Valletta’s main street.

Valletta’s streets are known to have been adorned with tables and chairs for the nearby restaurants to use, with Merchants Street in particular being used for this purpose.

However, Republic Street had, until now, not shared the same fate as its parallel counterpart.

The appearance of the tables and chairs seems to be a bi-product of a Lands Authority decision to temporarily waive encroachment fees for tables and chairs for over 100 Valletta bars and restaurants in a bid to help the capital get back on its feet after the Covid-19 pandemic.

This was announced mid-way through last June, and will remain in place until September.

Prime Minister Robert Abela had announced when restaurants reopened last May that restrictions on tables and chairs had been relaxed.

The Deputy President of the Chamber of SMEs Philip Fenech had appealed for restaurants and cafes to use common sense when placing more tables and chairs outside.

It is not immediately clear whether the three restaurants in question have permits for the tables and chairs which they have put out, however there are no indications of any such permits existing on the Planning Authority’s geo-server.