The recent controversy regarding loud music being played in Valletta establishments late at night is now under control, the capital city’s mayor Alfred Zammit said, adding that residents were misguided on the government's legal notice.

The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke with Zammit on several concerns regarding the capital city, one of the most recent issues making headlines being government’s decision which allows for establishments in some streets to play music until 1am.

Valletta residents were not pleased with the extension of the music curfew, calling for the revocation of the legal notice. Parliament rejected the Nationalist Party’s motion for the legal notice to be reversed.

Asked how the situation progressed since then, Zammit said that the issue is now under control, with only three establishments not obeying the law. He also said that Valletta residents were misguided, as the legal notice says that from 11pm to 1am, the establishments should only be able to play moderate music.

“The legal notice is clear, music should be played at a moderate level between 11pm and 1am, meaning that I can hold a conversation with a person without having to raise my voice,” Zammit said. He added that he has often gone patrolling around Valletta himself, to check that bars and restaurants are abiding by the law.

“At the same time, I am also pro-business. Valletta cannot go to sleep at 7pm when shops close. The city needs to come alive in the evening to attract more people and tourists. The issue has always been that what is moderate for one, may not be moderate for others,” Zammit said.

Zammit had suggested that the legal notice should have restricted the playing of music at night during the weekend. A businessman himself, he said that restaurants cannot usually afford to rent a band every day of the week.

“Once the legal notice was published as is, meaning that music can be played at any day of the week, we looked at how we were going to safeguard the residents. The residents always come first,” he said.

Zammit said that with regards to those who have abused of the law and continued playing loud music after hours, he and the police have made sure that the situation was brought under control.

“The law does not say that loud music is allowed till 1am. It says that moderate music can be played between 11pm to 1am,” Zammit reiterated. He also said that during the past two months, a sample was taken to check who was breaching the law.

On the matter, Zammit said that the majority of residents have a positive relationship with the bar or restaurant close to their residence and that claims that there is an ongoing war between residents and establishments is simply false.

“We also need to understand that while every resident has the right to sleep, Valletta is a European city which must compete with other capital cities. I do not agree that retail shops close as early as 7 pm,” he continued.

Zammit said that he would like to suggest a late-night shopping day at Valletta, where there could be the opportunity for people to go shopping late at night, and for employees to take the chance to work if they want to.

“Business would improve if we made Friday a late-night shopping day, where afterwards, people can go out for a meal or a drink,” he said.

Construction in Malta is another subject of heated debate, with the current wave of development seemingly leaning too much towards commercial interests. Valletta also has an issue with abandoned and dilapidated  buildings.

Asked about this, Zammit said that construction in Valletta must be controlled and the Valletta skyline must not be compromised with high-rise buildings. He said that many dilapidated buildings have been bought and turned into new boutique hotels, which attract tourists.

“A lot of the construction in Valletta was in restoration efforts. There also cannot be any delays in construction; it cannot take years as this will annoy residents,” he said.

Zammit appealed for government contractors to also pay the local council for the permits when taking their business to Valletta. He said that it is unfair for a normal citizen who simply wants to change the façade of their house to pay for the permit, yet a government contractor does not.

“If the contractor is taking up seven parking spaces in the road, the local council needs the money to provide alternatives for residents. Government contractors should pay for the permits just as a normal citizen and a private contractor does,” he said.

On the general environment in Valletta, Zammit said that government, as well as the EU, has helped in restoring several buildings.

“Valletta is lovely to walk in and look up and see the coat of arms of the different grandmasters, all of whom have their own story,” Zammit said. He also said that efforts are being made to repair broken pavements and to plant trees in  Hastings Garden.

Zammit was asked about the decline in the residential population in Valletta, to which he said that the population has been declining since Grandmaster La Valette’s time, mostly due to high rent prices in the city. Another reason is that when elderly persons die they are not being replaced by young people.

“We need to safeguard the residents we already have. We must restore the buildings where there are the most residents so that they do not leave. We also need to give a modern breath to accommodations especially in the Diju Balli, il-Mandragg and Arcipierku areas,” he said.

Zammit also said that an ideal wish of his is for Valletta to become a totally pedestrian city. This would tackle the traffic problem, as well as the air pollution problem. It would also provide alternative parking for residents and outsiders alike.

“The local council commissioned a study on the air quality in Valletta. There are extremely high levels of air pollution in Valletta, especially in the Grand Harbour area,” Zammit said.

He said that while a fully pedestrian Valletta would likely remain a shelved wish, there are other things that can be done to reduce the pollution, as Valletta was not built for the number of vehicles that pass through it.

“I suggest that the ring road of Valletta, starting from Grand Hotel Excelsior and ending at the Siege Bell Memorial, should become a one-way street to reduce the amount of cars and emissions. Then we can provide fishbone parking where possible as the road would have widened,” Zammit said.

On crime in Valletta, Zammit said that crime in Valletta has decreased due to the work and patrol of the police.

“There still needs to be more enforcement and I always insist with the police for more patrolling around Valletta, so that crimes are reduced,” Zammit said.

Asked where he would like to see Valletta in 10 years’ time, Zammit said that he wishes that historical sites remain standing for future generations and that Valletta remains the same Valletta people remember today.

Zammit said that as mayor, despite occasionally receiving attacks and complaints beyond his control, he is not too bothered as it means that people are showing interest in the local council.

“That residents come to me about their concerns means that government should give more power to the local council, so that we can do more for our people,” he said.

“There have been the occasional negative groups of people, who have attacked me personally, but the majority of the people have the city’s interest at heart,” Zammit said.