Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar said Thursday it has successfully challenged an application for an open-air cafe in a quiet residential street in Sliema which would have set a precedent for others to set up in purely residential areas.

The open-air tables and chairs were to be an extension of an already-permitted guest house, and the architect argued that the outdoor catering area was essential to ensure the financial survival of the guest house. However FAA said it argued that the residents' quality of life cannot be sacrificed because a hotel's feasibility had not been properly studied.

In Valletta, Gzira, Sliema, St Julian's, Bugibba, Marsascala and many other areas, residents are often getting no more than four hours of sleep, being kept awake by the cafe and restaurant clients until 2am, only to be woken up again at 6am by to the noise of delivery trucks. Besides the disturbance, sleep deprivation has a strong negative impact on health, FAA said.

The project architect Perit Stephen Farrugia argued that the disturbance would be minimal, claiming that few people live in the area, overlooking the fact that some 60 apartments are located across the street from the proposed café. FAA maintained  it is about time that the Chamber of Architects (KTP) takes action over architects who repeatedly give misleading information. 

Residential and urban conservation areas cannot be taken over by commercial establishments, as lack of night-time enforcement can create serious hardship for residents and undermines the neighbourhood amenity. Moreover establishments almost invariably overstep their pavement/street encroachment and cause problems of access for strollers and wheelchairs.  Over-commercialisation has completely destroyed the historic character, authenticity and liveability of parts of Valletta and St Julian's. 

Coming so soon after FAA's intervention to have the Cospicua library open space saved for residents, FAA hopes that these permit refusals are a sign that the authorities are acknowledging the problems created by commercial encroachments of public space. 

Astrid Vella, FAA Coordinator emphasised "These cases should encourage residents to raise their voices in protection of their localities. FAA maintains that carrying capacity studies need to be carried out urgently, as many localities have already reached their saturation point, and further commercial development is seriously undermining residents' health and quality of life.