The Office of the Ombudsman has again called out for the need for public spaces to remain public and not overtaken by tables, chairs, or deckchairs, ADPD The Green Party said Saturday.  We have seen that a politics of business first is slowly eating away at our pavements, coasts, and parking spaces at an alarming rate.  In their stead, we are witnessing platforms erected for tables and chairs.  Pedestrians are being forced off pavements to walk in the streets to go on with their daily business, and this is exposing them to potential dangers.   

During a press conference in Saint Pauls Bay, Chairperson Sandra Gauci, who is also a local councillor in the same locality said: In a country experiencing population growth, the sense of claustrophobia has increased, and the people are more conscious than ever before of each centimetre of public space being slowly being taken away.  Whilst these actions were usually reserved for the touristic towns such as Sliema, St Julians and St Pauls Bay, we nowadays also see this practice in towns and villages which are not considered touristic.  It is clear that there is a plan to monetise every single centimetre of land, with deckchairs or chairs according to the business location at hand. 

Mobility issues as well as noise are creating significant problems.  We believe that the government should address residents' complaints, who are joining forces across various towns and villages.  In previous years, ADPD-The Green Party was the only entity to raise its concern about this issue; now many have realised the importance of the issue and are voicing their concerns about this abuse.  The fact that we had incidents whereby ambulances could not pass through blocked streets - and this has happened more than once - shows that the authorities care very little about the residents.   

"We cannot forget people with special needs or parents who use pushchairs who are forced to walk into the streets because a pavement is blocked by a platform or by chairs and tables.  We reiterate that we are not against business as long as residents are respected, but unfortunately these businesses have no respect for anybody or anything except their own pockets," Gauci said.

It is not the first time that we as ADPD-The Green Party have spoken against this and have drawn attention to the fact that public land is being taken up by private operators in the name of business.  Having to pay to access what was previously free is daylight robbery, and the practice of giving public spaces and public land to Big Business for a pittance is immoral.  This does not reflect well upon those who were elected to represent citizens; it is obvious that these people are in cahoots with the business operators.  At this rate we can say goodbye to our coasts and streets which are becoming a single open-air restaurant.  Because at the end of the day, making money is what counts in this country.