The Lands Authority has issued an eviction notice to developer Carlo Stivala for his outdoor tables and seating for his Sliema waterfront restaurant. This means that he must remove this outdoor eating area and clear the pavement within 30 days.

As reported by Times of Malta, this eviction notice comes less than a fortnight after the Planning Authority instructed Stivala to remove a canopy he had constructed over his restaurant's outdoor tables. The canopy was removed days after it was placed, to the joy of NGOs that lobbied for its removal, though the tables along the coastal pavement remained and his restaurant, Piccolo Padre, continued to benefit from this illegal, additional space.

Stivala reportedly did not have the necessary titles or permits to use this land for commercial use, thus meaning that this commercial activity was encroaching on public land by taking up large portions of the wide pavement.

According to Times of Malta, the 30 days Stivala was issued to clear the area is the lowest time that the law permits. Maltese law states that on the issuance of an eviction notice, the time allotted to vacate the land in question must not be less than 30 days, though no longer than 90 days.

30 days from today, Wednesday, 14 October, is Friday, 13 November.

Besides NGOs, the Sliema Local Council has also been vocal about this restaurant's outdoor seating being an encroachment of public land.

NGO Moviment Graffitti said recently that this eating area presents a danger and argued that this issue highlighted a wider problem involving the commercial use of public areas across the country.