Għadira’s deckchair operators will free up space on the bay after an agreement was reached between them and the government, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi said.
In a brief announcement on Facebook and Twitter, Mizzi said that discussions were finalised on Tuesday and noted that through this “positive change, the people can after many years enjoy proper access throughout the whole bay”.
Mizzi did not divulge any details on the agreement or its content, but said that its implementation will happen this week and that more information will be given in the coming days.
The photo above was posted online by the chairman of the Malta Tourism Authority, Gavin Gulia, and it shows sunbeds placed further away from the shoreline. In the past, deckchairs were placed right at the water’s edge.
The operators had been hauled into a meeting with the Malta Tourism Authority after bathers complained that the bay had been taken over by deckchairs and umbrellas.
The Planning Authority and the MTA are responsible for supervising the placement of the deckchairs and umbrellas, and the process is meant to be monitored on a daily basis.
Mizzi had laid the blame for the situation firmly at the feet of PN MP Jason Azzopardi, previously responsible for lands, saying that eight days before the 2013 general election he had granted “shameful” concessions to the operators. Azzopardi said the PN had actually brought order to the beach.
