Għadira deckchair operators to free up space on bay

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 yesterday.

In a brief announcement on Facebook and Twitter, Mizzi said that discussions were finalised yesterday 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 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.

The MTA recently said it was bound by contractual agreements, signed more than six years ago, that granted permits for operators to function within a given area on the beach. The concession area, however, varied every year. All beaches where sunbeds and umbrellas are provided are meant to be monitored daily.

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.