Monstrosity

A large structure built to accommodate tables and chairs outside a catering establishment on Paceville Avenue that has caught the public’s attention not only for its utter lack of aesthetics, but also because it is taking up public land, has the blessing of the Planning Authority

A large structure built to accommodate tables and chairs outside a catering establishment in Paceville Avenue which is taking up public land has the approval of the Planning Authority (PA).

The “monstrosity” has raised the ire of residents in the area who note that it has taken up two more parking spaces in an area where parking is already difficult to come by.

A development application “to place removable timber platform and proposed lightweight canopy plus placement of tables and chairs on public land” was submitted to the PA on 16 June 2017 by the owners of the restaurant in question. It was then approved by the board for months later.

The case officer’s report for the application, which recommended its approval, shows that only the Malta Tourism Authority raised concerns about the development, taking into consideration the congestion that the area experiences. Transport Malta, on the other hand, had no objection to the development, while the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability and the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage had no objection provided that the development stuck to the conditions laid out in the Accessibility Audit Report and the Policy, Guidance and Standards for Outdoor Catering Areas in Public Open Spaces, respectively.

As a result, the case officer recommended the development’s approval subject to certain conditions, including that there would be no advertising on the structure and that around €8,300 be paid to make up for the lost parking spaces.

On his part, meanwhile, St Julian’s Mayor Guido Dalli called the structure a “monstrosity” and an “eyesore” before saying that the local council had never given its approval to such a development. Nationalist Party MP Karl Gouder, who has previously served as the locality’s mayor, is one of many who have also condemned the development.