Lands Department under fire over permits

Local councils should award permits for bars and restaurants to place tables on the pavement, Local Councils Association president Ian Micallef said yesterday.

He launched a vitriolic attack on the Lands Department, saying this was not consulting the relevant councils before it issued permits, in spite of an appeal he had made to it some weeks before.

St Paul's Bay council intended to take legal action against the department, to uphold the principle of consultation, he said.

Dr Micallef was speaking during one of the regular meetings for mayors and deputy mayors organised by the association, being held yesterday and today at Ghajnsielem.

If the permits were issued by councils these could also collect the revenue generated and enforce the conditions of the permits, he said.

"The government cannot complain that this would decrease its revenue as it only started issuing these permits within the last year," he said.

"My opinion, approved by the (association's) executive is that councils are responsible for the maintenance and cleaning up of these zones and they should therefore issue the permits," Dr Micallef said.