A restaurant on the main road in Baħar Iċ-Ċagħaq is still using an extension that has practically doubled its number of covers, despite an enforcement notice served by Mepa last May.

A Mepa spokesman confirmed that the illegalities at Las Palmas restaurant – formerly known as Ronnies – are still there. He said that the owners are paying a daily €20 fine, amounting to €3,620 over the past six months. The fine will increase to €40 a day if the illegal structure remains for another six months, he added.

So far, Mepa has refrained from taking direct action to remove the illegality.

Restaurant owners who spoke to Times of Malta on condition of anonymity described the €20 daily fine imposed by Mepa as “a big joke”. “Mepa is basically encouraging the owners to persist with the illegality and continue with their operation. It’s worth paying a fine of just €20 a day for such an illegal development,” the owner of a restaurant in St Julian’s said. 

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