The owner of an illegal restaurant located in the midst of one of the last remaining sand dunes at Golden Bay has told Times of Malta work on its relocation would start in October.
This means that Golden Bay can finally stand a chance of being awarded the coveted Blue Flag status, which is given for the sustainable management of beaches.
Malta has been awarded nine quality flags for its beaches. Even ‘semi-artificial’ beaches such as St George’s Bay and the perched beach in Buġibba fly the Blue Flag.
Yet, Golden Bay only got the inferior award for ‘beach of quality’, falling short of the criteria required for Blue Flag status even though it is one of the most beautiful natural bays on the island.
As a Natura 2000 site, Golden Bay is supposed to be protected but the restaurant’s presence in Ramla tal-Mixquqa and its impact on the sand dunes has drawn a lot of criticism over the years.
Last May, the planning authority issued an enforcement notice over the extension of a kiosk to a structure covering 465 square metres. It was the third enforcement notice Mepa issued since 2000 and an appeal has been filed.
Munchies restaurant owner Ian Micallef said the process for acquiring permits and relocating has been ongoing for more than a decade. Meanwhile, he has been paying rent to the government for the use of the site since 1987 and his catering establishment licence has been renewed yearly by the Malta Tourism Authority.
In 2002, he filed his first application for permits and it took two years for Mepa to decide.
We start work in October and, by summer 2015, Munchies restaurant would be relocated
Mr Micallef was told the site was designated for protection.
“They told me I need to move and I accepted that. I was promised a new location on the beach away from the dunes because I was told that it had been designated for grade one protection.
“But the alternative site did not materialise,” he said.
In the time it took filing other permit applications and following procedures, someone else had moved into the spot allocated to him, Mr Micallef said. Meanwhile, the site he was promised had been reduced to about half its size.
He understood that his restaurant was denying the beach its deserved Blue Flag status but he pointed out that, based on the licences he held, he had made a significant investment in the place.
Moving without an alternative was not possible.
He is therefore pleased that, finally, he has managed to come to an agreement with Mepa on a timeframe for relocating.
“The agreement we have is that we start work in October and, by summer 2015, Munchies restaurant would be relocated to another site on the beach, on the side that’s under the street,” Mr Micallef said, adding that this would require another major investment.
However, Mr Micallef also made it clear that the agreement with Mepa depended on the approval of the permit and the Government Property Department honouring “its commitment” given over the years.