For years, frustrated bathers have been shooed away from the Għadira shoreline by lido and kiosk operators, but a new beach management pilot project is seeking to iron out the differences between the two ahead of next summer.
Beach management rules came into force five years ago, under which operators are allowed to set down a limited number of umbrellas and sunbeds on the beach even if they are not rented out. These must not be placed closer than three metres from the waterline.
The Malta Tourism Authority and Land Department carry out random visits meant to keep the operators in check.
But swimmers deprived of what they see as their rightful sunny spots by the waterline have had enough. An online petition requesting the Tourism Ministry to remove unrented deckchairs from the beach collected some 1,380 signatures in six weeks.
The petition claims some swimmers are even threatened or asked to move to the back of the beach.
Lorna Vassallo Pace, who set up the petition, went through this ordeal when she wanted to put up a small tent on the beach so she could keep an eye on her toddler playing in the sand.
However, she was immediately asked to move to the area behind the sunbeds because the operator wanted to place a small desk in the only space available along the beach.
The MTA and Government Property Division are already talking to Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin – the two associations that represent the lido operators and kiosks – to upgrade the area in preparation for next summer.
In reply to questions, a spokesperson for the land and tourism ministries said four lidos and three kiosks were allowed to hire out umbrellas and sunbeds but their licences were issued a while ago and were not uniform.
For the pilot project, the MTA and Government Property Division have marked out the areas within which each operator can carry out its activities. Each area is no larger than 1,344 square metres and the operators can set up a maximum of 300 sunbeds.
Under the new plan, the sunbeds will no longer stretch along the whole length of the waterline, as they do now. Instead, the areas reserved for them will start at the back of the bay and end three metres from the shoreline.
This means the public will be able to enjoy a guaranteed space close to the water. The free space will be equal in size to that allocated to operators.
The spokesperson said the marked areas “ensure there is a reasonably sized area on each of the three beaches that make up Għadira bay, on which none of the kiosks and lidos can set up or rent sunbeds and umbrellas”.
Also, the areas allocated to the lidos and kiosks will not be exclusive to the operators.
As long as they do not obstruct the passageway, bathers can settle in any space not already occupied by a sunbed.
The pilot project will last till the end of September and the exercise is being monitored by the MTA and Government Property Division.
They will then draw up a final update of the beach management regulations that should kick in next summer.