The long-awaited beach management programme seeking to iron out differences between frustrated bathers at Għadira and lido and kiosk operators are being implemented from this weekend.

Under the new plan, deckchairs can no longer stretch along the whole waterline, but the areas reserved for them should start at the back of the bay and end three metres from the shoreline.

Beach management rules had come into force some six years ago, where operators were allowed to set down a limited number of umbrellas and sunbeds on the beach even if they were not rented out, shooing away bathers seeking a spot close to the shoreline on the popular bay.

Last year, a petition requesting the Ministry for Tourism to remove unrented deckchairs from the beach was put online, and has to date garnered more than 2,400 signatures.

The MTA and the Government Property Division had held talks with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin representing the lido operators and kiosks to upgrade the area in preparation for this summer.

The pilot project lasted until the end of September, and areas within which each operator could carry out its activities were marked.

Each area is no larger than 1,344 square metres and the operators can set up a maximum of 300 sunbeds.

The allocated space for the public is equal in size to that of the operators.

A spokesman for the Ministry for Tourism said these beach management regulations started being implemented this weekend.

In reply to questions, he said the total free sandy area of the beach is approximately equal to that allocated to operators.

“The entire beach is public land, with some parts – roughly 50 per cent – of the beach being allocated at the pleasure of the Government, to commercial operators.”

Some upgrades to the kiosks are awaiting the necessary planning authority permits, while monitoring and enforcement will be ongoing throughout summer.