The Planning Authority has approved two applications to reserve parking spaces at Ramla Bay in Gozo to rent out deckchairs and umbrellas from a parked vehicle, despite the continued lack of a much needed holistic plan for the area.
There are already two permits, approved last year, offering the same service in the area, which is designated in the local plan for parking. The local plan specifically states that no new planning permissions should be awarded in the area until a comprehensive master plan for the bay is approved.
READ: Ramla braces itself for a deckchair showdown
The two applications approved yesterday were recommended for refusal by the Planning Directorate on this basis.
The Ramla Sunbeds and Umbrellas Co-op also objected to the proposals, claiming they would allow the new operator to reach prospective clients “before his competitors”, while taking up “precious parking unnecessarily”, given that similar services already exist.
The local plan states that no new permissions should be awarded until there is a master plan for the bay
The co-operative’s founding members had been competing against each other for some time before coming together last year.
Yesterday, however, the Planning Commission board decided to grant the two permits on a temporary basis, pending the approval of a master plan. The permits will expire once a plan is approved but may be renewed every two years until then.
Chairman Elizabeth Ellul said this was the fairest way to proceed, given the confusion stemming from the lack of a holistic plan.
She also expressed her hope that the granting of the permits would speed up the creation of the plan.
However, the chairman was not aware of any application for such a plan having been submitted to date.
Issues surrounding the licensing of hawkers and kiosks have long been problematic, with seven different authorities and a maze of regulations dealing with permission and enforcement. While hawkers and kiosks require a licence issued by the Trade Department, enforcement depends on whether the kiosk is mobile or fixed.
Fixed kiosks are regulated by the Malta Tourism Authority, the local council issues one-off permits, and a Planning Authority permit is necessary if tables and chairs are to be used.
When food is being sold, prior approval by the health authorities must be sought. Then Transport Malta intervenes to check if a large parked vehicle is likely to pose a safety hazard, and an encroachment permit from the Lands Department may be required.
The police are eventually involved when non-compliance is an offence at law.