Golden Bay has been awarded the coveted Blue Flag status for the first time, after a restaurant which sat in the middle of the protected beach was dismantled last year.

However, asked by this newspaper what the costs were of relocating the Munchies restaurant, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit said he did not know, because the matter did not form part of his portfolio.

“Care was taken to relocate the structure with the least prejudice possible towards the person who occupied the place before,” the minister said.

Last year, the restaurant occupying the sand dune remnants at Golden Bay for over 10 years was forced to relocate to the side of the beach and to dismantle the flight of steps meandering through the remnants.

The Planning Authority has since issued a permit for the restaurant in the car park, where it will occupy 24 square metres, as well as another 500 square metres at sand level adjacent to the car park. The area approved is larger than the existing restaurant by almost 60 square metres.

The new construction can only take place between October and April, and no works have yet been started.

The Blue Flag status awarded to Golden Bay brings the total of Blue Flag beaches to 10.

Speaking yesterday as the Blue Flag was hoisted at Golden Bay, Vince Attard – CEO of Nature Trust, the national Blue Flag operator – said the ecolabel was increasingly being sought after by tourists.

He called upon the authorities to consider marinas, highlighting the need to offer a facility for the disposal of sewage rather than dumping it into the sea.

The FEE, or Foundation for Environmental Education, the foreign NGO which runs the Blue Flag programme, has been emphasising waste collection, Mr Attard said, noting also that new colour-coded recycling bins have been installed at Golden Bay.