The controversial concrete platforms being built at Malta’s most popular beach in Mellieħa would not jeopardise its Blue Flag status because the process was reversible, Parliamentary Secretary Michael Falzon said yesterday.

The structures are part of a plan to relocate and upgrade seven kiosks in Għadira Bay.

“We are closely monitoring works to ensure there is minimal impact on the environment and that tenants adhere to the conditions laid out in the agreement to modernise their structures within the defined footprint,” he said.

Dr Falzon was reacting to criticism that the planning authority used lenient planning rules introduced last year to allow pouring of concrete on top of the sand at Għadira Bay, a Natura 2000 site the authority is tasked to protect. He was speaking at a news conference in Golden Bay to mark the removal of a kiosk that had been built on top of the sand dunes a few metres away. The structure will be relocated to a site adjacent to the car park, paving the way for this iconic beach to acquire Blue Flag status.

Asked whether the government was sending contradictory messages by relocating an existing kiosk in Golden Bay while allowing the construction of seven concrete platforms at Għadira, Dr Falzon said that, in the latter case, the government was honouring a commitment by the Nationalist administration. He added that the government could not pull out of the agreement due to legal obligations.

Dr Falzon said at present there were no plans to grant further permissions for kiosks at Għadira.

Asked what measures would be taken to ensure that holders of encroachment permits would not place umbrellas and deckchairs outside their allocated space, he said the onus was on the Malta Tourism Authority.