The Pama Shopping Village. Under the Trade Licences Act, businesses require a licence to carry out any commercial activity. Photo: Matthew MirabelliGRTU president Paul Abela has defended the owners of Pama Shopping Village after they were revealed to be operating without a trading licence, insisting they should be commended for a “phenomenal project”.
The Times of Malta reported yesterday that no licence has been issued for the retail centre on the outskirts of Mosta, which opened in November and is still awaiting a planning authority compliance certificate.
When contacted, however, the president of the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) said that trading licences were a formality which most retail outlets only applied for after opening for business.
“The [Trade Licencing Director] does not have the right to refuse an application, so in virtually every case it’s just a matter of notifying them,” Mr Abela said.
Under the Trade Licences Act, businesses require a licence issued by the regulatory authority to carry out any commercial activity. The penalty for contraventions is a fine of between €116 and €1,164, as well as an additional daily fine of €23 for continuing offences.
We’ve added so many bureaucratic processes that entrepreneurs have to do
“The trade licence is not a big issue; it’s not a health and safety or a planning matter. We’ve added so many bureaucratic processes and things that entrepreneurs have to do,” he added.
Mr Abela insisted that the main story should be the number of jobs that Pama had generated, and the creation of a “new concept” in Maltese retail.
The shopping village is built on a 32,000 square metre site on Triq Valletta in the limits of Mosta and centres around a 3,000 square metre supermarket, which also houses restaurants and retail outlets.
“If you think they should close down, just imagine what will happen to all those jobs,” Mr Abela said.
He stressed that the owners had obtained all the necessary planning permits and there was likely to be a valid reason why they had not applied for a trading licence.
The Trade Licencing Unit was yesterday not available for comment on the situation. The unit has contacted the operators to warn them about the situation and given them a window within which to regularise their position, failing which the police will be asked to intervene.
The owners, PG Holdings Ltd, have said the company will apply for a licence “in the coming days”, once they are issued a compliance certificate in relation to a decision by the planning authority last November.
Mepa imposed a €1 million bank guarantee on the owners to ensure the relocation of unsightly services installed along the back wall of the supermarket. Mepa also issued a €58,000 fine for works carried out without a permit.
PG Holdings Ltd has not commented regarding why it opened for business without a valid licence.