Consumers could be in for a bumper summer with two trade fairs being held back to back after the court paved the way for the licence reactivation of the Trade Fairs Exhibitors Association Ltd, enabling it to hold its fair at the traditional Naxxar grounds.
Company chairman Paul Abela said the court ruled that the organisers of the International Trade Fair at Naxxar did not need a planning permit and that the original licence it had to hold a fair there for the past 50 years had to be reactivated after being "irregularly terminated".
The court's ruling, which reawakens a controversy between two rival business groups, was handed down on Wednesday, the same day the Malta Trade Fair was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre, Ta' Qali.
The company will hold its Malta International Trade Fair at Naxxar's trade fair grounds in July.
The decision has irked the Naxxar council local, which insisted it was never consulted. It stood by its original stand to defend residents against inconveniences resulting from such an event.
It reiterated its view that holding the fair would violate the local plan. The government had appealed the court decision and even if the appeal was not upheld this did not mean the government was obliged to issue the necessary permits, the council said.
However, Mr Abela told a press conference that, although the Trade Department had appealed the decision, the company had been allowed by the court to immediately enforce the ruling. He said that on the strength of the court decision, work had started for the fair to be held between July 16 and 25. He reported strong interest for the event by the business community and said a meeting for exhibitors would be held this morning at the trade fair grounds in Naxxar.
TFEA Ltd's legal battle to hold the International Trade Fair at Naxxar began in January when it filed an application against the director general at the Trade Department after it was denied a trading licence. The department insisted the organisers required a planning permit.
The company argued the decision was unlawful because the grounds in question had been used for fairs for 50 years, much before the setting up of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and, therefore, no permit was necessary.
Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo upheld the company's argument, pointing out that the land in question had hosted fairs between 1958 and 2006. It was common knowledge that commercial fairs had been held at the Naxxar grounds for many years and the fairs had been organised by the Malta Trade Fairs Corporations, in which the government was a partner.
In 2007, the fair was moved to Ta' Qali and the organisers later decided to sell their shares, bought by Ruben Caruana, director of Sign-It and managing director of the MFCC.
The court ruled there was no need for the company to apply for any development permit to hold the fair and the director general was ordered to consider the company's request and decide upon it within four days.
Mr Abela said that, although the licence had already been reactivated, there were some changes to the wording of the original licence the company wanted corrected. In court, the Trade Department director general acknowledged the mistake and promised to rectify it.
As the legal battle progressed, upgrading work on the Naxxar grounds were carried out and are expected to be completed within two weeks.
Mr Abela said that, in view of the fact that some exhibitors were already taking part in the Ta' Qali fair, the company was planning on giving them highly discounted rates to participate in the Malta International Trade Fair in July.