Barbecues that do not run on gas will soon be banned from Golden Bay as Mellieħa council steps up efforts to keep its beaches clean.
The council recently decided to lift a ban on barbecues at Ghadira Bay as long they use gas. Now it is proposing that barbecues at Golden Bay should also be restricted to those which use gas.
Mayor John Buttigieg said that, during discussions on whether to revoke the barbecue ban at Għadira, the council identified threats to the quality of the beaches due to barbecues.
As a result, it decided to issue a draft by-law laying down that only gas barbecues are to be allowed at Golden bay.
“At Golden Bay – a Beach of Quality hoping to achieve the Blue Flag status – only gas barbecues will be permitted as this will help us to create a friendlier and healthier environment on the bay,” Mr Buttigieg said.
The draft by-law will be published for public consultation for three weeks after which time the council will make any necessary amendments before forwarding it to the Minister of Local Councils for his endorsement.
Anyone wishing to organise a barbecue at Golden Bay would need to apply for a permit against a fee of €5, Mr Buttigieg said, adding that this would also be the case at Armier Bay, Little Armier Bay, Ramlet il-Qortin Bay, Torri l-Abjad Bay and Mġiebah Bay.
The council is also working on introducing an online platform for those wishing to apply for such permit, Mr Buttigieg said. “We want to step up cleanliness of all the bays and so we want to try and facilitate the process for those wishing to apply for permits.”
The council would also be extending the collection of separated waste, something which was not yet being done at Golden Bay.
Reacting to the news, environmentalist Alan Deidun, who had repeatedly called on the council to consider banning barbecues at Golden Bay welcomed the proposed change.
“Such a bye-law would eliminate the discrepancy and anomaly that had existed for a number of years whereby a free-for-all existed at Golden Bay while barbecues were only allowed in a small secion at Għadira,” he said.
Prof. Deidun said that the council should be commended for opting for the cleaner option and “for phasing out the much more polluting charcoal”.
The next step, the environmentalist said, would be to follow up the measures with adequate enforcement to ensure that the only barbecues used at the bay would be gas.
Meanwhile, plans to reintroduce barbecues at Għadira have also been shelved, the mayor said. Gas barbecues would only be allowed on the rocky part at the middle of the Blue Flag bay.
On this decision, Nationalist MP and former mayor Robert Cutajar, who had urged the council to reconsider its decision, said that he was satisfied with the council’s decision.
“It seems as though efforts to oppose the decision were effective. The Mellieħa council has been forced to retract its decision and the unanimous decision taken in 2009 not to allow any barbecues will remain,” Mr Cutajar said.