The Naxxar local council has harshly criticised the Planning Authority for not reining in a restaurant which failed to abide by the rules.

Photographs supplied by Times of Malta readers showing the outdoor facilities of the new restaurant in Naxxar.

Reacting to a report in the Times of Malta on Cicchetti, a restaurant operated by Michael Zammit Tabona in Victory Square, just metres from the parish church, the council said in a statement it was very upset with the situation.

“The council has brought this issue to the attention of the Planning Authority and also reported that this development has rendered the public pavement inaccessible,” it said.

“Unfortunately, the Planning Authority was anything but helpful,” it remarked, adding that, instead of checking the facts and taking the necessary action, the regulator asked the council to point out which of the permit conditions were not being observed.

Times of Malta had reported that a small house in the village core had been turned into an outdoor restaurant in contravention of the conditions laid down in the permit.

Among other things, the planning watchdog instructed the restaurant to only place tables and chairs on a retractable platform and to enclose the area by a low, wrought iron structure to match the rustic ambiance of the area. However, the restaurant operators opted to build a modern structure made of aluminium and perspex.

The building cannot even hold a table inside

Angry residents and frequent visitors to Naxxar contacted the newspaper about the structure.

“The only way this place could be turned into a restaurant was to use the public square because the building cannot even hold a table inside as it’s too small,” one resident said.

“It’s very convenient if anyone can just occupy the pavement and parking spaces in a square and turn them into a business.”

Some readers sent photographs backing their complaints that the restaurant caused problems to people with pushchairs and those with disabilities because of outside catering facilities.

A council spokesman described the situation as abusive.

“We hope that the monitoring the PA is now promising takes place throughout the entire day and not only when the restaurant is closed,” he said.

Questions sent to Mr Zammit Tabona, a well-known businessman, remain unanswered.