Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1516944
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 MARCH 2024 NEWS JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Develop now, sanction later THE Sliema council is objecting to the regularisation of an exten- sion of the Black Gold bar seat- ing platform, which restricted the pavement space by a further 0.5m. When it was originally ap- proved in 2016, the outdoor plat- form had to allow a 2m pedestri- an corridor between the bar and outside seated area. However, today pedestrians walking along the crowded bar area have to squeeze through a 1.5m passageway. Now, bar owner Michael Sti- vala (not to be confused with his namesake who leads the Malta Development Association) has applied to sanction the fait ac- compli. He is asking for approval of plans that sanction the 0.5m reduction in the width of the pe- destrian corridor. The reduction in the width of the pedestrian passage has in- creased the seating area from the approved 57sq.m to 63.5sq.m. In a formal objection, the Sliema council denounced the applica- tion as a symptom of the "devel- op now, sanction later", approach already evident in previous ap- plications in the same site. The platform itself was regularised in 2016 after it was already in place. The changes proposed by the bar owner are in line with the minimum width for pedestrian passages established in a policy regulating outdoor catering are- as, which is established at 1.5m. However, according to the same policy, in certain areas the per- mitting authorities reserve the right to increase the minimum width as necessary. The council insists that the 1.5m rule is a minimum width and not an absolute one. In this case the reduction of the width of the pedestrian passage will have a negative impact on "the easy and safe flow of pedes- trians" particularly of wheelchair users and parents with buggies and prams. Moreover, the council claims that the proposed regularisa- tion is in breach of another pol- icy which forbids the erection of seating platforms in areas where "the total pedestrian public foot- path is less than 2.1 meters." The council also warned that the reduction of the pedestrian area by 25% could have implica- tions on safety in the notoriously crowded area, especially in case of an emergency or a stampede. Moreover, the council warned that the increase in the outside seating area means that the es- tablishment is accommodating more patrons, something which results in waiters constantly crossing the public pavement to take and deliver orders. This cre- ates an obstruction of the pedes- trian passage. The council also pointed out that the 2016 policy says that seating platforms should not be normally allowed along arterial roads or near passing traffic as is the case with The Strand in Sliema and Gzira. Elderly residents who spoke to this newspaper insisted that the main problem is not the width of the pedestrian passage itself, but the whole concept of expecting pedestrians to walk in between a bar and its equally noisy and crowded canopy as has become common with most establish- ments in this area. "Anyone passing through this narrow passage must inhale smoke and listen to the loud music and since the whole area is covered by a canopy, one gets the sensation that one is moving through the bar and not through a public space," an elderly resi- dent told MaltaToday. Black Gold bar seeks to regularise extension of seating area The Black Gold bar seating platform extension restricted the pavement space by a further 0.5m will be made up for through a contribution to the Planning Author- ity's Urban Improve- ments Fund. Commenting on an- other development in 2017, the heritage watchdog had declared that it "had already rec- ommended that build- ings along Triq Fleur de Lys are scheduled to preserve visual integrity of the historic street- scape." It remains un- clear as to why this step was never taken. The decision not to designate Fleur de Lys as a UCA was ques- tioned again by the Su- perintendence in 2021, when it expressed "sur- prise and concern that the streetscape has not been given the protec- tion due to the area as an Urban Conservation Area". The permit approved in 2018 which set a precedent for other permits in the area had been issued by another board then chaired by Elisabeth Ellul. Curious- ly Ellul was absent when the final vote was taken but the development was approved by the votes of Mariello Spiteri and Simon Saliba, two officials who no longer serve on the board. Pencil development approved in Fleur de Lys