Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523079
11 EDITORIAL maltatoday | THURSDAY • 26 JUNE 2024 MALTA'S climate makes it ideal for outdoor din- ing practically all year round. Outside dining gives character to a place and enables people to come together in public spaces. The controversy surrounding restaurant tables and chairs placed in public squares and on pave- ments is not about the practice itself but about the lack of respect shown by some restaurateurs towards the public. Indeed, it is an issue of greed, lack of enforcement and overlapping competen- cies by public authorities. The crux of the problem seems to be that the sys- tem is efficient enough to grant restaurants con- cessions for use of public spaces but falters when it comes to who should police these concessions. Nobody in government seems responsible for the mayhem that results when restaurants put out more tables than allowed, or obstruct public pas- sages, or in some cases put out tables when they have no permit to do so. Reporting abuse is futile because those filing a report get passed around from one entity to an- other, each claiming they are not responsible for enforcement. Unless this conundrum is solved the situation will simply get worse because abusers would be receiving the message that they can do as they please. Unfortunately, the political will has been lacking for far too long. Concessions on public land should be regulated by the Lands Authority. It should set the conditions and delimit the area that can be used whenever a restaurant or bar seeks permis- sion to set table and chairs in a public space. Ad- ditionally, the authority should also lay down what type of furniture, including umbrellas or tents, res- taurants will be able to use for outside dining areas. Having some visual uniformity helps reduce clut- ter and a sense of haphazardness. Enforcement action should be the responsibility of one entity, which however should have the pow- er of issuing fines or charging people for breach of concession terms. To make enforcement easier, the area granted on concession should be clearly delineated by metal plaques and the restaurant should be obliged to have the official map stamped by the Lands Au- thority identifying the concession area, in full view. These two practical measures will ensure that in- spectors called in to investigate reports of abuse or carrying out spot checks can have immediate visual reference of the area granted on concession. Failure to have the map on site should incur a hefty fine. Additionally, repeat abusers should have their concession permit withdrawn. The authorities cannot simply look the other side and allow the rules of the jungle to take root be- cause as much as outside dining is an experience many appreciate, it is also causing consternation in several communities. The latest public outcry happened in St George's Square in Rabat, Gozo. The square has literal- ly been taken over by large umbrellas, tables and chairs, creating a nuisance for people who want to access the parish church, or simply enjoy the pjaz- za. It is literally a jungle. Another area where mayhem persists is the stretch of pavement along the promenade between Gzira and Sliema where tables and chairs have un- ashamedly restricted the width of the public pas- sage on the pavement. The government and its authorities must inject a dose of discipline by ensuring enforcement is not only carried out but is also effective as a deterrent. Restaurant and bar owners must realise that the public space they are occupying is not theirs by right. It is a public concession to enable their busi- ness to flourish and thus should not be abused for whatever reason. They must also be made to pay for the privilege. We expect the government to tackle this issue head on by setting out a concrete plan of action and its eventual implementation. In the process, local councils should also be roped in for their rec- ommendations. Lack of action, platitudes and grandstanding will no longer cut it for a public frayed at its edges by the authorities' disinterest in enforcing regula- tions. Introducing order into the jungle of tables and chairs maltatoday MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: KURT SANSONE EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt very rich people. At the epicentre of this despair lie the towering monuments of corporations, entities that have grown mightier and more vora- cious with each passing decade. Corporations, with their un- yielding thirst for record profits, have too often been the archi- tects of these mazes of hardship. Their pursuit of ungodly levels of affluence has not been with- out cost, a debt that has been exacted upon the very society from which they draw their sus- tenance. In their wake, countless people grapple with economic devastation, their dreams held hostage by a system that appears increasingly indifferent to their plight. Greedflation is not just mani- festing at a corporate level but at an individual level as well. What can be more absurd than to increase our provisions for the road the closer we approach our journey's end? Greed can be harnessed to serve social ends. It can spur entrepreneurial innovation, leading to broad prosperity. It is society that channels greed for such constructive purposes. And it is society that decrees how much greed is enough and how we define where, say, healthy ambition ends and unsavoury self-interest begins.