New rules for beaches being brought in

The long-awaited beach management programme seeking to iron out differences between frustrated bathers at Għadira and lido and kiosk operators are being implemented from this weekend. Under the new plan, deckchairs can no longer stretch along the whole waterline, but the areas reserved for them should start at the back of the bay and end three metres from the shoreline. Beach management rules had come into force some six years ago, where operators were allowed to set down a limited number of umbrellas and sunbeds on the beach even if they were not rented out, shooing away bathers seeking a spot close to the shoreline on the popular bay. Last year, a petition requesting the Ministry for Tourism to remove unrented deckchairs from the beach was put online, and has to date garnered more than 2,400 signatures. The MTA and the Government Property Division had held talks with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association and Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin representing the lido operators and kiosks to upgrade the area in preparation for this summer. The pilot project lasted until the end of September, and areas within which each operator could carry out its activities were marked. Each area is...