1 comment.Victoria Council has no jurisdiction over removal of tables and chairs in any street or square – Minister
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A total of 40 permits were issued for various occasions over the past year, (from 25.03.23 to 27.03.24) by the Victoria Local Council for clearance of tables etc and closure to traffic in St George’s Square, Victoria.
Minister for Local Government Owen Bonnici, told Parliament that the Victoria Local Council “has no jurisdiction over the removal of tables and chairs in any street or square.”
He stated that of the 40 issued – 17 permits were under the title ‘occasional entertainment/one day events,’ and 23 permits were for weddings and funerals. Other instances include the Good Friday and Easter processions, St George’s Feast in July and the Public Holiday of Santa Marija.
Minister Bonnici added that all these permits are issued with the approval of the Lands Authority to remove the tables and chairs.
The Minister was replying to a Parliamentary Question by the Opposition Spokesperson for Gozo Alex Borg on the permits issued, as well as the jurisdiction of the Local Council on the removal of tables and chairs on occasions such as weddings and funerals.
Local NGO Ghawdix recently voiced its full support with a published “expression of frustration” at the “apparent disregard for public space in St George’s Square, Victoria.”
The NGO called St George’s Square a “failure of comprehensive planning.”
It also argued that “this square has four entrances, all excessively blocked by outdoor furniture which caters for the multiple businesses in the same area.”
Photo: St George’s Square, Victoria – Copyright Gozo News
What about if the chairs do not even have a permit/license to be there in the first place?!