The Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis, together with the Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Simplification of Administrative Processes, has launched a public consultation on new Draft Policy – Guidance and Standards for Outdoor Catering Areas on Public Open Spaces.

The new policy is aimed at simplifying the process for owners of restaurants and cafes to place tables and chairs in public areas.

The policy document will include 23 policy statements as well as 10 good guidance notes. The policy topics include location criteria, public exit and safety, policy and standards regarding placement of catering furniture (including standards of outside catering equipment), enclosure and shading structure policies, policies indicating how different areas with public zones should be marked, maintenance of encroachment area policies and safeguarding of third-party rights.

The document says that the provision of Outdoor Catering Areas on Public Open Space is widely recognised as an essential element of the entertainment and tourism product, as well as an important value-adding asset for catering establishments.

“The current system for the permitting and licensing of these areas is however perceived by both the public and private sectors as being inadequate and too complex to be able to deliver the required standard of service and decisions.”

Applications from the private sector are processed in no fewer than five distinct and separate entities, against a background of a plethora of policies and guidance notes which are often in conflict with each other, it said.

It is against this background that an Inter-Ministerial Committee was set up with the express remit to propose a shared policy for Outdoor Catering Areas on Public Open Space, and to propose solutions for the simplification of administrative processes for the issuing of the necessary licenses and permits for this type of development.

The Committee was set up upon the initiative of the Ministry for Tourism and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Planning and Simplification of Administrative Processes, and consists of officials from both these public entities, the Ministry for the Interior, MEPA, TM, GPD, MTA, and also a representative from the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association. The presence of an MHRA official guarantees active participation from the main private sector stakeholders, not just in a consultative role, but also at the policy formulation stage.

Following a period of public consultation on the five main objectives of this document, and having taken into consideration the responses received during this exercise, the Committee said that it is now in a position to issue this shared policy document for public consultation, inviting all interested parties, including private sector stakeholders, NGOs, and the public in general, to submit any comments or suggestions they may have related to the proposed policy document.

The deadline for the consultation is Friday, the 23rd of October, for more information please email oca_guidelines@mepa.com.mt.

Photograph: DOI/Reuben Piscopo

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