Birgu Regatta Club applies to sanction illegal kiosks

The Birgu Regatta Club has applied to regularise two illegally constructed kiosks known as il-Kajjik kiosks, and for the placing of chairs and tables next to them.

The kiosks which have been operational since 2023 were constructed over 62sq.m of land between the regatta club and a carpark.

The kiosks are dwarfed by “temporary and reversible” tented structure sanctioned through a Development Notification Order in 2024, following an application presented by the local council.

In their application the club says that it does not own the land in question but has been granted the consent of the owners while stating that the land is not government owned.

One of the kiosks is classified as a catering establishment where cooking is allowed and the other is described as a catering establishment where no cooking is allowed.

The kiosks erected near the regatta club itself are not visible on aerial photos taken in 2018 but are visible on satellite imagery taken in 2024.

In the meantime, the Birgu local council has also applied to sanction minor alterations made to the façade of the club itself which have been endorsed by the PA’s design panel.

In 2019, the government stepped in to apply for the construction of a restaurant on top of the existing Birgu Regatta Club, despite objections by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage with regard to its negative impact on the bastions. But the application was later turned down by the Planning Commission in 2020.