New Qawra hotel sundeck must have public access signs

The Qawra Palace Hotel has been granted permission for a 216 sq.m sun deck on the coast beneath its lido.

The sun deck was approved along with an extension of the existing pizzeria and gelateria on the Qawra promenade, in a permit issued by the Planning Authority’s Environment Planning Commission.

But the PA has also ordered the hotel to put up signage indicating that the site is a public area. The decking will be placed on that part of the foreshore which is already “compromised by the pouring of concrete” in the past. 

To ensure that no restriction is imposed on access to the coast, a €50,000 bank guarantee was imposed. The guarantee shall be released to the applicant after five years, provided that no reports are received by the Planning Authority of attempts to restrict access to the public.

PA sources said this condition effectively does not preclude the owners from setting up sun-beds in this area, but technically these will have to be available for the general public and not just to hotel residents.

The permit was issued despite a clause in the local plan approved in 2006, which excludes “the granting of development permission for any further beach concessions or encroachments on the coast and foreshore”. 

The PA also approved the demolition of an existing pizza kiosk and the construction of a pizzeria having a 384 sq.m pizzeria and a 41 sq.m gelateria with an outdoor seating area of 123 sq.m.

The existing pizza and ice cream kiosks are located on the roof of an underlying store  which is used as part of the Qawra Palace lido. The store was originally approved on condition that its roof serves as a public promenade.

Subsequently, the two original kiosks were developed illegally but were only regularised in 2005 by the PA’s Appeals Tribunal following two refusals by the Planning Authority board in 2002.

The new development will result in a shortfall of 43 parking spaces, a development which will be compensated for by a €50,081 contribution, amounting to the sum due to the PA’s Commuted Parking Payment Scheme for the locality within which the site is located.