Updated 10.14am with Transport Malta reply

Caravans are being allowed to park in the new Għadira Bay parking facility despite a council by-law that stipulates the zone is off-limits to caravans and campers.

Over the Easter holidays, 12 of these vehicles were parked in the facility with signage on site stipulating that they can park there between October 1 and April 30.

It is not clear when the signs were erected, with some sources saying they appeared within the last few weeks.

They contradict other signs in the area saying the zone is off-limits to caravans and campers, as stated in local council by-law 37/04/2020.

Council left in the dark

The car park was inaugurated a year ago by Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo and then infrastructure minister Ian Borg following an investment of €1.3 million.

A news release said it would allow for 350 cars to help accommodate the thousands of visitors who enjoy Malta’s largest sandy beach every year. No reference was made at the time to a concession for caravans.

A spokesperson for Mellieħa local council said it had not been informed of any concession granted to caravan owners and did not know about it prior to the issue being flagged by Times of Malta.

Minutes from a meeting held on March 16 last year – a week before the new parking lot was inaugurated – show that the local council did not agree with any allocation of new caravan sites in the area.

The council specifically said it was against the issuing of any further permits for the parking of caravans in parking zones near the beach and other areas including the coast.

The council said the caravan sites in Daħlet ix-Xmajjar and Torri l-Abjad were enough for these vehicles.

The issue of caravans and campers parked along the coast has been a bugbear for many local councils across the island, with complaints that they block day-trippers from enjoying proper access to the sea.

Transport Malta admits erecting signs

Sources say that the new signs at Għadira Bay were placed there by Transport Malta.

The authority confirmed this in a reply on Wednesday morning, saying its Traffic Management Committee approved the signage. 

"Transport Malta and the Local Council will be having discussions about finding a permanent solution to parking for motorised caravans," it said.

"The authority took into consideration the investment which was made in the Għadira parking area and the possibility of utilizing a small part of it by the end of April, until an agreement can be reached with the Local Council on areas which can be reserved for Motorised Caravans especially during wintertime."

In June last year, José Herrera, who at the time was the minister responsible for local councils, had said that the central government was in the process of drawing up a national policy regulating the parking of holiday vehicles.

His comments came after the government shot down a by-law drafted by the Naxxar local council intended to stop caravans and camper vans from parking permanently along the Coast Road.