A controversial outdoor catering platform that has been placed in an unloading bay in St Julian’s has the necessary Planning Authority and Lands Authority permits. 

The pavement outside the Cork’s Irish Pub on St George’s Street has been extended by means of a demountable timber platform on a Loading and Unloading bay.

The road in question, which carries two lanes traffic in opposite directions, is a bottleneck and prone to traffic congestion.

 The platform itself is approximately 3 meters in width, jutting out by around a metre from cars parked along the same pavement.

The St Julian’s Local Council expressed it objection to the platform in a Facebook post.

“Another platform on a main road and to make it worse on a Loading and Unloading bay,” the Council said.

“We would like to make it a point that the owner of the platform has the permits from Planning Authority and Lands Authority and that as San Giljan Local Council we are categorically objecting, as we did in similar situations in the past.”

District MP Karl Gouder also posted on Facebook saying “I understand that our Local Council is objecting to this madness....full support all the way”.

Transport Minister Ian Borg this evening defended planning policy when facing parliamentary questions over the controversial outdoor catering platform,insisting that issue lies with enforcement, not policy.

10th district PN MPs Karol Aquilina and Karl Gouder asked Borg directly whether he believed local councils should be given the power to object any such application, as it was prior to the change in legislation under the current government.

Borg insisted that local councils are given the opportunity to voice their opposition to applications during the consultation period.