Coastal Authority relents over sea front tables

THE Coastal Authority has relented and the owners of the bars and restaurants along the promenade in Porto Cristo will be allowed to put their tables and chairs out on the pavement again, providing they leave 1.5 metres of pavement for pedestrians and are six metres from the beach. There had been an outcry when the Coastal Authority's ban was announced, as the terraces had been there for 30 years. However, under the new agreement, the bars and restaurants will have to remove the canopies which provided shade, as they block the pavements. One owner said that from now on they could only put out one row of tables and chairs and they have already started to take down the canopies.
For next year, the bar and restaurant owners have won a commitment from the town council, which will widen the pavements by two metres.
To do this, they will have to eliminate six parking spaces from the ORA restricted parking area.
The town council had been opposed to the ruling.
The Coastal Authority now faces the wrath of Alcudia bar and restaurant owners who have also been ordered to remove their tables and chairs from the sea front promenade. They are due to hold a meeting tomorrow to find a satisfactory solution.
Most of the establishments admitted that they had more tables and chairs out on the pavement than allowed, but said that nothing had been done about it during the last two summers.