Chamber of SMEs to discuss road works’ impact on businesses

The Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises is to hold a meeting with its members regarding the impact of prolonged road closures on their businesses.

Speaking to this newspaper, Chamber of SMEs CEO, Abigail Mamo confirmed that a number of businesses were expressing their concern regarding road works that are not finished in a timely manner, resulting in months of disruption for businesses.

Mamo stated that while most road works are completed within the stipulated time period with the least impact possible to nearby businesses, road works that take months create massive difficulties.

While most businesses suffer from a lack of accessibility for customers while road works are being carried out, these disruptions also cause problems regarding logistics, where unloading for instance, becomes a logistical nightmare.

Earlier this week, Mosta restaurant Ta’ Marija filed a judicial protest against the Mosta local Council, Infrastructure Malta, Transport Malta, Carmel Vella Ltd and the Malta Tourism Authority, citing incompetence in the design and execution of road works. The owners of the restaurant claim that the business is losing between €3,000 and €5,000 a week because of this.

The owners had claimed that Mosta mayor Chris Grech and Infrastructure Malta forced them to take down a terrace set up in the parking lot across from the restaurant so that they could carry on with the works.

The owners emphasised that they had obtained the required permits for the structure’s installation, which cost over €25,000, but when they approached the mayor for an estimated completion date, they received no response.

They stated that the "irresponsible behaviour" of the parties participating in the project resulted in significant financial losses as a result of customers refusing to eat at the restaurant due to the dust, noise, and annoyance created by the nearby construction.

The restaurant owners claimed that because the work has not been finished to this point, they are unsure of when or even if they would be able to reinstall the patio.