Alex Trelinski
TORREVIEJA council is painting yellow lines to stop bar and restaurant terraces illegally encroaching public areas on the Juan Aparicio promenade.
Lines will appear all the way to Punta Margalla including businesses on La Cura beach.
Officials discovered some traders had been overshooting their allocation by dozens of square metres for years.
READ MORE:
- Bars and restaurants revolt over ‘nonsensical’ new rules for outdoor terraces in Costa Blanca city
- Alicante cracks down on tourism as it closes nightclubs and removes HALF of all bar terraces in ‘saturated’ areas
Public Area councillor, Federico Alarcon, said that after a four-year exemption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses had to observe the law and only occupy land they paid for.
Alarcon added that the local hospitality association had been notified about the clampdown.
The city was flexible in allowing terrace areas to expand with extra tables and chairs to get the hospitality sector back on an even keel after the pandemic.
The authority gained a reputation for having one of the most lenient approaches in the country, but has now decided to rein in that policy.
It banks €1.4 million annually from fees and its the first time in several years that terrace demarcation lines will be clearly visible.
Residents have complained about businesses blocking benches and narrowing pedestrian areas close to the sea- not helped by illegal street sellers occupying space.
A shame the local council is focusing on legitimate businesses and not getting rid of the hordes of illegal looky looky and blanket sellers with all their fake goods taking up the space on the promenade, but that might take bit more effort than putting up a couple of useless signs rather than hitting an easy target with an address.