The Municipal Inspection services of the Funchal City Council were, today, in Rua de Santa Maria Maior where they removed equipment, tables, and chairs that were improperly occupying public areas in this historic street.
According to a statement, this action took place after the municipality had notified all merchants on Rua de Santa Maria Maior to ensure they were not in breach of regulations by setting up tables and chairs in designated ‘public spaces.’
“In fact, before today’s action, the Funchal City Council had carried out awareness-raising actions in order to end what is, in some cases, an abusive occupation of public space,” underlined an ARAE source.
In the same press release, councilman João Rodrigues recalls “that when there was the intervention to requalify this popular artery and others in the historic Old Town, and the central corridor of Rua de Santa Maria Maior was made with a different pavement to create an easy access corridor for people with mobility problems and to provide an emergency services access route.”
The head of Urbanism and Spatial Planning at the CMF, pointed out that in addition to the tables on the terraces, there are also rules of size (height and width) for the menus and parasols placed on the street.
After taking action on Rua de Santa Maria, the Municipal Inspection services will move on to Rua da Carreira, once they have sent out official notifications of acceptable practice.
João Rodrigues recalls that he himself has already been on the ground in awareness-raising actions, and stresses that the CMF is not creating difficulties for anyone, but only acting in compliance with the law, with particular attention to mobility and security issues.
The municipality adds that the Municipal Inspection will also act in other areas in the city, specifically, Largo dos Varadouros, Rua dos Tanoeiros and Ponta da Cruz.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
