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Beach at Giulianova: rows of stainless steel T-Block ground screws with round flanges in the sand, one already fitted with a U-bracket.

Italian beach concessions: removable beach club structures on ground screws

Italy is putting its beach concessions out to tender, and the tenders are open to operators from across the EU. What counts is also how the beach club is built: how much of it can be dismantled and how the beach is handed back. T-Block® stainless steel ground screws carry decks, kiosks, cabins and walkways with no concrete poured on the beach, are installed out of season and, when the concession ends, are unscrewed and leave no trace.

No concrete
on the sand
Unscrewed
they leave no trace
AISI 304 stainless
for the marine environment

Italian beach concessions: what is changing

In Italy, beach clubs stand on State-owned coastal land held under a concession. For years these concessions were extended automatically; in 2016 the Court of Justice of the EU ruled that, under the EU Services Directive (the «Bolkestein directive»), they cannot be extended without a selection procedure. They are now being reassigned through public tenders.

The annual competition law (Law no. 118 of 5 August 2022, as amended in 2024) says that existing concessions remain valid until 30 September 2027 and that tenders must be launched by 30 June 2027. The procedure follows EU law and the principles of freedom of establishment, transparency, non-discrimination and equal treatment: operators from other EU countries can take part.

At the end of September 2026 the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport presented a draft national standard tender, the template municipalities will use for their notices. It is a draft: its content may change before approval. Meanwhile some municipalities have already published their own tenders, such as Riccione.

For a group bidding on an Italian beach, this means preparing a project in Italian, for an Italian municipality: what will stand on the sand, what will be invested, how the beach will be handed back. That is where the foundations of the structures come in.

Why the foundation matters in the tender

Italian concession rules keep coming back to the same distinction: removable works (amovibili), which can be taken away, and non-removable works or works difficult to remove. A foundation poured into the sand belongs to the second group; a foundation that unscrews helps design structures that belong to the first.

When the concession ends

Under the Italian Navigation Code, when a concession ends the non-removable works pass to the State, unless the authority orders their demolition and the return of the site «nel pristino stato», that is, as it was before. Law 118/2022 adds that the authority may order the outgoing holder to demolish non-removable works at its own expense. With ground screws there is no footing to demolish: they are unscrewed and the sand goes back to how it was.

In the tender notice

The notice must describe the area and the «works difficult to remove» standing on it. Among the award criteria the law lists the quality of the facilities and structures and environmental protection objectives. How many points they are worth, and how they are documented, is up to each tender.

Out of season

Until the tenders are awarded, concession holders may keep the removable structures provided for by the law installed during the closed season too, while paying the fee. A structure that is dismantled and reassembled, on foundations that stay or are unscrewed, keeps pace with the season.

Investment and compensation

The law provides compensation for the outgoing holder, paid by the incoming one, equal to the investments not yet amortised plus a fair return on those of the last five years. How it is calculated and documented is set by the law and checked by your advisers; on the foundation side, the screws can be unscrewed and reused.

What municipalities ask for: two examples

Rimini, Beach Plan

The technical rules of Rimini's Piano dell'Arenile require structures whose features allow them to be easily removed so that the site can be restored to its original state, and do not allow cast-in-place concrete works. On foundations they say: they «must be made with dry technologies. Foundations cast in place are not allowed» (our translation).

A ground screw is screwed in, not cast. Which type of foundation to choose, and with what checks on the sand, is decided by the designer under the Plan and NTC 2018.

Riccione, tender for 14 concessions

In the technical bid, the tender rules give up to 20 points to a criterion that includes the «quality of the facilities and structures», and up to 5 to eco-friendly management and environmental sustainability. At the end of the concession the holder must clear the area and hand it back «nel pristino stato».

Every tender has its own criteria: these apply to this tender only and are given here to show what is assessed.

Sources

Italian terms you will meet

Tender documents are written in Italian. These are the words that come up most often when the talk turns to the structures on the beach.

Concessione demaniale marittima
The concession to use a stretch of State-owned coast. Beach clubs hold one for the area they occupy.
Stabilimento balneare, lido
A beach club: sunbeds, cabins, bar, platforms and services on the sand.
Comune
The municipality. Where the region has handed the coastal concessions to the municipalities, as in Emilia-Romagna, it runs the tender and issues the concession.
Capitaneria di porto
The Coast Guard harbour office, which has a say on what happens on the coastal strip.
Piano dell'Arenile
The municipal beach plan: what may be built on the sand, and how.
Bando, disciplinare
The tender notice and the tender rules, with the award criteria and the points.
Offerta tecnica
The technical bid: the project for the beach club, scored against the criteria.
Opere di facile / difficile rimozione
Works that are easy or difficult to remove. Removable works are «amovibili».
Pristino stato
The original condition of the site, to which the area must be returned at the end.
NTC 2018
The Italian technical standards for construction, under which the foundations are designed.

What can be founded on sand

The screw is the support: a flange, a bracket or a frame is fixed on top, and the structure goes up straight after installation. Each structure has its own calculation, but the principle is the same for everything on a beach club.

  • Decks and platforms

    The walking surface of the beach club, raised off the sand on beams resting on the screw heads. This is the work at Giulianova and Castellammare del Golfo.

  • Walkways

    The paths to the sea and between the rows: each screw is set at the level required, without levelling the beach.

  • Kiosks and beach bars

    The bar or food kiosk on the sand. At Riccione the screw heads were prepared in the workshop to take the frame of the beach bar.

  • Shade structures and pergolas

    Pergolas, shade sails and covers: the wind pulls them upwards, and the screws hold them in tension too.

  • Cabins and facilities

    Cabins, showers, stores and small service buildings, resting on a frame fixed to the heads instead of a slab.

  • Frames and special structures

    At Rimini, a circular steel frame mounted on foundations installed in a circle. When needed, the model is designed to order.

Rows of stainless steel T-Block ground screws laid on the sand at Rimini before installation, helices and flanges in view.
Rimini: the custom-designed stainless steel foundations before installation.

AISI 304 stainless steel by the sea

Sand, salt air and groundwater are an aggressive environment for steel. That is why on the beach we use AISI 304 stainless steel, and all the beach projects below are in stainless steel.

Hot-dip galvanizing remains the choice for many soils, but its life depends on the thickness of the zinc and how aggressive the soil is: where salinity is high, stainless steel is considered. On request, other steels or special anti-corrosion protection can be used.

Beyond the standard catalogue, T-Block® makes custom models with geometries and materials to the customer's specification: flange, head and length are designed around the structure of the beach club.

Installed out of season, with the beach closed

There is no concrete to cure: installation goes ahead in rain or cold, and the structure goes up as soon as the screw is at level. Our beach projects were carried out out of season, before the beach reopened.

  1. Survey and setting out

    The points are marked on the sand from the design data.

  2. The machine arrives

    The tracked machine comes off the lorry on the seafront and reaches the work area, even close to the cabins.

  3. Screwed in to level

    The mast holds the screw vertical as it goes into the sand; the head stops at the design level.

  4. The structure goes up

    Brackets, beams or frames are fixed on the heads straight after installation.

Giulianova: installation in the sand, in time-lapse. Video hosted on YouTube: it only loads when you press play.
Giulianova: the deck boards fitted on the screws, in time-lapse. Video hosted on YouTube: it only loads when you press play.

How the machine works: tracked mast machine. For small jobs, such as a garden deck, screws are also installed with a power driver and reaction bar.

Five beach clubs on ground screws

From the Adriatic to Sicily: beach clubs, a beach bar and the deck of a lido. Photos, videos and details of each project are on the page ground screws for beach clubs.

Spiagge Luna: from installation in the sand to the open beach club. Video hosted on YouTube: it only loads when you press play.
Bagno 28: from the lorry to the circular frame. Video hosted on YouTube: it only loads when you press play.

What we need for your project

If you are preparing the project for a beach club, for a tender or a renewal, send us what you have. We reply with the anchoring layout and the models suited to sand, ready for your designer.

  • Where the beach is, and what stands on the sand today.
  • The structures to be founded: decks, kiosk, walkways, shade structures, cabins.
  • The plan, or even just a sketch with dimensions and support points, if your designer already has them.
  • The period in which work is possible, usually between the end of one season and the start of the next.

Are you the designer preparing a bidder's technical offer? Write to us: we send the foundation data to include in the project and the references of our beach projects.

The calculation stays with the designer

In Italy, ground screws fall under the technical standards for construction (NTC 2018): the number and the model are set in the design. The configurator gives a first estimate, which is an assumption to be checked.

The guide to ground screws

Frequently asked questions

When will the Italian beach concession tenders take place?
Under Law 118/2022, as in force on 1 October 2026, existing concessions remain valid until 30 September 2027 and municipalities must launch the tenders by 30 June 2027. Each municipality publishes its own tender: check its website and its State property office (ufficio demanio).
Can companies from other EU countries bid?
The Italian law says the award procedure follows EU law and the principles of freedom of establishment, publicity, transparency, non-discrimination and equal treatment. The requirements for bidders are set by each tender notice and must be checked there, with an Italian legal adviser.
Are ground screws «works easy to remove»?
The screw is unscrewed with the same equipment used to install it and leaves no trace in the sand: it is a removable foundation. But how the whole structure is classified in the concession depends on what is built on top and on the municipal and regional rules: check it with the municipality, the Coast Guard harbour office and your designer.
Do ground screws score points in the tender?
Each tender sets its own criteria and points. Ground screws can help document a project with no concrete poured on the beach, demountable structures and the beach restored at the end of the concession; how much that is worth only the municipality's tender can say.
Can they be used in sand?
Yes, with T-Block screws of specific lengths and helix geometries. At Misano Adriatico, Giulianova, Rimini and Riccione the ground screws were screwed directly into the sand.
What steel is used by the sea?
On the beach we use AISI 304 stainless steel. On request, other steels or special anti-corrosion protection can be used.
When can they be installed?
All year round, in rain or cold, because there is no concrete to cure. On beach clubs the work is usually done out of season, with the beach closed.
What happens when the concession ends?
The screws are turned anticlockwise and the sand goes back to how it was: no footings to demolish and no concrete to take to landfill. Screws recovered intact can be reused, even on another beach.
Do structures on ground screws need permits?
It depends on the structure, not the foundation. On State-owned coastal land, planning permission, the State property authorisation and landscape constraints are checked case by case with the municipality, the Coast Guard harbour office and the designer.
How many screws does a deck or a kiosk need?
It depends on the structure, the loads and the local sand. The configurator gives a first estimate, which is an assumption: the number and the model are set in the design, under NTC 2018.

More answers on service life, soils and permits in the FAQ.

Preparing the project for an Italian beach?

Tell us where it is and what needs founding on the sand: we tell you which T-Block screws are needed, and how many.

Request a quote Use the configurator