A Spanish holiday resort popular among British tourists has confirmed it is cracking down on noise pollution. Alicante’s city council is warning of heavy fines and closure of premises for anyone caught breaking the new rules. Penalties could be as high as €300,000 (£262,195) with the lower fines set at €600 (£524).
The city is planning to revise legislation put into place in March 2019.
As part of these new measures, all aspects of daily living and business activities will be regulated, including talking inside, scraping furniture, and how loud music can be played on beaches.
Bars and restaurants will have to put special rubber pads on table and chair legs so their noise can be muffled when they are put out in the morning and brought back in at night.
The regulations, which have been written with contributions from residents, will require an acoustic study for activities that could cause discomfort and regulates the reduction of hours in public establishments and leisure venues.
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Furthermore, the text also includes measures against noisy activities inside buildings caused by noisy air conditioning, loading and unloading on public roads, and building works.
The Ordinance against Noise is currently going through the approval stage and will be endorsed on March 30th.
A spokesman for Alicante city council said: “The new ordinance has a qualitative and quantitative character as it includes not only the traditional noise and vibration controls but also new definitions of zones, noise plans and maps, insulation, control measures and alarm systems, information and transparency.
“To this end, a publicly accessible web platform will be made available to citizens with all the information available in a single space. The standard, which is adapted to the broader and more current concept of “noise pollution”, also contemplates a control, inspection and disciplinary procedure adjusted, in any case, to what is established by state and regional legislation.”
The decision to change the legislation comes after meetings with residents groups who have complained the city is too noisy.
The new regulation allows the city council to temporarily reduce the closing hours of public shows, recreational and socio-cultural activities, and public establishments.
The new rules will also aim to crack down on excess noise from air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment, alongside other activities such as roadworks, and rubbish collection. There will also be noise limits on domestic, companion, and farm animals.
While Alicante’s laws are new for the city, they aren’t the first tourist destination to bring in limits.
Majorca, another popular destination for holidaying Britons, plans to limit the number of cruise ships which can dock on the island; its capital, Palma, will only allow three ships to dock in its port each day.
The plans were announced at a conference in Paris where tourism leaders agreed to a “quality over quantity approach” to the island’s tourism.
Additional reporting by Rita Sobot.
