The Ibiza Nights Association (Aeon) has described the outcome of the tourist season for nightlife businesses in the municipality of Sant Antoni de Portmany as 'very worrying', calling for the repeal of the Special Noise Protection Zone (ZPAE). Juan Pantaleoni, the secretary of the Ibiza Nights Association, states that ‘the West End is competing on unfair and brutal terms compared to other leisure areas in the municipality and on the island’. This is evident. Every year has been worse than the last since the hours were limited, and there has been a significant negative change this summer. This time restriction is destroying the area».
He goes on to explain: 'This is an area that has suffered from unfair opening hours restrictions for several years, forcing us to close at three in the morning while everyone else on the island closes at six.' He believes that this restriction is justified on the grounds of noise pollution, but asserts that the premises do not generate noise pollution themselves and that the ambient noise is due to the influx of people. He also claims that if this measure were applied to other areas of the island, they would also have to be ZPAEs, but that they have been unlucky.
In this vein, Aeon claims that ‘the absence of a noise map, together with irregularities in acoustic measurements, invalidates the declaration of the Special Acoustic Protection Zone’. The association's secretary argues that business owners in the area "are subject to regulations that cannot be complied with. And the proof is that, during the COVID pandemic in 2020, with all establishments closed, the acoustic limitations set by the ZPAE were exceeded. This is a sentence for us that will be impossible to lift, as it is very difficult for an area like the West to return to normal operation."
Pantaleoni pointed out that ‘the leisure activities that used to occupy four or five blocks have now been reduced to one street, Santa Agnès, and we have seen many small businesses forced to close their doors.’ According to the association's secretary, this has been the worst year since the time restrictions were imposed. ‘I don't know if this is a trend or a temporary situation, but it is very worrying.’ In this regard, he reiterates that nightlife ‘has suffered greatly this summer and we are in a very precarious situation that I doubt will be sustainable for many more years.’
José Colomar Ribas, the vice-president of the association and owner of the iconic Colón bar, also insists on calling on Sant Antoni Town Council to repeal the ZPAE. "On my street, only two of the 12 establishments that used to be there remain open. There is clearly less noise and disturbance than before, but the restrictions remain the same. That is why we are calling for the ZPAE to be repealed, or at least for the time limits to be modified, so that we can work.'
He points out that the government team is making an effort to revitalise the area with artistic interventions and by providing aid to establishments that want to move away from nightlife. However, he adds that Aeon is also calling for other changes, such as repealing the Special Acoustic Protection Zone or modifying the limits imposed by this regulation, as he believes them to be unrealistic.
Mr Ribas adds that «the ZPAE limits cultural activities related to music in the neighbourhood, as concerts and street performances are not allowed, even outside the tourist season or during local festivals. In fact, the amendment to the ordinance approved last year to promote acoustic music performances in restaurants throughout the municipality expressly excludes the ZPAE zone".
On the other hand, the vice-president of Aeon emphasises that ‘Okuda's work has been positive, especially for Santa Agnès Street’. As for the neighbouring streets, Colomar believes that "we have been left out of this artistic wave. Of course, we welcome the intervention and the renaming of the neighbourhood, but we believe it needs to be accompanied by other measures such as eliminating the ZPAE, improving lighting and increasing the cleanliness of the adjacent streets, because we exist too. If the urban art intervention were to be extended, it would make sense to support and revitalise the whole neighbourhood."
Finally, the Noches de Ibiza Association is asking the Sant Antoni Town Council to convene a meeting with those affected to find ways to revitalise the area and ensure the viability of businesses, after a season they describe as ‘critical and the worst in many years’.