So far this year, the Sant Josep Local Police have carried out 22 temporary seals on music equipment, checking 42 premises in the municipality so far.
In relation to the seals, all deficiencies have already been corrected except for three cases in which work is still being carried out to rectify the faults.
As Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera has learned, among the premises where the equipment has been sealed is the well-known DC-10.
The deputy mayor for Economic Action, Governance and Civil Protection, Pilar Ribas, explained yesterday that throughout the tourist season, the most frequent problems in the municipality include those related to noise excesses. For this reason, the Sant Josep Local Police carry out inspections in premises that are the subject of complaints from neighbours. «Of the inspections, 20 installations were correct. I would also like to emphasise this because the administration is grateful for the willingness of many business owners to act well and do things correctly,» said the councillor.
In relation to the temporary seals, Ribas considered that «it means that in the end it is just another control measure». In fact, this measure is maintained while the premises do not take the necessary steps to ensure respect for the restrictions and noise pollution. The City Council carries out sound level controls and, if it is confirmed that the venue is back in line with the law, it is allowed to resume its musical activity, regardless of the sanctioning procedure.
Over the course of the year, the Town Council has received 143 warnings and complaints about excessive noise from establishments in the municipality. A total of 323 calls have also been registered for noise in homes, with complaints ranging from barking dogs to uncontrolled alarms. A total of 43 properties in Sant Josep have been sanctioned for these acoustic breaches.
«With a view to the summer, what we are doing is trying to control, as far as possible, the coexistence between neighbours, tourism and the different activities,» Ribas recalled.
He also stressed the willingness of the Local Police to ensure the tranquility of residents, «with all the time involved since the complaints come from areas of dispersed population, and sometimes with little data, which complicates finding the source of the nuisance. Despite this, few warnings remain unanswered, especially in urban areas».
In relation to the activities, Sant Josep detailed that the time slot in which most noise complaints are registered is between 22.00 hours and 01.00 hours, mainly on weekends. Platja d'en Bossa, Cala de Bou and other well-known beaches in the municipality are also the ones that accumulate more problems of this type.
Predisposition
The councillor highlighted the «good predisposition» of the business owners whose equipment has been temporarily sealed. «They are usually quite quick in solving the deficiencies and I imagine that it is also because it is convenient for them. We haven't had anyone with a temporary seal for too long,» Ribas pointed out.
Sant Josep recalled that the most common infractions are usually manipulations of acoustic limiters, the implementation of double installations to circumvent limiting devices or the placement of devices other than those authorised in the sonometric studies of the facilities.
The City Council stressed that non-compliance can be punished with fines of between 600 euros, for minor offences, to 300,000 euros, in the most serious cases.
The Local Police have carried out actions all over the municipality, both in leisure areas with the highest concentration of music venues and in places such as the Ses Salines Natural Park, where they have corrected breaches detected in establishments on Migjorn beach or Cala Jondal.
In fact, the Town Hall reported on Tuesday that last weekend the outside equipment of a venue near Sant Josep and all the musical equipment of three spaces in another well-known establishment near the centre of Sant Jordi were sealed.
In the inspection of the first venue, acoustic limiters other than those specified in the sound study of the premises were found, in addition to other deficiencies. In the other case, unsealed limiters were detected, as well as wiring placed outside the limiter.
When it was later found that the irregularities had not been remedied, the equipment was sealed as a precautionary measure.
The police also carried out three sound level measurements, as two officers were accredited to carry out these measurements.