The Ibizan
It’s War!
- Ibiza’s old school clubs declare war on new generation of open-air venues.
Privilege and Es Paradis denounce two Ibiza mayors for not acting against music hotels and beach clubs.
A war between the traditional clubs of Ibiza and the new breed of hotels and beach clubs offering open air music has begun.
The owners of Privilege and Es Paradis, two of Ibiza’s oldest discos which have been operating since the 1970s, have denounced the mayors of San Jose and San Antonio, who they accuse of allowing the ever expanding open air venues of ‘flouting permitted noise levels’.
The mayor of San Jose, Josep Mari Ribas, and his San Antonio counterpart, Jose Tur, have been reported by the clubs for failing to prosecute a crime, specifically against the environment by not controlling the noise and music of several venues.
The complainants state that they have spent millions of euros in recent years to soundproof and cover their nightclubs following regulations, which forced party establishments to enclose their venues to avoid noise pollution.
“We spent about 6m€ on the soundproofing of Privilege” said Jose Maria Etxaniz, one of the clubs partners as reported in El Pais. Etxaniz went on to say that some of his counterparts “have been ruined” in attempting to comply with noise regulations.
Their complaint argues that these regulations are not being applied in the flourishing music hotel sector, who offers concerts and outdoor events with apparent impunity. They also complain of the beach club sector, which has proliferated in recent years, and they say have live music without the same regulations being applied. “What was prosecuted and persecuted a few years ago in our establishments has appeared again at other venues with no action taken by the authorities” affirm the complainants.
Privilege and Es Paradis employed a private detective to take decibel readings in several hotels and beach clubs. These regularly recorded sound at around 100dB where the maximum allowed is at most 65dB “the municipalities do nothing and the local police are far more concerned with the taxi’s arriving at the venues than they are noise regulations” said lawyer of the public prosecution Joan Cerda.
The detectives report was included in the complaint together with a similar commission by the political party Epic in 2013 which stated that noise pollution on one of the hotels identified reaches residential areas over 3km away.
Reacting to the complaints, San José’s mayor Ribas stated that their town hall have initiated more than 200 cases against those breaching noise regulations. “We cannot be accused of doing nothing against certain premises,” he said after appearing before the judge hearing the complaints.
San Antonio mayor Tur reported to the proceedings that the borough have filed 2 complaints through the criminal court against venues accused of breaching noise regulations.
El Pais reported that both mayors consider themselves victims in what they consider is a business battle between the clubs.
Brilliant!
