IBIZA’S SAN ANTONIO COUNCIL CONSIDERING BANNING NEW OPEN-AIR VENUES
The motion was reportedly discussed by local councilors last week ...
Ibiza’s San Antonio council is reportedly considering passing a law that would ban any new beach clubs or open-air hotel venues from being built in the area.
The motion is said to have received strong support at a meeting between local councilors last week, as it was passed unanimously – one member abstained, PP’s José Sala.
According to Diario De Ibiza, the new law still needs to be ratified by Ibiza’s central governing body, but if it were to be, it would place a ban for any new open-air venues in San Antonio, defined by the council as “new residential facilities with secondary musical activity and new open-air establishments with musical activity, known as beach clubs.”
The council state that the reason for the proposed ban is the town’s residential population, who “have had their daily lives disrupted, with no rest night or day.”
Speaking about the ban, Juanjo Ferrer, San Antonio's councillor for town planning and activities said, “Noise is one of the biggest issues for the island's residents. Music playing at any time of day around every corner, both in urban areas and natural ones.
“There are beaches that have become chill-out areas with DJs, restaurants whose menus offer techno sets, hotels that have been converted into open-air clubs, etc. In recent years, various laws and regulations have been giving more and more freedom to these tourist establishments, permitting these secondary activities.”
If the ban were to go ahead, San Antonio would be the second of Ibiza’s municipalities to ban open-air venues, with Santa Eulalia passing a similar law in 2013.
In July, local government officials in Ibiza warned that it will be unable to handle increases in tourism in the future, due to pressures being place on the island's infrastructure.
That was before the government of the Balearic Islands announced that tourists will have to pay a ‘Sustainable Tourist Tax’ upon arrival at their accommodation from Friday 1st July.
Rob McCallum is DJ Mag’s deputy digital editor. Follow him on Twitter here.
