San Antonio’s West End businesses have called in Alfonso Rojo, President of ‘Pimeef’, the powerful local business group to mediate with the council and try and find a way to negotiate longer opening hours other than the new 3am closing time law proposed just before Christmas.
Speaking after meeting local councillors Rojo said that business owners are “skeptical” with this new regulations and doubt that it will be fulfilled by certain bars who already “jump over the bullfighter”.
The same business owners are deeply concerned that the new regulations “will ruin the West End” but Rojo also said that local entrepreneurs “do not defend the ‘anything goes’ attitude in the West End and are aware that the rules are breached”.
Rojo stated that “the businesses who carry out bad practices give the area a very bad image,” and believes that an agreement must be reached with all the owners of the West End’s premises to comply with laws. “It is better to achieve consensus, the new regulations will hardly be effective if it only comes from the council”.
There is a group of West End businesses that already comply with the law and they want the council to accelerate the sanctions that are applied to premises that commit infractions, such as having pushy PR’s on their staff or leaving doors open creating unacceptable and illegal noise levels.
Rojo also believes that it will be “very difficult” to enforce terraces to finish at 11pm because that is when it begins to get busy in the West End. “This schedule will make it unfeasible to have terraces”.
Similarly, the business owners don’t agree with a 3am closure because if their premises comply with all the regulations, with proper soundproofing and keep the doors closed, “they can continue to be open without disturbing local residents”.
San Antonio councillor Aída Alcaraz didn’t clarify if the council will make any concessions. “We are now in the process where businesses can present and display counter arguments that we will study with the thoroughness that they deserve”.
Alcaraz insisted that the council “has to enforce the law” and not favour the interests of any group of businesses over residents “who may suffer health damage from illegal and unacceptable noise levels above those that are legally allowed”.
Source: Periodico de Ibiza/Foto: M Sastre
"MAN IN SAN AN" by Martin Makepeace 