Crack down on terraces

This season, Palma City Council is going to step up its inspections and controls of bar and restaurant terraces and fines are going to be increased.On one hand, the easing of the rules and regulations to enable more bars and restaurants to open terraces in the city centre has been welcomed, but on the other, certain sections of society have complained about the invasion of pavements and boulevards and the noise.
So, Palma City Council has decided that this season, it is going to step up its inspections and enforce the law governing terraces.
The Councillor for  Public Works, Irene San Gil, has explained that any bar or restaurant found to be infringing  the  law will first be given an official  warning but, should the establishment fail to respond, then it will be hit with a fine of between 150 and 3,000 euros.
One of the areas which the inspectors will be paying special attention to is the actual area the terraces cover.
Gil said that one thing is how many square metres an establishment reserves with the council, but on many occasions, it is a different matter when it comes to the actual area used as a terrace.