Engineer Carlos Orts is predicting an avalanche of complaints against Palma Town Hall following the recent court ruling in favour of residents of the Paseo Marítimo who had denounced excessive noise from two nightlife establishments.
He has been developing a network of sound-level meters and relates the case of a Briton who had just bought a 1.5 million euro apartment on the Paseo. He was installing one of these meters. The owner appeared on the balcony and told Orts he couldn't sleep because of the noise.
There are now meters in 22 locations in Palma, part of a project headed by Orts and Christoph Hafner. SensoGrama has over 20 engineers across Mallorca. By the end of the year they will have created the largest sound-level network in Spain.
In collaboration with residents associations, the pair have developed these locally manufactured devices to measure noise in the city's 'hot spots'. It is the residents who request and pay for the installation. The meters are high-tech and have been calibrated by a study at the ParcBit technology park in Palma.
Orts explains that when the police arrive in response to complaints of noise, the venues turn down the music. "Are the police certified sound engineers? The technicians who have the power to issue a report for excessive noise go whenever they want; at times when there is no issue. But as soon as you install one of these sensors you see the problem there is."
He is critical of the Special Noise Map that was approved in October. "This was based on road traffic and railway noise. It doesn't take nightlife into account."
The situation has worsened in recent years. "In just 48 hours our sensors on the Paseo Marítimo detected 420 occasions when 80 decibels were exceeded more than three times in half an hour. In Santa Catalina over two days, 386 peaks were detected."
4 comments
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Mallorca have a big issue with noise : not only the paseo. Sta Cat is well famous for noise. In Blanquerna drunk people are crying and singing in the street at 3PM. Alcool is the catalyser of non educated people. When police is coming they let the people go, despite they should go to the station as example. The citizen are selfish and not respecting the others, that is true reality. Moreover loud bikes and cars driving on Avenidas are not sanctioned. The government of Balearic is ignoring this issue, until it will become a fight in the street one night, with a serious issue.
Charles Dalrymple-ChumleyThey did replicate it and it was called Arenal and them Magaluf.
If you choose to live in an urban environment you must expect some noise nuisance but there should be mandatory control over the hours and the levels. Lisbon years ago took the initiative and moved all the late night bars and nightclubs out to their own area close to the docks. No residents to inconvenience and a party atmosphere. A great idea that Palma could do well to replicate.
So someone moves into an area famous for nightlife and noise and complains about the noise? If you want to live in a quiet area don't move to a noisy area. It's not complicated. These people will suck all the life out of Palma