The Councillor for General Services in Vélez-Málaga, Francisco Natera, has ordered the closure of a disco in the Plazamar residential area of Torre del Mar due to noise problems and the establishment could end up losing its licence and being fined between €12,000 and €300,000.
The disco in question was fined €2,400 in March 2012 due to excessive noise, violation of opening hours and unruly behaviour occurring outside the premises. The sound equipment was ‘sealed’.
The establishment decided to open again during the recent Constitution Day ‘puente’, using some of the sealed equipment as well as replacing some, and this led to a flood of complaints from local residents who have been campaigning for years to have the club closed down.
Vélez-Málaga has the dubious honour of being the first city Council to be ordered by the courts to pay compensation to residents affected by excessive noise over a thirteen year period. The Council was ordered to pay €2.8 million to the 18 residents and lost all appeals against the sentence.
However, the figure has risen to around €4 million due to the Council’s lack of promptness in paying out the compensation. Keen to avoid further legal problems, the Council has taken to acting more swiftly when it comes to complaints relating to noise pollution.