AYIA NAPA bar owners closed shop on Sunday night in retaliation at what they claim is an unfair police clampdown on noise pollution and yesterday called for a law to set the volume levels.
The bar owners said they objected to police charging them for playing their music excessively loud, which led to hefty court fines imposed year after year.
Bar owners’ representative Koullis Hadjiyiannis said police charged businesses after midnight every night, even though they played their music within normal levels, adding that the majority of bars had purchased half a million pounds’ worth of equipment to measure volume levels so as no to cause noise pollution in the town centre, where the majority of bars and clubs are located.
But he said this move had not been welcomed by nightclub owners who were also displeased with the acting Famagusta district officer’s decision to extend bar closing times from 1am to 2am.
“All that we ask is that a law is laid down that determines how loud we can play music, and all they keep telling us is that the music mustn’t be heard outside our premises,” Hadjiyiannis said.
The bar owner went on to say the area towards Ayia Napa square naturally had a lot of noise pollution because of the music culture the area had developed, as well the bars’ close proximity to one another. He added that there were no residences in Ayia Mavri Street or the road leading towards the town square, so no one was disturbed.
“Police have no written complaint from any resident or citizen that says they are bothered by the music, especially in the Ayia Mavri area. We are asking that they understand our problem, to accept that it is a zone that has had a certain culture for several years, a music culture, and all that we ask is for understanding,” he said.
“We are fed up of going in and out of court. Every winter for six months that’s all we do… We want to discuss the matter so that they understand us,” he added.
Commenting on the bar owners’ reaction on Sunday, Justice Minister Sophoclis Sophocleous said it had been “inexcusable”.
The minister added that he was open to sit down to discuss a law defining music levels, but that until it was, the existing legislation would stand.
“[Their reaction was] totally inexcusable. We have understood what they want and of course we want to have a dialogue with the owners, of course we wish to co-operate. But everything has its limits and soon they’ll start claiming that the police are acting illegally and have no role to undertake, that we have to support tourism in every way, illegal way, supposedly to help out the tourism industry,” he said.
Sophocleous said noise pollution was a “curse” experienced all over the island, not just Ayia Napa, and that until now violations had been tolerated, affecting citizens’ and tourists’ peace of mind in affected areas, but no more.
He added: “It’s become a culture but just as they got used it, they have to get unused to it.”
Although sympathetic to the plight of the bar owners, whose livelihoods were based on working four months of the year, Ayia Napa mayor Antonis Tsokkos urged them to co-operate with authorities.
“It is in their best interest to work with the police… Under no circumstances do I believe any solution can be found without co-operation between the police and bar owners,” he said.
The issue is expected to be re-examined by Parliament.
Meanwhile, Limassol police confiscated speakers from a Limassol nightclub on Sunday night in a clampdown on noise pollution. The club had been playing music in the open air without a licence.
Limassol police chief Tassos Economides said policing in the tourist area and other areas would be stepped up in an effort to uphold the law.
