Date Published: 23/12/2019
ARCHIVED - Fines of up to 500,000 euros for unauthorized New Year parties in Murcia
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
Limits on outdoor bars in Cartagena on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve
The regional government of Murcia has drawn up legislation which will mean that any establishment holding unauthorized parties over the festive season could be liable to a fine of up to half a million euros, filling a legal void related to this issue which has existed for the last two years.
It will take a month for the new law to pass through the necessary procedures in the regional parliament but when it does so petty offences will be punishable with fines of between 300 and 1,000 euros and serious misdemeanours with sanctions of between 30,000 and 500,000 euros. These serious offences will relate to failing to apply for authorization from the relevant administrative body, exceeding the maximum number of attendees permitted and failing to comply with safety and noise level regulations.
On a related topic, the issue of celebrations in the street in the centre of Cartagena continues to cause tension between bars and restaurants and residents of the pedestrian streets where events are frequently held. On the one hand, hostelries are keen to be allowed to set up open-air bars with music in the streets in an effort to boost trade, but of course residents resent the nuisance of celebrations which often make it hard for them to sleep.
With the Town Hall acting as an intermediary, though, it appears that the two points of view are closer to being reconciled, with both sides recognizing the validity of the opinions expressed by the other. In consequence, it has already been agreed that on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve this year seven establishments will be permitted to set up outdoor bars, but without music, from 8.00 in the morning to 8.00 in the evening, while another 5 are awaiting the outcomes of their applications to do the same.
Most of the licences have been granted to establishments in and around the Plaza de San Francisco, with others in Calle Real and Calle Carmen, and each will be allowed to choose either 24th or 31st December with the express requirement that they abide by the timetable established and the ban on music. The issue of music and noise contamination is one which earlier this year affected the celebrations of the Cruces de Mayo in Cartagena, with concerts being moved from the Plaza de San Francisco to the patio of the CIM building on the seafront.
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