One of the most popular destinations for lads’ holidays is about to get a lot quieter.
Magaluf, a holiday resort on the Spanish island of Majorca, has something of a reputation for a raucous social scene that has made it popular with holidaymakers from the UK, over the years.
New laws surrounding the noise levels in bars and restaurants in the resort, however, means that its reputation could be about to change from now on.
According to The Telegraph, the town hall of Calvia, the region of Majorca where Magaluf is located, has brought in regulations that limit music noise in establishments to less than 60 decibels, regulations that came into effect from last month.
While that might not mean a lot to the average Joe soap, according to industrialnoisecontrol.com, 60 decibels is the equivalent of ‘conversation in a restaurant or an office’, ‘background music’, or ‘the sound of an air conditioning unit at 100 feet’.
Should the sound level reach 65 decibels, then it will trigger a sound limiter that automatically mutes the volume in response.
The introduction of sound restrictions is the latest step in an attempt to clean up Magaluf’s aforementioned raucous reputation and follows on from the introduction of rules in 2015 that sought to crack down on anti-social behaviour.
While a musician who plays in bars in the resort claimed of the laws that “they’re going to kill the place dead”, officials in Calvia claim that they are merely implementing a European directive to comply with regional and national law.
“This is not a decision that the town hall has made,” said Andreus Serra, deputy mayor of Calvia.
“The same regulations are in place in Palma (the capital of Majorca), but it isn’t creating the same controversy.
“There is a misconception that more noise means more business, but our priority is to ensure quality of life for our residents – and that means reducing pollution, be it noise pollution or any other form of pollution.”
Something worth bearing in mind before you and your mates book that trip away over the coming months.
