'Noise nuisance' label changes nothing in 'restaurant city'

“It's easier for us to sound-proof our premises than to go through all this rigmarole,” say traders

'POINTLESS bureaucracy which has made no difference' is more or less what traders in Dénia's 'restaurant city' think of their street's having been declared an official 'noise nuisance area'.

A quaint, pedestrianised lane off the town hall square lined with eateries and cafés, the C/ Loreto has long been the Marina Alta capital's diningout hub – but 14 months ago, the council applied for it to be classified as what literally translates as an 'acousticallysaturated zone', or ZAS.

Within the terms of a ZAS, noise-reduction measures are required by law, but the local hostelry community said they have noticed 'no difference' and it has been 'business as usual' since September 2017.

Complaints from residents about the noise level were 'very few', and traders themselves have solved these amicably, says a spokesman.

“It's a lot easier for us to just replace a few windows to sound-proof the place than all this rigmarole,” he says.

Decibel counters were installed as part of the ZAS plan, and records from these are now being analysed, after which the council will meet with traders to discuss the next step.

Restaurateurs say they have 'not made any specific changes' to reduce noise, and that during Dénia's main fiestas, they have had the usual number of customers, with no complaints.

The only effect they have seen is through the ZAS forcing them to close an hour earlier, which has dented their takings – although the mass roadworks that turned the town centre into an island in a sea of bulldozers last year also saw their profits take a nosedive as it was even more difficult to park than usual.

Basically, the ZAS has 'brought nothing positive, if anything at all', in traders' view.

But Dénia council is likely to be left with egg on its face if it attempts to have the ZAS axed because it has failed