Rui Cristina announced at the end of May that the Algarve council would impose closing times for bars, nightclubs and convenience stores, as well as monitor noise in nightlife venues, and stated today that it is already possible to see the difference in one of the areas with bars and nightlife venues, such as Rua da Oura.

Businesses express concerns

This view is not shared by the Albufeira Commercial Association (ACALB), which expressed its disagreement to Lusa with the technical solutions adopted to control noise, warning that the measures have caused "immediate financial losses" for bars and other businesses.

Elected by Chega in the last municipal elections, putting an end to decades of PSD power in the municipality, Rui Cristina said that the certification and placement of sound level meters next to the entertainment venues located on Rua da Oura was completed, and he guaranteed that the difference can already be seen.

"Finally, it's possible to talk on the street, families can walk along Rua da Oura, and those inside the bars can have fun," said the mayor, stressing that now "people can sleep at night" and "it's already clear, in black and white, that the noise has dropped drastically."

Phased placement

Rui Cristina recalled that the sound level meters are being placed in phases and the installation will now be done in the lower part of the city, after the results achieved on Rua da Oura show that it is possible to have "the best of both worlds: business owners being able to keep their establishments open and functioning, and people being able to rest."

The mayor of Albufeira acknowledged that there had been "contestation" from business owners, but challenged the most sceptical to visit Rua da Oura at night, "to really understand the big difference that is already felt in terms of noise."

The noise meters are placed inside and on the facade of the establishments, are certified by companies that guarantee the accuracy of the data collected, and Rui Cristina said he was "certain that the nightlife business owners, in a few weeks, at the end of the summer, will be grateful."

"And they will realise that they continued to make money, continued to have their profit, and stopped having the hundreds of complaints they had," argued the mayor, emphasising that he found dozens of similar cases in the municipality relating to recent years, without any consequences having been drawn.

Criticism of noise level metres

When questioned by Lusa, ACALB criticised the installation of sound level metres on the facades of establishments because they “capture ambient noise” and make an incorrect measurement of the noise produced on site, appealing for dialogue and defending the adoption of “transparent and feasible technical solutions, compatible with the tourist reality of the municipality”.

“These [sound level metres] only serve to perform acoustic measurements on the facade in a sensitive receiver, and not as a measure to measure ambient noise. If that were the case, the country would be at a standstill,” they argued.

Therefore, ACALB considered that the technical measure adopted is “out of touch” with reality, and that it is “impossible” to implement such a solution within a five-kilometre radius of Rua da Oura and the lower part of town.

“Overall, there remains strong concern and instability for the local economic fabric, not just in food and beverage establishments. The application of time restrictions and the requirement for new equipment right at the start of the summer season caused immediate and significant financial losses,” warned ACALB.