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“Living like this is unbearable”: the problem suffered by Spaniards that could be replicated in Buenos Aires - La Nación Propiedades
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www.lanacion.com.ar
August 12, 2024
The nightmare experienced by residents of cities that receive mass tourism: they demand their right to rest, to enjoy the bars and the streets
By Eva Saiz
The consequences of mass tourism increase the discontent of the residents Shutterstock
Walking through the centre of Seville has become an obstacle course . In addition to dodging visitors dragging their suitcases, pedestrians have to dodge the tables in bars , being careful not to get into the bike lanes or step into the street and be run over, a task that is made even more difficult by the layout of the narrow, cobbled streets of the historic centre. This situation has become more complicated since the pandemic , when bars and restaurants were allowed to expand the space occupied by their tables on the street , a dispensation that has been extended, increasing the discontent of neighbours who are fed up with the consequences of mass tourism .
The City Council wants to approve the amendment to the 2013 ordinance regulating tables in bars after the summer . It intends to find a solution that guarantees a balance between the interests of residents and commercial establishments, but the former have been angered. Residents are preparing their objections to ensure their right to rest and coexistence and they criticise the municipality for having primarily attended to the interests of the owners of the hotel establishments . They are also not entirely satisfied with the future regulations and will also submit amendments .
“You only have to take a walk through the centre . It may be fine for a beer, but it has become an aggressive and unbearable environment to live in ,” says Francisco Martínez, president of the Ancha la Feria association. The “barification” has added to the touristification and, for many of the residents of Seville, this situation is unsustainable . “I dream of retiring, renting my flat and leaving Seville,” says Martínez, giving the example of the transformation of the well-known market on Calle Feria: “ It is no longer a market, it is a tavern for supplies, where the gentlemen tavern owners have been collecting stalls to get premises with the possibility of placing tables outside at very low prices in the very centre of Seville.”
In Seville, people have to avoid tables in bars Shutterstock
There, the proliferation of this type of bar , which coexists with the meat, fruit and fish stalls in front of the palace of the Marquises of Algaba - one of the greatest exponents of civil Mudejar architecture in the city - makes it difficult for pedestrians to get around and disturbs the rest of those who live in the area : "As there are tables, the streets are not swept after the loading and unloading at six in the morning, so the water from the thawing of the fishmongers is not cleaned and when the bars close at night, at the time they want to close, young people come to drink and at five in the morning the workers come to sweep, but only the market stalls, not those of the tavern owners. You can't rest! " Martínez sums up a normal day.
The new ordinance included a request from neighbourhood associations to force the owners of establishments to clean the pavements where their tables are, but it also established a closing time until one in the morning, extendable to two at Christmas, Easter, the Fair, Fridays, holidays and the eve of holidays. “ The new schedule seems outrageous to us ,” warns María José del Rey, president of the Barrio de Santa Cruz association, who was present at the negotiating table to draft the new regulations. “For those who live above a bar it is a problem, because, even if they close at that time, they then have an extra hour to clean up and many times this is not complied with because customers are allowed to stay there,” she explains.
Del Rey, who stresses that she speaks exclusively on behalf of her association, acknowledges that some of the residents' demands have been met , such as limiting or prohibiting tables in front of buildings listed as Assets of Cultural Interest, prohibiting music or performances, increasing the number of inspectors and their activity hours, the creation of an application to find out the number of tables authorised per establishment, requiring a space of 1.8 metres to be maintained for pedestrians to walk through, or tougher sanctions for serious and grave offences: fines of €3,000 to €29,999 and €6,000 to €120,000, respectively.
"But it is not about giving us five articles of the ordinance that benefit the neighbours and another five for the bars and restaurants, it is about using common sense and allowing both of us to combine our interests, but that cannot be at the cost of authorising barbarities," he points out.
Among these “atrocities” , which are shared by the dozen neighborhood associations in the center and other areas that are going to present allegations jointly or individually , is the fact that the platforms on the street or tables on the sidewalk opposite where the gastronomic premises are located are maintained, an exception that was made with the pandemic, which has been extended in these years and which, they consider, the new ordinance perpetuates. “In other cities it was reversed, we do not understand why not here, especially in the center, with very little space for cars and when these platforms occupy parking spaces,” says María José.
During the pandemic, bars and restaurants were allowed to expand the space occupied by their tables on the street Shutterstock
The municipality clarifies that the extension of spaces was not maintained . “The platform and the street crossing exist in many cities and what everyone cancelled, including the Seville City Council, is the extension of the surface area,” indicates a municipal spokesperson. “ This ordinance , made after months of dialogue , comes to provide solutions to something that was not working and that serves bars and residents ,” he adds.
The owners of the premises are rather more pleased with the ordinance than the residents. “Our assessment is not bad, because it was adapted to the new regulations of the Junta on matters of hours,” says its president, Alfonso Maceda. However, there are measures against which they are going to allege that, precisely, they have to do with the requests made by the residents' associations, such as the 1.8 metre pedestrian path : “We want it to be 1.5 because in the historic centre it is difficult to guarantee it.” They are also against the toughening of sanctions. “They impose fines on us for urban planning violations, when we are occupying public space, not carrying out work,” alleges Maceda.
Bars in front of the Hospital Nuestra Señora de la Paz in Plaza del Salvador, Seville, Spain Shutterstock
“We can’t walk down the street, accessibility is very complicated and the influx of tourists means that loading and unloading is more difficult because they need to have more merchandise and that affects us a lot,” says Del Rey, who draws attention to the “unbearable” noise of the collection of glass containers. But beyond the allegations, the main concern of the consulted associations is that the regulations are complied with . “Since Monteseirín (mayor of Seville between 1999 and 2011) they were never enforced, everyone made the ordinances to benefit the hoteliers , the centre is a theme park,” complains Martínez. “80 articles are not necessary, if the main ones were complied with, it would be enough, but discipline is needed and the ordinance is observed ,” he concludes.
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“Vivir así es insufrible”: el problema que padecen los españoles que podría replicarse en Buenos Aires
La pesadilla que viven los vecinos de ciudades que reciben turismo masivo: reclaman su derecho al descanso, a disfrutar de los bares y de sus calles
www.lanacion.com.ar
August 12, 2024
The nightmare experienced by residents of cities that receive mass tourism: they demand their right to rest, to enjoy the bars and the streets
By Eva Saiz
The consequences of mass tourism increase the discontent of the residents Shutterstock
Walking through the centre of Seville has become an obstacle course . In addition to dodging visitors dragging their suitcases, pedestrians have to dodge the tables in bars , being careful not to get into the bike lanes or step into the street and be run over, a task that is made even more difficult by the layout of the narrow, cobbled streets of the historic centre. This situation has become more complicated since the pandemic , when bars and restaurants were allowed to expand the space occupied by their tables on the street , a dispensation that has been extended, increasing the discontent of neighbours who are fed up with the consequences of mass tourism .
The City Council wants to approve the amendment to the 2013 ordinance regulating tables in bars after the summer . It intends to find a solution that guarantees a balance between the interests of residents and commercial establishments, but the former have been angered. Residents are preparing their objections to ensure their right to rest and coexistence and they criticise the municipality for having primarily attended to the interests of the owners of the hotel establishments . They are also not entirely satisfied with the future regulations and will also submit amendments .
“You only have to take a walk through the centre . It may be fine for a beer, but it has become an aggressive and unbearable environment to live in ,” says Francisco Martínez, president of the Ancha la Feria association. The “barification” has added to the touristification and, for many of the residents of Seville, this situation is unsustainable . “I dream of retiring, renting my flat and leaving Seville,” says Martínez, giving the example of the transformation of the well-known market on Calle Feria: “ It is no longer a market, it is a tavern for supplies, where the gentlemen tavern owners have been collecting stalls to get premises with the possibility of placing tables outside at very low prices in the very centre of Seville.”
In Seville, people have to avoid tables in bars Shutterstock
There, the proliferation of this type of bar , which coexists with the meat, fruit and fish stalls in front of the palace of the Marquises of Algaba - one of the greatest exponents of civil Mudejar architecture in the city - makes it difficult for pedestrians to get around and disturbs the rest of those who live in the area : "As there are tables, the streets are not swept after the loading and unloading at six in the morning, so the water from the thawing of the fishmongers is not cleaned and when the bars close at night, at the time they want to close, young people come to drink and at five in the morning the workers come to sweep, but only the market stalls, not those of the tavern owners. You can't rest! " Martínez sums up a normal day.
The new ordinance included a request from neighbourhood associations to force the owners of establishments to clean the pavements where their tables are, but it also established a closing time until one in the morning, extendable to two at Christmas, Easter, the Fair, Fridays, holidays and the eve of holidays. “ The new schedule seems outrageous to us ,” warns María José del Rey, president of the Barrio de Santa Cruz association, who was present at the negotiating table to draft the new regulations. “For those who live above a bar it is a problem, because, even if they close at that time, they then have an extra hour to clean up and many times this is not complied with because customers are allowed to stay there,” she explains.
Del Rey, who stresses that she speaks exclusively on behalf of her association, acknowledges that some of the residents' demands have been met , such as limiting or prohibiting tables in front of buildings listed as Assets of Cultural Interest, prohibiting music or performances, increasing the number of inspectors and their activity hours, the creation of an application to find out the number of tables authorised per establishment, requiring a space of 1.8 metres to be maintained for pedestrians to walk through, or tougher sanctions for serious and grave offences: fines of €3,000 to €29,999 and €6,000 to €120,000, respectively.
"But it is not about giving us five articles of the ordinance that benefit the neighbours and another five for the bars and restaurants, it is about using common sense and allowing both of us to combine our interests, but that cannot be at the cost of authorising barbarities," he points out.
Among these “atrocities” , which are shared by the dozen neighborhood associations in the center and other areas that are going to present allegations jointly or individually , is the fact that the platforms on the street or tables on the sidewalk opposite where the gastronomic premises are located are maintained, an exception that was made with the pandemic, which has been extended in these years and which, they consider, the new ordinance perpetuates. “In other cities it was reversed, we do not understand why not here, especially in the center, with very little space for cars and when these platforms occupy parking spaces,” says María José.
During the pandemic, bars and restaurants were allowed to expand the space occupied by their tables on the street Shutterstock
The municipality clarifies that the extension of spaces was not maintained . “The platform and the street crossing exist in many cities and what everyone cancelled, including the Seville City Council, is the extension of the surface area,” indicates a municipal spokesperson. “ This ordinance , made after months of dialogue , comes to provide solutions to something that was not working and that serves bars and residents ,” he adds.
“Tanks on the street”
Another of the measures that causes perplexity is the exemption for the so-called emblematic bars (almost a dozen unique or long-standing establishments in Seville) so that their clients can drink in the street , a measure prohibited by the so-called “anti-bottle law”, a regional law from 2006. The closure of some of these establishments for failing to comply with this measure, ordered by the previous municipal government team, led the current mayor, the popular José Luis Sanz, to include as an electoral promise the authorization of what he called “the tanks in the street” , that is, that in these places the drink could be taken outside . “Drinking in the street is prohibited by a regional law, it violates noise regulations,” says María José. “In addition, there is no control, it is not like the rest of the bars on the street, where the tables can be counted,” she points out.The owners of the premises are rather more pleased with the ordinance than the residents. “Our assessment is not bad, because it was adapted to the new regulations of the Junta on matters of hours,” says its president, Alfonso Maceda. However, there are measures against which they are going to allege that, precisely, they have to do with the requests made by the residents' associations, such as the 1.8 metre pedestrian path : “We want it to be 1.5 because in the historic centre it is difficult to guarantee it.” They are also against the toughening of sanctions. “They impose fines on us for urban planning violations, when we are occupying public space, not carrying out work,” alleges Maceda.
Bars in front of the Hospital Nuestra Señora de la Paz in Plaza del Salvador, Seville, Spain Shutterstock
“We can’t walk down the street, accessibility is very complicated and the influx of tourists means that loading and unloading is more difficult because they need to have more merchandise and that affects us a lot,” says Del Rey, who draws attention to the “unbearable” noise of the collection of glass containers. But beyond the allegations, the main concern of the consulted associations is that the regulations are complied with . “Since Monteseirín (mayor of Seville between 1999 and 2011) they were never enforced, everyone made the ordinances to benefit the hoteliers , the centre is a theme park,” complains Martínez. “80 articles are not necessary, if the main ones were complied with, it would be enough, but discipline is needed and the ordinance is observed ,” he concludes.
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