"Either we will move out of the Old Town or they will reduce the noise," said the Old Town resident. Jero Dragićević at a meeting presided over by the President of the Municipality Marko Carevic.
He described the situation in which the residents of the oldest part of Budva are faced with a big problem, both the noise from the bar and the all-night violation of public order and peace.
The multi-hour meeting was attended by the heads of the Municipal Police and Inspection, representatives of the local communities "Stari grad" and "Gospoština", Budva Catering Association, Private Accommodation Association, as well as caterers and hoteliers themselves...
Proposals to solve the noise, at the time when the season began in earnest, were many, from the strict observance of the Law on Tourism and Hospitality, according to which the volume of sound must not exceed 65 decibels, to the formation of a joint group of representatives present and determine on the spot what is the "tolerable" noise level. However, it was agreed that until next Monday, when everyone will gather again, the basses will be "turned off" in the catering establishments, and see if this will have an effect on reducing the noise.
Tsarević said that everyone must contribute to ensure that the tourist season runs smoothly.
"Noise has been a problem for decades and now we have come to a situation where we have a conflict of concepts. We have Old Town residents, we have hoteliers, and we have catering establishments. Anyone who works is a problem. We reached an agreement at the last meeting, we have to try to find a solution. As a municipality, if we need to arbitrate, this is not the time. The law on tourism and hospitality must be respected, that's why a compromise needs to be made", said Tsarević and added that the Municipal Police and the Inspectorate will monitor the situation on the ground to see if progress has been made.
Tsarević said that a compromise must be found, because the law is clear and that "if there is no agreement, all legal provisions will be strictly applied".
Chief of the Communal Police Darko Celebic he said that they will be forced to apply repressive measures if the law is violated, because citizens must be protected, as well as those who have their own hotel and other facilities.
He emphasized that 95 percent of catering establishments, not only in Budva but in Montenegro, violate the law and produce noise greater than 65 decibels.
"We will try to put everything into practice. Last Sunday, after our meeting, we had a breakthrough, but there were still violations, eight complaints were filed against restaurants where the sound volume exceeded the legal limits", Čelebić emphasized and added that he is not "Superman and that with four people can sort out the situation”.
He said that it must be determined whether Budva wants elite or mass tourism.
Member of the Council of the Ministry of Health "Stari grad" Luka Vuckovic he pointed out that there are still those restaurateurs who ignore the agreement and that there is still a noise problem.
"The problem of noise has been present since the reconstruction of the Old Town. There have been three decades of constant applications. There are small changes in some catering facilities, but I believe that some establishments that do not respect this, have no empathy for the inhabitants of the Old Town. If we want to come to an agreement, we are here, but if we constantly have problems with certain localities, then the legal provisions should be applied", stressed Vučković.
He said that there is a sound system, like those bars in Ibiza, which does not "scatter" the sound around.
"Restaurants can invest money, it is expensive, because on the other hand we have hoteliers who have invested millions in their facilities and now their guests are leaving because of the noise. You have old and sick people in the Old Town who cannot survive the noise. That is why an agreement can be reached. Where there are people, there are agreements.
Rade Radjenovic, a restaurateur from the Old Town, emphasized that he had to close the restaurant because the guests were running away.
"Guests cannot be on the terrace because of the noise from the surrounding bars," said Radjenović.
President of the Council of the Ministry of Health "Gospoština" Ljubo Radjenovic he said that last night he walked along the promenade and on the stretch from the "Budva" hotel to the Old Town, he identified ten locations where the noise level exceeded the limits. However, as he says, the situation is better compared to last week, but they still have reports from tourists "that they can't sleep because of the noise".
Old town resident Jero Dragićević states that they have been suffering from noise torture for 30 years.
"I can't rent apartments. It's not just a noise problem, because you also have people who stay even after the bar closes and there's chaos, they get drunk. Is the Old Town destined for a discotheque? If it's destined, let's tear it down and make a disco. "According to the current planning document, the Old Town should have eight catering outlets, and now you have more than 60. There is no agreement, because we are none, it should only be according to the law and let it apply to everyone," said Dragićević.
Old town Rako Zivkovic he said that you can't live when you have live music a few meters from your window.
The legal representative of the company "Dukley Hotel" reiterated that the concentration of bars near the Park Hotel makes noise and hampers their business, and reiterated that last year they filed 200 complaints against four discotheques.
"Now, in May, our guests could not sleep because of the noise from the bar," she said.
Marko Markovic, a resident of the Old Town, says that it is necessary to clearly instruct the utility inspector how to work.
"If the first time there is a warning for exceeding the noise level, the second time it should be a fine of two thousand, and the third time four thousand euros", he said and added that every bar must have built-in sound limiters, so only then should we say whether it is possible to work within 65 decibels.
Old town Slobodan Bobo Mitrović he said that this kind of offer made Budva a fairground.
"The old town has had 40 taverns for the past ten years, and 50 this year. We cannot expect the Municipal Inspection to solve the problem of ten wild taverns," said Mitrović and stated that everything that the Municipality did irresponsibly in the previous period by issuing permits, now needs to be resolved. Municipal inspection. He said that the Secretariat for the Economy and the Secretariat for Urban Planning are the ones that issue licenses for bars.
Tsarević immediately announced that he would review how these two secretariats issued permits to catering establishments.
Stating that it is clear that Budva does not have a tourism development strategy, the president of the Budva Hospitality Association Aleksandar Jovanovic he said that he needs to be operational because the season has started in earnest, so it is necessary to reach an agreement and determine what is tolerable.
Who would come to us - if there is no music, there is no party
Representatives of the "Ambient" discotheque on Slovenska beach said that they were marked as a source of noise, even though they had no complaints this year. It was they who proposed to create a group of representatives of restaurateurs, locals, and hoteliers, which will determine on the spot what noise level is optimal, so that bars can operate without disturbing others.
"It is unrealistic that bars operate at 65 decibels. I invite people not to lie to themselves and to go out on the field and go in front of the bars to see what the noise level is, because now the noise level on the promenade is higher than the noise level in our bars. Here I am now talking and making a noise of 74 decibels. Let's find a realistic level so that catering establishments can work, and if someone exceeds it, fines will be implemented. Believe me, we had a game at Lugovi, the fans made more noise than our bar. So, I'm talking about reaching an agreement. We create a bad image of Budva, who will come if there is no music, if there is no party... I responsibly claim that you cannot work at 65 decibels", they pointed out.
Noise endangers health, causes heart attack, depression
A resident of Starograd, neuropsychiatrist Dr. Dubravka Mitrović warned about the harmful effects of noise on human health, and gave the example of neighbors whose young daughters cannot sleep because of the noise.
She stated that the World Health Organization also indicated that noise over 55 decibels endangers the heart and blood vessels, affects pulse and blood pressure changes, and causes a heart attack.
"Noise causes disruption of the endocrine system, increases the level of sugar and cholesterol in the blood, and lowers the body's resistance. Children, the sick and the elderly are especially sensitive to noise. The chronic feeling of helplessness that develops when you cannot cope with the noise to which you are continuously and violently exposed can also lead to depressive reactions. For a healthy life, for the regeneration and refreshment of all biological functions, above all nerve cells, six to eight hours of sleep are necessary," Mitrović said.
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