Saint Lucia will soon have a regulatory procedure in place to deal with the volume levels of music emanating from night clubs, bars, dance halls and other entertainment centres on the island.
The issue of noise pollution was re-energized, last year, by a concerned group of residents from within the Rodney Bay area and its surroundings. After expressing their displeasure with the blaring of loud music at the night clubs in the area, the authorities initiated a dialogue with the Attorney General’s office for broader clarification on this issue.
Subsequently, the AG’s Chambers were tasked with drafting a legislation to deal with the noise pollution problem.
According to Member of Parliament (MP) for Gros Islet Kenson Casimir, the issue does not pertain solely to persons from the northern entertainment hub in Rodney Bay but will impact venues across the island.
“We have a document in circulation, and one of the things we’ve done is that we’ve gotten from the police the barometers that we are going to use to fit into the noise pollution
recommendations,” Casimir told reporters, at a media briefing, on Monday.
He explained that the regulatory standards will apply to venues “across the board, whether you have a community that is residential or whether its entertainment and residential”.
Added Casimir: “We have the different decibel levels that the police went and did their evaluations and they have made their recommendations that was submitted to the Attorney General’s chambers.
“And this is the only thing that we as a cabinet need to ponder on, and make a firm decision on how we deal with noise pollution.”
The Gros Islet MP stated there was a level of consulation among stakeholders, since a document was circulated.
“The only thing that has not been circulated is what the police suggested, in terms of what is objectively considered to be noise,” he said. “And even then, you will never be able to please everybody. You will have some of the Dee Jays and the owners saying that it’s too low, and the residents saying that its too high. But …we’ve tried our best to get a middle ground and most importantly, thereafter we will have to ensure that there is litigation and there is execution on behalf of the police to ensure there is implementation of those noise levels.”
Casimir adds, “That’s what we are hoping for and we are hoping that this happens very soon.”