End of “covid terraces” in Arroios? Owners say they defend “neighborhood peace”, Lisbon neighborhood parish council disagrees
The Arroios Parish Council is determined to put an end to “covid terraces†, to the displeasure of restaurant and bar owners and the relief of some residents. There are 28 spaces there that are being forced to remove these terraces, created during the pandemic season to guarantee the operation of several establishments in compliance with social distancing rules.
Ricardo Maneira, owner of gastro pub ‘A Viagem das Horas’, points out that the local authority is not clear about the reasons for doing so: “Every day there is a new reason,†he accuses. “Every time we went to a meeting, the argument was the parking spaces†, but now “the issue of noise†is also highlighted.
In the case of this establishment, the outdoor space is on a platform that occupies a space. During the period of the covid-19 pandemic, the Lisbon Protege municipal program authorized the construction of 367 temporary terraces, which occupied 453 parking spaces, to mitigate the effects caused by Covid-19, which required a reduction in the capacity of these spaces. Arroios was one of the parishes that created the most terraces.
The parish has almost eight thousand parking spaces and has 11,840 residence badges allocated, according to data shared by the Parish Council. You parking spaces occupied by covid terraces correspond to less than 1% of the parking available in the parish.
Being “sensitive to the operators’ argument that the economic impact caused by the pandemic was still being felt, the Board authorized and extended the period for use of the 40 temporary and free terraces until the end of 2023†, explains the executive in a statement sent to Expresso and published on social media.
To find a solution, the owners and the executive met on December 27, 2023. Ricardo Maneira explains that they it was guaranteed that the Parish Council would evaluate the maintenance of the terrace on a case-by-case basis. The owners of this space were advised to request licensing for the space from the Lisbon Municipal Council (CML), which would issue an opinion and, depending on this decision, the Arroios Parish Council would evaluate the permanence of each terrace.
This Tuesday, before receiving news about this process, 28 establishments received a letter to remove their terraces within five working daysand has the possibility of “exercising the right to a prior hearing, within 15 working days, counting from the end of the period for voluntary removal†, reads the letter to which Expresso had access .
“I was very shocked by the announcement,†admits Miguel Leal, managing partner of the Maria Food Hub restaurant. “In several meetings we had with the Parish Council assembly, we were always told that it would be discussed, that it would be analyzed case by case†, but “in six months this never happened, they were never available and we received now this communication,” he says.
Like Ricardo Maneira, Miguel Leal’s establishment was also awaiting the licensing process for the terrace. In the minutes of the meeting in December, to which Expresso had access, it is said that the Chamber would “try to make an assessment of each situation, one by one†.
According to the same document, traders simply had to “go to the Parish Council’s services and fill out the application. Obviously, once a process had started, they had to wait until the end of the process to do anything”. , it still reads.
Although some parishes, such as Santo António or Misericórdia, have already finished with covid terraces, in the parish of Penha de França the executive decided to maintain them, in order to support local commerce. “On the other side of the road [que já pertence a Penha de França] they have a terrace, I can’t have one here, because my council president thinks that cars are more important than jobs,” says Ricardo Maneira, who was willing to pay around three thousand euros a year for the occupancy rates.
With a space of approximately 35 square meters, the owner admits that, if he is forced to dismantle the outdoor space, he will have to fire at least one employee. And he realizes that, even so, he may close his doors in the future. In this gastro puboutdoor seats represent more than half of the capacity.
Owners point out failure in dialogue and little effort to find solutions
Ricardo Maneira feels that, for the Board, “it is as if these businesses did nothing for the neighborhoodâ€. He considers that the Arroios executive’s decision is “lazy†and also says that local officials “live with their backs to the traders†, valuing only the Arroios Market and the 31 de Janeiro Market.
Miguel Leal regrets the lack of dialogue. “We bring benefits to this parish, we generate jobs, we pay our taxes, the existence of an hour for a dialogue was the minimum,†he states. For the businessman, spaces like the restaurant he manages are a meeting point for the neighborhood.
The two owners are also willing to respect a time restriction, if it means maintaining the outdoor space. “The Board was never willing to find a solutionyou never proposed anything to us, we are available to you. If we have to reduce hours, we will reduce. If I have to close at 10pm, I will. I don’t want to lose the terrace because half a dozen people want to park their cars in front of the house,’ says the owner of ‘A Viagem das Horas’.
However, for Filipe Dias, member of the ‘Vizinhos de Arroios’ association, this would not be a viable solution. The noise intensifies after 8pm and even when the spaces close, customers remain on the street. A situation, according to the resident, that occurs when some restaurants and bars voluntarily decided to close their terraces early. “Practice shows that this proposal to keep the terraces as they are and reduce opening hours is not an effective measure,†he concludes.
“As people become more drunk, a tremendous amount of noise is generatedâ€
“In 2023, we received several contacts [sic] and messages from residents with complaints related to the noise caused by the new terraces, often after their closing time, with the crowd of people remaining there until the early hours of the morning, says, in a statement, the board led by Madalena Nativity. An argument that both Ricardo Maneira and Miguel Leal claim to be hearing for the first time.
After the creation of the âLinha do RuÃdoâ of the CML, in 2022, more than two thousand incidents related to establishments have already been received. Arroios registered almost 350 complaints.
Rooms with windows facing the street and poor soundproofing due to the old construction of the buildings are two aspects that intensify the noise, highlighted by Filipe Dias. “As people become more drunk, the tone of their voice increases and a tremendous noise is generated†and how “Arroios has very narrow streets and very tall buildings, the sound echoes down the streetâ€.
âHThere are other ways to regulate noise other than closing covid terraces when other terraces will remain open†says Miguel Leal. However, residents indicate that covid terraces are the noisiest. Filipe Dias explains that these outdoor spaces have a greater number of seats, which generates more noise. The absence of obstacles, as they are far from walls and more in the center of the street, further intensifies the propagation of sound.
âThe owners are the first to defend the tranquility of the neighborhood, because we want to keep our terraces. I will not allow someone to be sitting on the terrace making noise and disturbing residents who have to get up early the next day to go to work,” says Ricardo Maneira. Miguel Leal also argues that they were never alerted either by the parish council, the police or residents about the noise.
As complaints and requests to moderate the volume have little or no results, in the experience of the ‘Neighbors of Arroios’. Filipe Dias explains that there are several residents who have tried to speak to the owners who, although they apologize, are unable to moderate the noise. He even realizes that “people have already left there threatened and attacked, both by bar owners and by customers and friends of the owner†.
Filipe Dias also highlights that, when the creation of terraces was suggested to help businesses, residents supported and understood the situation. However, “what happened next was something that no one was predicting, especially the Board.” “In 2021, a very significant number of establishments opened in very small spaces”, whose business plan it is “entirely dependent on measures that were presented to the population and businesspeople as being temporary†.
“I will fight until the end for my workplace, for the jobs of my employees and for the other terraces,†assures Ricardo Maneira, who will be present at the parish assembly meeting this Thursday. Filipe Dias will also be present and hopes that the Board does not back down on its decision to remove the terraces.
