The City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has initiated the process to reduce the hours of the terraces on Sargento Llagas street to 10:00 PM, following a court ruling and an acoustic study that confirms noise problems.
The City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has launched the process to limit the hours of the terraces on Sargento Llagas street. The measure, which is not yet final, proposes that the outdoor seating areas close at 10:00 PM, well below the general hours of the city, which allow until midnight from Sunday to Thursday and until 1:00 AM on weekends.
A long-standing conflict
The municipal decision does not come out of nowhere. Behind it is a 2023 court ruling that condemned the City Council for not addressing the complaints of local residents. The residents reported the constant noise from the terraces, especially at night, and demanded a solution. The ruling forced the Council to pay compensation of 115.4 euros to each of the 13 affected individuals.
To comply with the judge's order, the City Council commissioned an acoustic study from the Municipal Society of Urban Management (Geursa). This report, completed at the end of June, measured the noise in the section of Sargento Llagas between Bernardo de La Torre and Tomás Miller. The conclusion was clear: it was necessary to reduce the hours and strengthen police control to prevent overcrowding and promote a more civic use of public space.
Precedents in other areas of the city
This is not the first time the City Council has imposed hour restrictions on terraces. Similar measures have been implemented in recent years on Joaquín Costa, Los Martínez de Escobar, Fernando Guanarteme streets, and the plaza of Los Betancores, in the Puerto-Guanarteme district, between 2024 and 2025. Also on Lagunetas street, in Triana, since 2012.
In all those areas, the reduction was two hours from Sunday to Thursday and three hours on Saturdays and holidays, with an additional half hour to clear and collect the furniture. In practice, the terraces had to be cleared by 10:30 PM. The limitation did not affect the interior of the establishments.
However, some business owners have challenged these restrictions in court, arguing that the measure disadvantages them compared to businesses in neighbouring areas and that the rulings did not mandate a time limitation, only to take action.
What happens now in Sargento Llagas
The proposed restriction is not yet in effect. The next step is to give the affected business owners an opportunity to be heard, of which there are three, two of them with an authorised terrace. After that, the decision must be published in the Official Bulletin of the Province. Finally, a file will be opened to declare the area as saturated with terraces.
For the residents of Sargento Llagas, this measure represents a relief after years of struggle. For the hospitality sector, however, it is a new setback that will force them to adjust their business model. The coexistence of rest and leisure remains a delicate balance in the city.
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