District council largely reverses "nightlife ban"

Local restaurants, bars and clubs in downtown Budapest's main entertainment district have scored a victory over residents who had managed to persuade the district council to ban business between 10 pm and 6 am due to noise.

The businesses had been up in arms over the "silence" decree.

The ban first came into effect on September 1 and applied to Ferenc Liszt Square, Andrassy Boulevard, Hajos Street and Nagymezo Street in the sixth district, an area popular with tourists which houses several theatres, bars, clubs and restaurants.

Local lobby groups argued that the decree was unconstitutional, and seriously restricted the freedom of commerce which requires a level playing field. After an outcry, an amendment later extended the 10 pm deadline to 1 am.

Yet a new amendment in force from November 1 means that bars, clubs and eateries will be allowed to stay open until 6 am, Csaba Hatvani, the local deputy mayor, told MTI on Thursday. He added, however, that permits can be withdrawn if 60 percent of the residents file a complaint.

The lawyer for the main lobby group, the Broadway Association, told MTI that whereas the amended decree was an improvement on the original, it was still problematic in several ways. The fate of local entertainment businesses and whether they can operate after 10 pm still lies in the hands of residents and they can withdraw permission at their own discretion, said Andras Koltay. Further, the decree fails to solve the biggest problem of public order in the district, he said. The association therefore sees the amendment as a temporary solution only, he added.

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