The recent furore over a loud rave party held in the middle of Buskett – a nature reserve - during peak bird migration season highlighted in a more general way the problem of noise in Malta.
There are numerous sources of noise but I’d like to remain on the subject of parties, concerts and the like. These happen year round in different localities and if they’re not disturbing an important nature reserve, they’re keeping residents awake somewhere else.
Why not think outside the box?
One thing we have a lot of is quarries. Many are disused, all are surrounded by high, solid walls. I have a strong feeling that such high walls would ensure that little if any noise escapes from anything being done below.
One could organise raves, parties, concerts in any season, at any time of day or night without disturbing anyone. It would be easy to perform some sound test at different quarries. Once a good one is found, it can be cleaned to become an ideal venue.
Similar projects have been done elsewhere. There’s the Quarry Amphitheatre in Australia, the Rock Crusher Pavilion in Florida and many other quarries turned into parks. I think it’s worth a try.