A daycare center with nearly 200 years of history is reportedly being pressured by the Lisbon City Council after a neighbor complained about the noise from children playing in an outdoor area at the facility located in Bairro Alto.
Complaints began in 2023, as detailed by reports, when the Fundação Dom Pedro IV, which operates the daycare Casa de Infância dos Calafates, installed an awning to block the noise. Specialists were sent by the city council to conduct acoustic measurements at the site.
The institution’s director, Paula Gama, expressed her surprise at the situation. “I’ve worked with children for many years and, honestly, I never thought something like this would happen,” she stated.
“We were informed that someone found the kids too noisy,” remarked the director, noting that this led to the initial noise test. As a solution, an awning was installed but did not quell the complaints. “We ordered a custom-made awning costing nearly 15,000 euros, an extremely high amount for a Social Solidarity Private Institution. We deal with many disadvantaged individuals, providing a social service,” said Dulce Canto Moniz, general director of the foundation.
With complaints persisting, a new measurement was conducted and the city council indicated that the noise law is still being violated.
Dulce Canto Moniz relayed that the council has suggested “resolving the matter” by installing double-pane windows for the complaining resident, a solution that is not being considered due to the number of residents in the area. “Can you imagine if we were now asked to pay for new windows for everyone?”
She also highlighted the nature of the area where the daycare is located, a hub of nightlife activities. “The council doesn’t send teams to the bars because they say they lack the staff for noise measurements, yet they manage to do so for children’s playtime noise?”
Questions were directed to the Lisbon City Council regarding the issue, but no response was received by the time the article was published. Attempts to contact the council are ongoing.
