Neighbors protest before Cort against the macro-urbanization of the neighborhoods

PalmDozens of people gathered this morning outside Palma City Hall to express their rejection of the Land Acquisition Law approved by the Parliament. Under the slogan "Whoever loves Mallorca, does not destroy it," dozens of residents of Palma neighborhoods, such as Son Sardina, have demanded that the Court not implement the possibility of building on rural land without exhausting the developable land.

According to Toni Marimón, the representative of the organization "Estimam Son Sardina," in statements to the media, this measure will be "the most environmentally destructive ever approved in the history of Mallorca." In his opinion, it is "very negative" for climate change and entails the "destruction" of many towns, such as Son Sardina, Establiments, and Sant Jordi.

The rally was held to coincide with the municipal plenary session, which was attended by residents. The Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Palma spoke at the plenary session to request the withdrawal of several points being voted on for the rezoning of land. Specifically, they demanded that urbanization in transitional areas not be allowed if urban and developable land has not been exhausted. "Have they assessed the effects or only the benefits for businesses?" asked a representative of the Federation.

In this regard, he warned of the "risk" that this measure could generate a real estate bubble. Residents had previously advocated for "influencing" the 15,000 illegal tourist rental apartments, something that, they lamented, "cannot be achieved with two inspectors."

The Son Rapinya Residents' Association also spoke along these lines, requesting the revocation of the transfer of two plots of land in the neighborhood and a "transparent and participatory" process. Son Rapinya, they lamented, is a neighborhood surrounded by forest that is "constantly threatened" by "the desire for urbanization."

Dozens of people filled the municipal plenary session, which was also attended by representatives of the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages (PAH) of Mallorca, also protesting against the Land Acquisition Law. According to their criticism, the City Council "is willing to give away" public land "for the benefit" of private companies, builders, developers, and real estate agencies, "once again leaving aside the majority of Palma's population."

Stop Evictions Mallorca

On the other hand, several members of the Stop Evictions Mallorca platform also gathered today in Plaza de Cort to demand that the City Council expropriate the substandard housing on Avenida Joan Miró and provide alternative housing for the people living there.

The organization is attending the municipal plenary session to support a Podemos motion related to the Joan Miró storage rooms, according to statements to the media by the substitute spokesperson for Stop Evictions, Joan Segura, with which they "more or less agree." The organization has demanded "decent" housing alternatives for the families living in these substandard housing, but, first and foremost, that the City Council reconnect the water supply and increase the power of the electricity. They also demanded a halt to all evictions and the expropriation of substandard housing, and recalled that in 2007, the City Council, also under a Popular Party government, expropriated homes in a "similar" situation. "Are they capable of doing this, or will they send the message to the owners that they can besiege, defraud, coerce, and cut off supplies and nothing will happen?" Segura asked.