They seal a shack made with trailer trailers on a rustic plot in Petra
Mallorca has experienced an exponential increase in under-housing throughout the island due to the difficulty of accessing housing
PalmaThe Petra City Council has sealed this week the construction of a dwelling made with two trailer cabins and located on rustic land. The infra-dwelling is located at the entrance of the municipality from the Felanitx road and consists of two internally connected heavy-duty truck trailers, a facade with a door and two windows, and a roof made of resin.
According to sources from the Local Police, the action was initiated after receiving a citizen complaint. After a first visual inspection, the agents confirmed that it was an illegal dwelling, without a building permit or a certificate of habitability, which legally prevents anyone from residing there.
Now, the City Council plans to transfer the file to the Consell de Mallorca so that the Territorial Defense Agency can determine the possible sanction and order the restoration of the altered physical reality, that is, the removal of the construction and the restitution of the land to its original state.
The case of Petra is not isolated. In recent years, Mallorca has experienced an increase in precarious constructions, permanent caravans, adapted containers, shacks, and improvised housing on rural land, especially in inland municipalities and peripheral areas. City councils and social entities warn that many of these cases are related to the severe housing access crisis that the island is experiencing, marked by rising rents, a lack of social housing, and real estate pressure derived from the tourist and residential market.
Several municipalities have detected irregular settlements and improvised housing on rustic plots where temporary workers, families with economic difficulties, or people expelled from the conventional housing market reside. In some cases, these constructions consist of stabilized caravans, prefabricated modules, wooden sheds, and shipping containers converted into homes without adequate basic services.
Possible infringements
This type of building may infringe various urban and territorial regulations. The main one is the Urban Planning Law of the Balearic Islands (LUIB), which prohibits carrying out works or implementing residential uses without a municipal license. They may also violate the rustic land regulations, which strongly limit residential uses and establish minimum requirements for plot size, landscape integration, sanitation, and water supply.
Depending on the specific location, these constructions may also incur infringements of the Territorial Plan of Mallorca and municipal subsidiary regulations, especially if they are located in protected areas, forest zones, and areas of environmental value. Furthermore, the lack of a certificate of habitability implies that the dwellings do not meet the minimum conditions of healthiness, ventilation, safety, and wastewater discharge required by regional regulations.
In the most serious cases, especially when the buildings are located on protected rustic land, infringements can even lead to criminal liability for urban planning offenses. Sanctions may include heavy financial penalties, demolition orders, and the prohibition of legalizing the constructions.