The mayor of Santa Margalida ignores the residents of Son Bauló

It is not the first time we have conveyed the discontent of the residents of Son Bauló to the mayor regarding the l’Espígol apartments, which have been causing us so many headaches for many years. Until now, neither the former mayors nor you yourself have deigned to take any steps to remedy this mess of apartments, a new Son Banya in Can Picafort.

At this point, the mayor has not lifted a finger to try to remedy this Son Banya (l’Espígol apartments) located in Son Bauló for many years, even though he is reminded of it in every council meeting he attends.

There are many reasons for our complaint, which we have conveyed and will convey again, until the City Council takes steps to improve this whole problematic situation:

1. These apartments, in a state of abandonment, are out of compliance; therefore, they are illegal, without a certificate of occupancy, but currently squatters live there and people who have bought some and have been scammed (and they are still for sale!).

2. A degraded residential area where there should be no hotels, apartments, or buildings, but rather green areas. Well, nothing of the sort, it has not been respected in any way. And, by the way, what has the Association of Owners and Residents of Son Bauló done all these years?

3. Installation of solar panels (a mess of wiring and iron) on the roofs of the building, which gives a bad image: it all looks like a landfill.

4. The two abandoned swimming pools are a source of public health problems (responsibility of the City Council and notified by the Conselleria de Salut) due to the accumulation of water and a breeding ground for mosquitoes all year round.

Infectious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, including malaria, dengue, Zika fever, yellow fever, and chikungunya, are a major threat to human health, causing over 700,000 deaths annually worldwide.

5. Residents have suffered burglaries in their homes, power outages (illegal connections to the grid), noise, and parties in the afternoons by the squatters of the apartments during all these years.

6. Not long ago, there was a fire in one of the apartments due to internal disputes among the squatters. There was good media coverage in the newspapers, TVE, and other outlets. Despite all this, we have not seen any action from the City Council.

7. The neighbors are very worried and indignant, as these events create a bad atmosphere and cause their homes to lose value day after day. Enough is enough.

For all these reasons, they ask the property owners (real estate agencies, bank agencies, companies) to take responsibility and carry out adequate maintenance of the building, and they also demand that the City Council act responsibly in defense of the neighbors, as they are responsible and have competencies in Environmental Health, among others.

Neighbors of the apartments spoke with the mayor a few months ago to see if they could find a solution, but, despite this, and after informing the City Council in the last plenary sessions, it has not taken any visible step to solve it, nor has it even made a forecast of the tasks to be carried out in these apartments, which are many.

We believe that many things can be done:

1. First of all, cover the two swimming pools to prevent water accumulation and a source of mosquitoes, and thus not endanger the health of the neighbors. The squatters themselves pour water into the pools, in addition to the rain.

2. Clean the entire area, in addition to the mess of wiring, clothes hung up badly, and dirt everywhere.

3. Constant police surveillance in the area, as there is allegedly drug use and trafficking.

4. Find solutions for the people occupying these apartments, such as by providing them with other housing.

5. All actions must be communicated to the owners-responsible parties so that they bear the costs.

It seems that lately some owners have shown signs of life and intend to remedy this situation.