Controversy over the cathedral stairs: the PSOE warns of the risk of collapse and City Hall denies it

PalmaNew controversy between the PSOE and the Palma City Council with the Cathedral of Mallorca as a backdrop. The socialists warned this Wednesday of the risk of collapse of the Cathedral's stairs and denounced that eight months have passed since cracks were detected there without any action being taken. This same Wednesday, the Palma City Council has begun to carry out surveys to determine the state of the structure and decide what actions are necessary. The council assures that recent technical reports rule out the danger of collapse.

In the press conference following the municipal government's agreements, the deputy spokesperson for Cort, Llorenç Bauzà, defended this Wednesday that the city council is working to ensure the safety of people passing through the area and that it is keeping track of the condition of the stairs. As he explained, certain spaces have been cordoned off with barriers to prevent pedestrians from getting hurt, and checks are being carried out to analyze the evolution of the detected pathologies.

Bauzà has insisted that the most recent technical report does not indicate any risk of structural collapse and has requested that no alarm be raised regarding a possible collapse. Likewise, he recalled that it is an old infrastructure protected by heritage status, which conditions the interventions that can be carried out there.

Eight months since the detection of the cracks

The municipal government's response comes after the PSOE denounced the lack of action since cracks were detected on the stairs in February of this year. According to the socialists, the technical report, which was released last week, eight months after the appearance of the first deficiencies, confirms serious pathologies that affect both the functionality and the stability of the structure. The document also points to an imminent risk of collapse in the space located under the viewpoint on the right.

The socialist councilor at Cort, Pepe Martínez, has criticized the City Council for taking months to clarify the scope of the problems. As he stated, until the end of August, it had not even been checked whether the detected cracks had widened. Martínez believes that this delay has put at risk the people who pass through this point in Palma daily.

In light of the criticism regarding the time elapsed without the test pits having been started, Bauzà has rejected the claim that the municipal government has been inactive. The deputy spokesperson has defended that, from February until October 21st, this Wednesday, the government team has worked to prevent accidents and determine what improvements the infrastructure needs. He also reproached the opposition groups for questioning the action timelines and argued that the heritage protection of the stairs makes any intervention more complex than ordinary street work.

The PSOE demands explanations from the Council

The controversy has also moved to the Council of Mallorca. The socialist councillor Joan Ferrer has announced that the group has registered an information request to clarify whether the island's Department of Culture and Heritage is aware of the structural situation of the stairs and whether it has carried out inspections to verify the extent of the damage.

The socialists also want to know if any project or request for heritage authorization has been submitted to partially demolish and reconstruct the affected sections. Furthermore, they ask the Council if it considers that the City Council is fulfilling its obligations for conservation and maintenance and if it plans to adopt measures to ensure an adequate rehabilitation.

The PSOE demands, in short, that the two administrations coordinate their actions and establish a calendar to resolve the problems of an especially busy space. According to the group, the Cathedral received 1.2 million visitors during 2025, a figure that, in its opinion, reinforces the need to ensure the safety of the stairs and preserve this heritage site.