The Council of Mallorca announces 323 new public homes devour the Palma Arena

PalmThe Consell de Mallorca will cede land in Palma free of charge to the Institut Balear de l'Habitatge (Ibavi) for the construction of 323 public protection homes, which will be the largest development of its kind ever made on the island.

This was announced this Monday by the president of the Consell, Llorenç Galmés, during the general policy debate, where he detailed that the land – measuring 45,341 square meters and located in the area of the Velódromo Illes Balears (Palma Arena) – will allow for the construction of nearly 22,831 square meters. He did not explain the public housing regime for the homes: whether they will be for rent, at a regulated price, or if some other mechanism will be used, nor the percentage.

“It will be the largest public housing development ever built in our land and it will be thanks to this government team,” stated Galmés, who stressed that the plots are valued at 4.6 million euros and are being ceded at no cost.

Social housing and new facilities

In exchange for the transfer, the Ibavi will transfer 35 homes to the Consell which will be used for social purposes, in addition to a 400-square-meter space that will become a cultural rehearsal center for artists.

It will also transfer a 3,000-square-meter plot of land where the future Children's House of the Institut Mallorquí d'Afers Socials (IMAS) will be built.

As Galmés explained, the agreement will be formalized in the coming weeks through an agreement and has been made possible thanks to the collaboration between the Govern and the Consell.

The insular president also argued that this transfer could have been made in the previous legislature if there had been "political will".

Boost to the second belt

During the same debate, Galmés also announced the start of works on the first section of Palma's second ring road before the end of the legislature, scheduled for mid-2027.

This first section will cost 78 million euros and will consist of widening one lane per direction on the airport highway, taking advantage of the median to avoid consuming more territory.

The project includes the creation of two new accesses. One will be at Coll d’en Rabassa, where the bridge over homes is planned to be removed, and the other will connect to Playa de Palma via a new bridge that will replace the current Coca-Cola bridge, which is in poor condition.

In addition, a stop will be provided for the future train line to Llucmajor.

The second phase of the second ring road will be built underground with a one-kilometer tunnel at the height of Son Ferriol, which will allow the different sections of the ring road to be connected.

Apartments that will not arrive for five years

On the other hand, the Palma City Council and the Government plan to build 4,500 homes for residents in Palma and a similar number in the rest of the Balearic Islands to address the housing emergency. This plan is based on legislation promoted by the Executive of Marga Prohens, focused on the development of strategic residential projects. The sector considers the figure reasonable, but warns that most of these homes will not be built before five years. The complexity of urban planning procedures, despite administrative simplification, and the lack of water in Palma are slowing down deadlines and moving away the political objective of seeing cranes before the elections.