The rezoning of rural land for housing in Palma is in the hands of Vox.

PalmVox is currently the PP's concern regarding the potential rezoning of rural land for housing development in Palma. A series of factors have sparked tension for weeks, primarily due to the clear and opposing stance of the far-right party's spokesperson in Palma, Fulgencio Coll, who firmly stated that rural land cannot be developed unless all developable and urban land has been consumed. Vox Palma issued a specific press release in which it stated that it was considering "voting against any construction project on rural land unless all consolidated urban land has been exhausted."

This position is defended by the left, but the Land Acquisition Law, which came into force this Thursday, allows for the automatic rezoning of portions of rural land (Transition Areas) and the construction of apartments, provided that they are publicly protected or have limited prices.

Sources from the regional government confirm that the position of the Vox municipal spokesperson was a "surprise," since "it was precisely Vox who requested, before initiating the parliamentary process of the Land Acquisition Law, that the rural land be used to build apartments," they assert.

In any case, other sources from the regional government warn that the whole thing was a staging by both sides, since "Vox does not have much technical knowledge of urban planning." "What happened was that some owners approached Vox to request that rural land also be included in the regulations," these sources confirm. It should be remembered that the Decree Law in force until Thursday did not provide for this concept of urbanizing Transition Areas.

Socialist proposal

A proposal from the PSOE municipal group has forced the PP and Vox to discuss the issue at the municipal level. In next Thursday's plenary session, both parties will have to express their opinion on whether they truly want to implement the articles of the Law approved by the Parliament that affect rural land in Palma.

Under the premise that "rural land is not to be touched," the Socialists point out in their proposal that "the reclassification of rural land in Palma's Transition Areas was not included in any electoral program, no entity or neighborhood association has requested it, and the Association is against it."

Before each municipal plenary session, initiatives go through thematic committees, and the Urban Planning Committee will study the PSIB proposal this Friday, and the PP and Vox will have to take a position. According to ARA Baleares, the PP has made some attempts to coordinate with Vox, although the outcome of the Popular Party's rapprochement with the far right is unknown.

The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, is a strong advocate of building apartments at all costs due to the city's housing shortage, and he has little problem promoting the development of rural land. On the contrary, Fulgencio Coll's reservations could jeopardize the applicability of the Land Acquisition Law and actions such as rural development.

This Friday will be the first opportunity to clarify Vox's final position, and therefore what will happen on the day the law must be approved in Palma. Each city council must reach an agreement on the application of the regulations, which came into force this Thursday. According to Fulgencio Coll, Vox would not, under any circumstances, accept the consumption of rural land before other options. But nothing is so clear. According to PP sources, "it is not entirely clear what could happen," as Coll has been removed from the party's new executive committee in the Islands, promoted by the new top official, the Speaker of the Parliament, Gabriel Lessene.

Coll's position was due to "calls from residents and voters in different rural areas of Palma, who did not understand how apartment buildings could be built on rural land." "Coll was shocked, even though it was his party that had requested it," explain municipal sources.

The Socialists consider the regulation an aberration and contrary to any planning, since it violates the content of the General Urban Development Plan. "Urban development is a science that studies how to organize spaces, services, and infrastructure to achieve a harmonious system that allows for the well-being of society and the productivity of the economy. Altering the territory through decrees without studying the repercussions or citizen participation is an attack on the foundations of democratic values," they argue.