"Finally we will destroy the pool. I hope they are happy". With this forceful phrase directed at the separatists, Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada summarizes the outcome of one of Mallorca's longest and most publicized urban planning conflicts. According to her account, the pool, built on public maritime-terrestrial domain, was "perfectly legal" because it had been built before the coastal law and had all the permits; the reality is that the case led to a political and judicial battle that has dragged on for more than two decades.

Mallorca has 55,256 homes built on rural land, 15,817 of which could be contrary to current urban planning regulations, according to data from the project Houses That Don't Exist, presented this Monday to the Official College of Architects of the Balearic Islands. The research, led by urban planner Miquel Rosselló Xamena, puts figures to a phenomenon often invisible in public debate: the proliferation of homes on rural land.

4,500 homes intended for residents only in Palma and a similar figure in the rest of the Balearic Islands. These are the forecasts of the Palma City Council and the Government to address the housing emergency suffered by citizens. These measures derive mainly from the legislation promoted by Prohens, based on the promotion of strategic residential projects. This is a figure that the sector considers reasonable, but with a key clarification: the majority of these homes will not be built for another five years.

The media play a primary social role and, moreover, hold high democratic value because they contribute to the formation of public opinion. Based on this premise, out of a sense of responsibility and moved by feelings of esteem, respect, and service to the land and citizens of Mallorca, a group of contributors from the three print dailies published on the island (ARA Balears, ‘Diario de Mallorca’ and ‘Última Hora’) have come together to publish this article. The aim is to call upon all political parties, the bodies with the power to modify the current state of affairs – particularly, self-governing institutions and town councils –, as well as, in general, all economic and social powers, capable of conditioning and influencing decision-making, for a radical, progressive, and measured, yet firm, change in the current economic model.

The Balearic Islands Construction Association warned on Thursday that the already rising prices of construction materials will skyrocket in the coming weeks due to the conflict in Iran. At a press conference, the association's president, Climent Olives, and managing director, Sandra Verger, cautioned that this situation could impact the public housing developments (VPO) planned under the Balearic Government's stimulus plan through the Balearic Housing Institute (Ibavi). "The longer this conflict drags on, the higher prices will rise, and it will be difficult for them to fall afterward," Verger stated, also highlighting the fragility of costs in an unstable geopolitical context. Olives added that, before the outbreak of the conflict, the sector was experiencing a boom that has completely changed in a matter of days.

The environmental organization Terraferida denounced on Tuesday the rural urbanization process taking place in Mallorca, where 15 square kilometers have been urbanized between 2015 and 2025, an area equivalent to the entire Cabrera archipelago. Terraferida launched a manifesto on Tuesday calling for the protection of areas outside of villas and photovoltaic power plants, as the first step in a campaign that will take them to municipalities to inform residents with data and images about the rural urbanization process affecting the island.

The artificialization of the Balearic Islands' territory has increased by 65% in less than 30 years (1990-2018). This is one of the most striking conclusions drawn from the analysis of data from the European system that tracks land use changes, the Corine Land Cover project, carried out by geographer Marta Pieras. According to the specialist, the figures paint a picture of "runaway land consumption that reflects a very worrying model." Between 1990 and 2018, the area occupied by urban zones, infrastructure, and areas linked to tourism has grown steadily, while crops and the landscape are disappearing at an alarming rate, according to the same analysis.

The plenary session of the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council of Mallorca) approved on Thursday, with votes in favor from all political groups and the abstention of MÉS, a 20.5% reduction in the fee for the treatment of construction and demolition waste (CDW) for 2026, double the amount targeted by the governing team. The approved CDW fee will be €33.57, compared to €42.23 per ton in 2025. "The Island Waste Management Department has made a great effort so that we can approve this significant reduction today, which we know will benefit many citizens and demonstrates our effective management," said Pedro Bestard, Councilor for Environment, Rural Affairs, and Sports. During his speech, Bestard explained that the government team's commitment to reducing the rubble treatment fee by 10% has been doubled because it is known that this will positively impact citizens' finances. There has been a significant increase in the amount of construction and demolition waste entering the system, resulting in a record 744,000 tons being managed last year, well above the 622 tons of the previous year, he explained. This type of construction and demolition waste comes from construction, demolition, and renovation projects, and allows for a high percentage of recycling and material recovery, thus avoiding the use of new materials for construction. The bulky waste fee is reduced by 7%.

The council also approved the other two rates stipulated in the contract with MAC Insular, the company that manages the public waste collection service, which will take effect next year. Specifically, the rate for bulky waste (RV) will be reduced by 7% in 2026, from €178.15 per ton to €165.58. Meanwhile, the rate for end-of-life tires (PNFU) will be €107.74 per ton, compared to €118.03 in 2025, representing an 8.72% decrease.

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The development of the Transition Areas planned for Manacor could expand the municipality, which already has more than 24,000 inhabitants, beyond the 50,000 it already has. This could significantly impact small towns, such as Son Macià, which would triple its current population. This bombshell has been defused (for now) by Manacor City Council, but it worries environmental groups and the Balearic Government is keeping on the table.

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Solar farms on rural land with no restrictions other than protected areas, shopping centers, or other businesses that may be established with a simple declaration of responsibility, without waiting for a license. These are some of the new features included in the Decree Law to accelerate projects approved in early September by the Marga Prohens government and now in force.

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MÁS por Palma has called on the mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, to specify the city neighborhoods that will be affected by the Catalan government's Land Acquisition Law, which they consider a "urban development coup" and a "gift" to large real estate developers. "Palma cannot be allowed to be a Monopoly game where speculation reigns and families have to survive." The city is for "living," not for "making developers rich," they stated.

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This is the last week in which They will collect signatures against the new land law 4/2025, the regulations of the PP and Vox that will allow the construction of floors on the rustic land of PalmaThis citizen mobilization aims to demand that Palma City Council halt this project, which would lead to the massive urbanization of Ciutat.

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The urban planning deregulation brought about by the Administrative Simplification Law—approved by Parliament last December with the votes of the People's Party (PP) and Vox—will allow the construction of up to 1,500 villas in areas considered at risk of fire in Mallorca. These constructions could not be carried out until now, because a decree-law of the Pact expressly prohibited the placement of houses in forests. But the Simplification Decree-Law of May 2024 and the December law have opened the door to building villas even in areas at risk of fire.

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Just a few meters from the coast of Manacor, between Punta Reina and Estany d'en Mas, a development project that has been dormant for almost 50 years is now regaining administrative and media attention. This week, the Manacor City Council made the final step by allowing the construction of 77 single-family homes on 800-square-meter plots, on land that was already considered suitable for development since the 2004 amendment to the Territorial Plan of Mallorca (PTM). This number of homes must be added to the 200 that will be ready by the second third of 2026.

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MÁS por Palma denounced this Monday that the new urban planning law approved by the PP and Vox will lead to the "urban collapse" of the city and destroy more than 144 hectares of rural land, in addition to causing a population increase of 36,701 people in neighborhoods without basic services. The spokesperson for the eco-sovereignty party, Neus Truyol, warned that the regulations are "at the service of speculation and against the well-being of the people of Palma," reported the Efe news agency.

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An apartment building on rural land, without waiting for a municipal permit. That sequence, which seemed impossible, is now impossible thanks to the Land Acquisition Law approved by the PP and Vox this week. The figure of administrative silence, which is used in various procedures such as appeals filed by citizens, will make it possible for an entire development to begin construction after six months without the corresponding City Council having issued a statement.

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