About 800 people marched today, Sa Berena day in Manacor, to the oratory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to demand the definitive reopening of the Sa Roca des Castellet path, an emblematic route that has been closed for decades by the owners of nearby houses, sheltered by municipal disinterest, which has not yet cataloged the path, despite historical evidence.

The Consell de Mallorca has committed this Thursday to guarantee the right of way of the public paths of the Serra de Tramuntana in the new law that will regulate its uses. This was conveyed by the Minister of the Presidency of the island institution in a meeting with the 'Dret de Pas' platform and hiking entities such as the Grup Excursionista de Mallorca (GEM).

The Consell de Mallorca has committed this Thursday to guarantee the right of passage on public paths in the Serra de Tramuntana in the new law that will regulate their uses. This was conveyed by the island institution's Minister of the Presidency in a meeting with the 'Dret de Pas' platform and hiking entities such as the Grup Excursionista de Mallorca (GEM).

The mobilization of over 300 people this Sunday in Raixa has once again highlighted a social conflict that has been simmering for years in Mallorca due to the progressive attempts to close public paths. The protest march, organized by hiking groups and platforms like Camins Oberts, has once again demonstrated public concern about "an increasingly common practice," as some of those present stated. This Sunday's protest focused on the Passatemps path, a traditional route connecting Palmanyola with Raixa, which remains partially fenced off within a private property, although its public nature has been the subject of debate and demands for years. The march brought together hikers, families, and activists who arrived on foot with banners and slogans to demand the right of way and denounce institutional inaction in these cases.

The proposal by the Consell de Mallorca (Mallorca Council) to reclassify a section of the old Pollença-Lluc road has drawn criticism from several groups advocating for public rights. The initiative affects the section between kilometers 3.2 and 3.4 of the road, where it passes through a property in the municipality of Pollença. GADMA and the Pro Public and Open Paths of Pollença platform have expressed their opposition to the measure. According to sources from Pro Paths, the restoration of the old Lluc road was the result of years of campaigning to prevent the closure of a route they consider clearly public. The group points out that this road was originally built by the Provincial Council and is listed in several official documents, such as the 1973 National Plan for Provincial Roads and the 1991 Pollença Municipal General Plan. Furthermore, it has been included in the inventory of assets of the Consell de Mallorca since 2008. "We are surprised that the public nature of this road was recognized and that they are now considering removing a section of it from the public domain," the platform explains. They claim that some landowners whose properties the road crosses already opposed the recovery of certain sections and fear that the Consell's decision could ultimately benefit these interests. The Pro Caminos group also warns that removing paths of interest to hikers from the public domain could represent a loss for the collective heritage. "These paths are part of our history and our landscape." "When a public path is lost, citizens' access to the natural environment is also limited," the organization points out. The mayor of Pollença, Martí March, explained that the Consell's proposal also took the City Council by surprise. "This decision surprises us because we haven't been informed of anything," he asserted. March added that the City Council will review all the documentation and files related to the case to determine if it can submit objections during the public comment period. Meanwhile, the organizations are urging the Consell de Mallorca to reconsider the proposal and guarantee the conservation and public use of this historic route in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains.

The Sóller Town Council will approve a resolution next week, in a plenary session, that will require the owners of the Bàlitx de Enmig estate, belonging to the March family, to remove the barrier that has for years blocked access to a public path included in both the municipal catalog and the Dry Stone Route of the Consell de Mallorca (Mallorca Council). The decision was agreed upon at the last Heritage Committee meeting, where several matters related to the environment and the conservation of public heritage were discussed. According to municipal sources, the resolution will give the owners a maximum of eight days to remove the barrier blocking the path. In case of non-compliance, the Town Council itself will carry out the removal at the owners' expense. The City Council intends to restore normalcy to a historic route connecting Sóller and Fornalutx with La Costera and Cala Tuent, which was irregularly closed in 2009. Although the path is part of the public heritage, no action was taken against the fencing for over a decade. It wasn't until 2021 that the Balearic Government's Environmental Agents reported the situation. This action subsequently led to a fine against the Sóller City Council itself by the Territorial Defense Agency (ADT) of the Council of Mallorca, which imposed a coercive penalty of 600 euros per month for failing to restore public access. This penalty was appealed, and its collection is currently suspended. Attempt to divert the route

Following several complaints and reports, the owners of the estate created an alternative route, aiming to divert hikers away from the main house. However, this detour was not authorized. Initially, the Consell de Mallorca (Mallorca Council) had included this variant within the Dry Stone Route, but ultimately did not admit it in the final approval of the Special Plan, modified in 2022. In addition to the detour, the owners installed information panels that mimicked the official signage of the Consell on mountain routes. This action contributed to confusing hikers and solidified the closure of the historic path, which remains publicly owned and must remain open. With the approval of the resolution, the Sóller City Council takes a step towards ending a conflict that has been entrenched for more than a decade and guaranteeing free access to one of the emblematic sections of the public path network in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range.

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In Mallorca, there are more than 300 closed public roads, according to data from the Public and Open Roads Platform. The Camino de la Señora (Lady's Way), the Camino de la Font Major (Font Major Way), and the Camino de la Cueva (Cueva Way) are some examples. These routes were used to carry news and trade to properties in the past. They were also used as shortcuts to save time when the only means of transport was carts and many roads did not yet exist. Platform member Sebastià Matamales laments that, "since land has become a financial asset and has been the subject of continuous speculation," the value formerly given to properties with roads has changed. "Before, a property without a road was worthless, and now it's worth much more if it doesn't," he adds. On the islands, there are public roads closed by property owners and others that, over the years and through lack of use, have been obstructed by nature.

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More than a hundred people, including the mayors of Sineu and Costitx, have supported GADMA (Group of Friends in Defense of the Environment) and the Platform for Open Public Paths to demand the enforcement of the two rulings that call for the opening of the Casa Baixa public path, which connects Sineu and Costitx.

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The fight for official and practical recognition of the thousands of kilometers of public paths in Manacor continues unabated. With small, great steps, large estates like Fangar already had to reach an agreement so that everyone could walk along routes that have been in communal use for centuries. Now it's the turn of the popularly known Camino de la Roca del Castellet (Camino del Coll del Vent), a symbolic walk for Manacor residents during the Holy Week picnic and the only way to reach the oratory of the Corazón de Jesús.

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