<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - chalets]]> 10 <![CDATA[Far away from the cranes]]> In its fortunate and necessary return to activity, Terraferida has launched the campaign ‘Foravila fora grues’ (Out of town, no cranes), which proposes a response to the phenomenon of indiscriminate urbanization of rural land in Mallorca. You can read, incidentally, here at ARA Balears, an excellent opinion piece by Sebastià Portell on this issue: 'Many little houses make a little hell' it is titled, with apt irony. Portell mentions it, but it should be emphasized that in recent years (especially since the pandemic) we are no longer talking only about little houses for weekend getaways or stays, but about large chalets and luxury homes with swimming pools, lawn extensions, and even their own roundabout, all built on what were once cultivated fields or forest areas. Very often the money is German, or Swedish, or British, or Russian: curiously, those who say that Mallorca has too many people, these do not bother them at all and they only feel cramped in the presence of immigrants. They reject the poor because they say they are illegal; on the other hand, the rich who build houses – these indeed – illegal, they welcome them most enthusiastically.The wild multiplication of constructions in the outskirts ends up generating small – and not so small – illegal developments, with all the problems this generates. True damage to the environment, including loss of agricultural and forest land, loss of food sovereignty (we have to buy food from outside because we have destroyed the farmers and livestock breeders and we do not produce enough), more cars, pollution and saturation also in the outskirts, and destruction of the territory, with fatal consequences for many animal and plant species. Also social problems, such as the increase – even more – in the cost of housing and municipal services, which, on the other hand, are often insufficient. And the destruction of farming, a phenomenon that can only be described as self-destructive. And the increase in social inequalities, between wealthy owners who can afford to buy or have houses built wherever they please, and a large mass of the population who cannot even dream of affording to own or rent a home. And the degradation of municipalities, and of the island as a whole, to serve as mere backdrops for the fantasy home that a completely uprooted millionaire has decided to build for himself "in the Mediterranean", which for them is an image they have seen in films and decoration magazines.To avoid all this mess (which is already alarming, but not yet irreversible) Terraferida points out a realistic, pragmatic, non-anti-system solution that is in our hands. It does not depend on Madrid, nor even on the Balearic Government, but on the Consell de Mallorca. It is about removing from the Territorial Plan of Majorca (PTIM), the famous rule of two quarterades, or 14,000 m2, which are required to build a dwelling in a rural area, and which has given rise to all sorts of plays and gambits to achieve summing up square meters (it has even given rise to an endemic species of speculator, called ‘aplegacortons’). In a place as exotic as Menorca, this rule does not exist, and this has made it possible to preserve the countryside, and its uses, much better than has been done in Mallorca and Ibiza. It is time to also move towards a new type of urban planning, as is already being considered in European countries such as France: to build nothing in rural areas, but to concentrate on the construction and rehabilitation of buildings in urban areas. If you wish to join the campaign, you can sign the manifesto at terraferida.cat. And we are all called to a great (very great) demonstration with this same slogan, ‘Foravila fora grues’, on July 26th in Palma. It is necessary and urgent.

]]> <![CDATA[Mallorca and Ibiza, a new villa on rural land every day]]>

Every 31 hours, a new villa is finished on rustic land in Mallorca. This means five per week in areas that should be designated for agricultural or natural uses, according to Terraferida's complaint. If we add the available data from Ibiza, we find that between the two islands, a new rustic house is finished every day. This is an accelerated process of land transformation that is no longer occasional but structural. Environmentalists are calling for it to be stopped immediately in Mallorca and the Pitiusas, as Menorca did more than 20 years ago, and for rustic land, considered "the crown jewel of the land," to be declared non-buildable, says Terraferida spokesperson Jaume Adrover.

]]> <![CDATA[The abandoned villa that Manacor wants to buy to avoid losing 2 million euros]]>

It's one of Portocristo's most recognizable sights. And, at the same time, curiously, one of its least known. The large villa at the top of the Blau coast (officially Bordils Street) has been abandoned for years in the middle of a private pine forest, under the watchful eyes of locals and tourists on their way down to the beach.

]]> <![CDATA[The building surveyors warn that the pace of construction is insufficient to cope with the emergency.]]>

Nearly half of the housing projects approved in Mallorca in 2025 were detached houses and single-family homes, which continue to account for a significant portion of the sector's investment, while government authorities insist that multi-family housing should be the priority. Data from the College of Quantity Surveyors and Technical Architects of Mallorca (COAAT) indicates that a total of 2,139 homes were approved, of which 48.9% were detached houses, compared to 51.1% for apartments. However, the overall picture is not entirely negative, considering that the number of multi-family homes increased by 11.7% compared to the previous year.

]]> <![CDATA[An Ibiza mansion has been accused of wasting water from three pools during a drought alert.]]>

The environmental organization Amics de la Terra has publicly denounced the Sant Joan government and city council for allowing the owner of a luxury villa in Sant Llorenç to empty and refill the three swimming pools at his home, amid a drought alert.

]]> <![CDATA[Unió de Pagesos responds to Simonet: "Rural land should be dedicated to food production."]]>

Unió de Pagesos has reminded the regional minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment that "rural land must be dedicated to food production and anything other than this will be considered improper use." The agricultural union reacted after Simonet assured a interview of the ARA Baleares who does not believe "in the systematic prohibition of solar panels and chalets."

]]> <![CDATA[The People's Party and Vox allow the construction of 1,500 chalets in fire-risk areas.]]>

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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