Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada: "We will destroy the pool. I hope the separatists are happy"

Palm"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.

Ruiz de la Prada, owner of the house since 2016, when she divorced Pedro J. Ramírez, attributes the conflict to the pressure from activists and the opening of multiple proceedings that, she says, have ended up degrading the space to the point of turning it into "a place to make compost". In statements to the Netflix series L'agence reported by VilaWeb, the designer laments the transformation of a space that was "the best house in the world" with "a beautiful pool", but which over the years "has become a nightmare". In the images, the pool is seen empty, full of branches and other debris.

On the other hand, in an interview on the program Benvinguts a ca nostra on IB3, the designer delves into this vision and fondly recalls summers in Mallorca and the happiness experienced in the house. But she also describes the escalation of the conflict: occupations, protests, police presence, and a lawsuit that, she states, involved high levels of the State. "Suddenly, all that romanticism turned into something so political," she explains. The designer explains that along with the news from the country's hot spots, Joan Mesquida, Director General of the Police and the Civil Guard, was also receiving updates about the house in Costa dels Pins. "There were times when (with the house empty) there were four Civil Guards 24 hours a day," she comments.

"I could eat 10 ensaimadas in a day"

De la Prada reviews her personal connection to Mallorca and the background of the conflict. The designer recalls that she started vacationing there as a child with her family and years later bought the house because she longed for her childhood summers in Mallorca. "The smell of pine in the afternoon and that, at that time, even though I was thin, I could eat 10 ensaimadas in one day... it seemed to me that summer was that," she says.

It also evokes the beginnings of urbanization. "The posh people from Madrid used to come here, led by Torcuato Luca de Tena (the owner of ABC), who bought the first house on the Costa de los Pins. It was called La Pionera, and it had a port, rocks, and a beach. It had everything," he summarizes.

Ruiz de la Prada explains that the house she would end up buying had belonged to the renowned cook Giuliana Arioli, widow of the writer Joaquín Calvo Sotelo. "I was immensely happy there," she assures, recalling that she used to go see her when she was little. This emotional bond contrasts with the later conflict over the swimming pool, which, she maintains, had existed for decades and was not built by them. "Suddenly a big campaign began saying it was illegal and that it blocked the way. It was a lie," she states.

In the same account, she also refers to her relationship with Pedro J. Ramírez – whom she avoids naming directly, referring to him as the unmentionable – and assures that, despite his not being fond of the sea, the conflict ended up interesting him due to its political and institutional scope. As she explains, "he didn't like water, the sea, it scared him. The day he spent two minutes in the water was a lot." Despite this, she explains that the unmentionable, who "was not one for vacations," found the matter entertaining because "he would talk to a minister, to the government delegate, to the president of the Balearic Islands..."

The authorization to demolish the pool

Despite defending the legality of the pool and denying that it obstructed passage, Ruiz de la Prada accepts the judicial outcome that has ordered its demolition after more than two decades of controversy. "Finally, we will destroy the pool," she summarizes. In fact, a few days ago, the Balearic Minister of the Sea and Water Cycle, Juan Manuel Lafuente, signed the definitive authorization to demolish the pool, the pier, and the chalet's terrace, which occupy public land without the corresponding authorization in force. Information that ARA Balears advanced as a scoop.

In this way, another step is taken to reach the final point of a story that began 25 years ago and has resulted in a marathon litigation between Ramírez, De la Prada, and a group of entities and citizens led by the Mallorcan activist and independentist Jaume Sastre.

The origin of the case dates back to January 23, 2001, when the Ministry of Environment granted Giuliana Arioli a concession to occupy approximately 350 square meters of public maritime-terrestrial domain (the coastal strip that cannot be occupied for private use) and to have direct access to the sea, in addition to enjoying a private swimming pool. That decision was made during Jaume Matas's time as minister and included a key element: the facilities, especially the swimming pool, were only accepted on the premise that they would have public, general, and free use. In 2013, the State authorized the transfer of the concession to Pedro J. Ramírez, who had acquired the property a few years earlier.

The Coastal Law establishes that public maritime-terrestrial domain can only be occupied for activities that, by their nature, cannot have another location.