ARCA claims more ambitious protection of Estellencs and questions the planned growth in the new General Plan

PalmaThe Association for the Revitalization of Old Centers (ARCA) has submitted a set of allegations to the General Plan of Estellencs, currently in the public information phase, with the aim of strengthening the protection of the municipality's heritage, landscape, and territorial model. The entity registered its observations on May 25 and argues that the future of the town must be based on the conservation of its cultural and environmental values and avoid transformations that could irreversibly alter its identity.

According to ARCA, Estellencs is one of the most unique municipalities in the Serra de Tramuntana, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and possesses natural and cultural values that require particularly careful urban planning. In this regard, it considers that the document initially approved incorporates certain actions that it describes as "disproportionate" and excessively development-oriented in relation to the municipality's reality.

The entity also questions the need for the growth proposed in the General Plan. With a population of around 369 inhabitants, ARCA believes that some of the infrastructures and urban planning forecasts are not sufficiently justified from either a social or economic perspective. For this reason, it advocates for prioritizing the rehabilitation and reuse of the existing housing stock over promoting new urban developments.

Among its allegations, ARCA points out several shortcomings in the technical documentation accompanying the plan. Specifically, it warns of deficiencies in the environmental impact studies, landscape analyses, and the economic evaluation of the project. It also regrets the absence of real alternatives to the proposed model, including the so-called "zero option," which would allow for assessing the advisability of not carrying out certain actions.

Heritage protection is another of the central axes of the allegations. ARCA calls for expanding and more precisely defining the scope of the municipality's historic complex, as well as strengthening the preservation of traditional elements such as terraces, dry stone walls, and historic hydraulic networks. The entity advocates for comprehensive protection of the core and its surroundings, beyond the mere cataloging of specific elements.

Among the actions considered most problematic, ARCA calls for the suppression or revision of various projects planned in the urban planning document. These include new parking lots and infrastructure in areas of high landscape value, the construction of roads and road connections in protected areas, the development of the developable sector SBO01, and various interventions in Cala d'Estellencs, which the association considers environmentally sensitive.

According to the entity, these actions are contradictory to the objectives of territorial protection, may generate heritage impacts incompatible with the values of the municipality, and, in some cases, do not have sufficient economic justification. Regarding mobility, ARCA criticizes the commitment to increasing parking spaces and promoting road traffic. In contrast, it advocates for a model based on sustainable mobility, with greater priority for walking and cycling, strengthening public transport, and reducing the presence of vehicles in the urban center.

Finally, the association calls for urban planning that is consistent with current legislation and with the territorial and heritage values of Estellencs. In this regard, it denounces the existence of land classifications it considers questionable, insufficiently justified infrastructure, and possible contradictions with environmental and heritage protection regulations. With these allegations, ARCA aims for the future General Plan to become a tool for conservation and sustainable management of the municipality, compatible with the preservation of the values that have made Estellencs one of the most unique enclaves in the Serra de Tramuntana.