Cala Castell: an attempt to privatize the coast

PalmThe GOB (Balearic Ornithological Group) has filed objections against the administrative concession application submitted by the company Menani SA to legalize a terrace, a boathouse, and a staircase in Cala Castell (Pollença), following the announcement published in the BOIB (Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands) No. 137 of October 16, 2025. The group warns that these structures already exist and originate from old concessions that expired almost thirty years ago, which legally requires their removal from the public maritime-terrestrial domain. According to the Coastal Law and its regulations, once a concession ends, the Administration must decide whether to maintain or demolish the facilities. In this case, no administrative decision is on record, which implies, by legal imperative, that the removal should have been the only option. Therefore, no new concession can be processed for structures that should have already been removed. The GOB also denounces that the processing of this concession violates the principle of public competition, since the law requires a public tender when authorizing the private use of the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain (DPMT). This obligation has been repeatedly confirmed by case law, including a 2021 ruling by the High Court of Justice of Andalusia. Furthermore, the existing facilities do not comply with the Coastal Law, as they are not necessary for any use requiring them to be on public land and constitute an unjustified privatization. They also violate environmental and urban planning regulations, given that they are located in an Exclusion Zone of the Natural Resources Management Plan (PORN) of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, where any construction or residential/commercial use is absolutely prohibited. The project also presents serious technical defects, such as the use of outdated plans, cartographic inconsistencies, and the inclusion of a second building that had never been authorized. The works are causing severe landscape damage, represent an unjustified privatization of the coastline, and violate the urban planning regulations of the Pollença General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) and the Territorial Plan of Mallorca. It is also false that the houses have any heritage value, as they have no listed building designation and are built with modern materials. GOB sources are therefore requesting that the concession requested by Menani SA not be granted and that all existing structures within the Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain (DPMT) and its easements be demolished and removed, in order to restore the coastline to its natural state. Sources from the environmental organization reiterate that the coast is "a public asset that must be preserved for the enjoyment of all, and that tolerating illegal uses consolidates a model of coastal degradation that is contrary to the law and the public interest."