Controversy over Bellver park: the PSOE denounces that Cort is dismantling it and the City Council denies it

PalmaThe PSOE Palma criticized this Monday the removal of elements from the Bellver playground, an action that the socialists consider a dismantling of the play area. Cort, however, denied that the park is being eliminated and explained that they are removing, just as was agreed upon with the neighbors, the elements that were installed during the previous legislature, under the Pacte de Progrés.

The socialists consider that the measure goes "against children and families" and regret that a play area is being made to disappear which, as they claim, had shaded areas and had been used for more than 30 years.

The socialist spokesperson at Cort, Francesc Dalmau, has described it as "unworthy" to see how the park disappears and has asserted that "from today, Palma is a city hostile to childhood". Dalmau has defended that the space was a meeting point for families and an example of how the city's parks should be, with shade and play areas.

The socialists have also lashed out at the mayor, Jaime Martínez, for the management of noise. "While Martínez sanctions residents who complain about the noise from the restaurants in La Llotja, now it turns out that the noise of some children playing, enjoying themselves, or laughing at Bellver park does bother," Dalmau stated.

For the socialist spokesperson, it is "one more contradiction" from the mayor, whom he accuses of allowing a children's space to be closed because "children act like children". Dalmau has claimed that Palma needs more spaces like Bellver park and has defined Martínez as "a protector of developers and an enemy of childhood".

The park cost 600,000 euros

The new park, with a cost of 600,000 euros, was inaugurated in 2021. From the beginning, neighborhood associations in the area opposed its construction. At that time, Jaime Martínez, who would later become the mayor of Palma, had already positioned himself against the project and, once he arrived at Cort, he announced that he would remove some of its elements. Now, the City Council has explained that the elements being removed are precisely those he had already announced he would eliminate: the zip line and the picnic and ping-pong tables.