Cort authorized a gas station in Platja de Palma in a flood zone, MÉS denounces

PalmaThe municipal government of the Popular Party granted the urban planning license to build a gas station on Carrer de Cabusso in Ribera de Platja de Palma, in Can Pastilla, when the land had already been declared a flood zone, according to MÉS per Palma. The political group asserts that, furthermore, in the documentation it has been able to examine, there is no report from Water Resources endorsing the action, and it demands that the government of Jaime Martínez explain with what guarantees the project was authorized.

"When the PP gave the green light to the works, the area was already declared flood-prone. And, furthermore, we have not found any report from Water Resources. Martínez must explain why he granted this license and with what guarantees", pointed out the eco-sovereignist spokesperson, Neus Truyol.

The group believes that building in flood-prone areas "increases the exposure of people, buildings, and infrastructure to danger in the face of intense rainfall episodes." In the case of a gas station, Truyol also warns of the risk that a flood could affect the tanks, pipes, and other facilities, causing fuel spills and contamination of the soil and water.

"After what we saw with the 2024 Valencia DANA, continuing to build in flood-prone areas is irresponsible. But the PP seems obsessed with paving over spaces that we should be protecting because of the risk," stated Truyol. "Floods do not understand excuses or propaganda: if we know where there is danger, a government's obligation is to prevent, not to add more risk," he stated.

MÉS demands that the City Council make the Water Resources report public if it exists. "And if it does not exist, the PP will have to explain why it authorized the construction of a gas station on land declared as flood-prone without such a pronouncement," maintains Truyol.

The neighbors had already warned about the project

Criticism also comes from the La Ribera de Platja de Palma Residents' Association, which claims it already expressed its concern during the construction of the gas station last year. Residents question both the location of the facility and its impact on traffic and its proximity to homes and the protected natural area of Les Fontanelles.

According to them, the gas station is located very close to residential areas where families with children live, and they consider it was not necessary because there are already several facilities of this type in the surroundings.

Residents also criticize the traffic problems resulting from this new infrastructure. They claim that the gas station has worsened the traffic jams that occur during certain periods at the nearby roundabout and warn that some vehicles exit the facility in the wrong direction, with the risk that this entails for safety.

But the main concern of the residents is the location of the fuel tanks, very close to les Fontanelles. "We are very worried because the gas station and the tanks are right next to les Fontanelles," they explained.

The location of the tanks

The neighbors claim that they have doubts about the location of the tanks with respect to the water table and fear that a potential leak could affect the subsoil and reach the wetland or the sea.

The association has already submitted formal requests to both the Palma City Council and the Ministry of the Sea and the Water Cycle and asked for explanations and a review of the hydrological studies that supported the project.

According to the residents, the City Council's response was that their request was not specific enough, while they assert that they have not received a response from the Ministry. Now they question why the license was granted when the land was already listed as a flood zone and demand to know which reports ultimately authorized the construction.