Formentor launches urban planning roadmap to protect the coastline and curb real estate pressure

The Formentor peninsula is entering a new phase of urban development. The Pollença Town Council gave initial approval this Thursday to the modification of the area's urban development plan, a lengthy and complex document that will replace the plan in force since 1990 and which, according to Mayor Martí March, represents "one of the most significant achievements of the current legislative term in terms of urban planning." This initial approval now opens a 45-day period for public comment, following the Town Council's submission of the necessary documentation in January: the amended urban planning regulations, the environmental impact assessment, and the new urban land use plan for Formentor. March argued that the new plan responds to a clear need for updating. "We're talking about a completely outdated plan, 35 years old. It was essential to have a document adapted to the present day and with a future perspective," he stated. The mayor also acknowledged the difficulty of the process: "It has been hard work, in a short time, all with the aim of reaching provisional and final approval with the broadest possible consensus." This consensus, he explained, was sought through meetings with municipal groups, associations of owners of villas and plots in Formentor, individual owners, the Formentor real estate agency, and the GOB (Balearic Ornithological Group). "There has been a clear commitment to ensuring the maximum possible participation," March emphasized, insisting that the ultimate goal is to have a plan "with long-term sustainability." Protecting the seafront and creating more green spaces

One of the central pillars of the new document is the protection of the seafront. The plan aims to keep the first line of the coast free of buildings, with the goal of preventing new construction that would create a visual impact and degrade the landscape. This approach follows the urban development moratorium approved a year ago by the full municipal council, which suspended the granting of new licenses in Formentor while the new regulatory framework was being drafted. "Formentor is a jewel that all the residents of Pollença understand as such," said the mayor, who defended the need to preserve its image and natural values. Along the same lines, the new plan reinforces the public character of the space and significantly increases the area designated for green spaces, from approximately 37,000 square meters to nearly 45,000. It also aims to maintain the existing tree cover and strengthen the structure of public spaces. Likewise, the amount of land eligible for urban development is reduced: from the 81,000 square meters previously planned to 60,000. The document also aims to decrease real estate pressure, eliminate auxiliary housing, and maintain the current number of houses, without any increase in the housing stock.

This approach implies that, although recognized urban development rights still exist on certain plots, the possibility of erecting new buildings on the coast will be clearly limited, a fact that directly affects large-scale villa projects that were previously possible. Another key aspect is the intention to avoid high-rise buildings and ensure the landscape integration of constructions through more stringent aesthetic criteria. In the hotel zone, the same maximum buildable area in square meters is maintained, but under stricter integration parameters.

Services to be provided by the owners

The plan also stipulates that property owners will have to finance the new service infrastructure, with a six-year deadline for implementation. The goal is to ensure that any urban development is accompanied by the necessary infrastructure without burdening public coffers. Martí March summarized the document's spirit, stating that they hope to have "designed a Formentor for future generations," based on a commitment to urban, social, and environmental responsibility. The Urban Planning Coordinator, Tomeu Antich, highlighted the complexity of urban land management and the need to reconcile existing rights with new environmental limitations. Antich explained that the amendment seeks to provide legal certainty while introducing sustainability and landscape preservation criteria as guiding principles. The initial approval of the plan comes after a period marked by urban planning proceedings, sanctions, and controversies in the area, particularly related to unlicensed developments and high-impact projects. This context has reinforced the perception that Formentor needed a clearer and more restrictive regulatory framework. The process now enters a key phase, with the period of public consultation and submissions, before provisional and final approval. If the planned schedule is met, Formentor will have, for the first time in decades, an updated plan that sets clear limits on growth and places the protection of the coastline and landscape at the heart of urban planning decisions.