One hundred residents halt the felling of the 17 trees in the Villalonga square of Palma

PalmAround a hundred residents halted the municipal tree felling work on Thursday at 17 belleombras of the Llorenç Villalonga square in Palma, which the City Council intends to remove because the trees, between 60 and 80 years old, are diseased and pose a danger to the safety of pedestrians and children.

The residents gathered at 7 a.m. and, an hour later, formed a human chain in defense of these trees, demanding that the Palma City Council (Cort) make public the technical report justifying the felling. The residents are calling for the protection of this green space by the sea and are proposing alternatives such as closing off the area and devising a gradual plan to create a garden in the space. The president of the Sa Calatrava Residents' Association, Edita Navarro, stated that she is aware that the trees present "some danger," but maintained that there are "many ways" to prevent it, as has been done in Seville.

This Wednesday, residents sent an email to the mayor, Jaume Martínez, requesting "security, time to develop a plan, and information."

The City Council maintains that the replacement of the 17 trees is based solely on technical and safety criteria due to the risk of them falling.

In 2024, six Phytolacca trees exhibiting defects and pathologies that posed a risk to the public were already felled, the City Council stated.

As a precedent, in November 2019, a foreign woman died on the Palma city walls when, while walking to mass with her family at the Cathedral of Mallorca, the top of a palm tree fell on her due to strong winds.