Residents of Calatrava urge Cort to make public the reports that are in favor of cutting down the bellasombra trees

PalmThe residents of Catalatrava, organized in a citizens' platform against the felling of the 18 bellasombra trees in Plaça de Llorenç Villalonga, have again demanded that Palma City Council grant them access to the complete file justifying the action, as well as time to analyze it and the opportunity to submit independent technical reports. They assert that, at present, neither the residents nor external experts have been able to examine the documentation or assess whether alternatives to the felling have been considered. According to their complaint, the City Council has merely stated that "municipal reports exist" warning of a safety risk, but without providing their content. "When an action is irreversible, affects mature urban trees, and generates significant public outcry, transparency is not a courtesy, it is an obligation," they maintain. The recent court ruling that upholds the felling—which the platform has already announced it will appeal—is based exclusively on the reports provided by the City Council itself. The court does not assess whether these studies are comprehensive, whether they meet European standards, or whether alternative measures exist. "It is accepted that there is a risk, but in tree management, risk is not an absolute concept," they explain, and they point out that it depends on the probability, the target, and the mitigation measures. One of the city's arguments for ruling out intermediate solutions was the removal of perimeter fences that had been previously installed. The platform, however, maintains that this installation was done in a "clearly deficient" manner, without anchoring or professional safety criteria. "The fact that a fence can be manipulated does not invalidate the measure, just as a road is not removed so that someone can run a red light," they add. They also reject the argument that the square cannot be closed to guarantee access for emergency vehicles. According to them, differentiated management formulas for uses and access have been proposed that would allow pedestrian safety to be compatible with the operation of essential services. "These solutions exist and they work, but they haven't been studied," they complain. Regarding spaces for participation, the platform believes that the Palma Verde Roundtable cannot replace a genuine dialogue process if documentation is not provided and technical challenges are not allowed. "Dialogue is not communicating a decision that has already been made," they emphasize. The residents insist that they are not disputing the municipality's responsibility to guarantee safety, but rather the decision to directly opt for "the most extreme measure" without exhausting alternatives or allowing for an independent evaluation. "The beautiful shade structures are not replaceable street furniture: they are mature green infrastructure and climate heritage," they conclude.