The Battle of the Pines in the Plaza de la Puerta de Santa Catalina
It was around December 2001 when the Palma City Council, then governed by the Popular Party, announced the construction of a basement car park in the square, although at that time the one on Paseo Mallorca already existed, about 50 metres away.
PalmPalma's Puig de San Pedro was also the scene of a civic battle between January and September 2002: that of local residents, along with other associations, to save the pine trees in the Plaza de la Puerta de Santa Catalina. This battle was resolved in victory, as this small urban forest has essentially survived to this day.
It was around December 2001 when Palma City Council, then governed by the Popular Party, announced the construction of a basement parking lot in the square, although the one on Paseo Mallorca already existed at the time, about 50 meters away. The Cort (City Council) clarified that the pine trees would not be cut down, but would be moved to the municipal nursery. However, it is well known that old pine trees have a very difficult time surviving if uprooted.
The Balearic Ornithology and Nature Defense Group (GOB) immediately spoke out against the project. The Association for the Recovery of Old Town Centers (ARCA), which, along with other organizations, formed part of the collective Ciutadans Agreujats (Agreujats Citizens), joined in protesting the construction of underground parking lots in Palma's historic center.
On January 3, 2002, at 7:30 a.m., a group of citizens convened by the Puig de Sant Pere Residents' Association stood in front of the machines to prevent the removal of the trees. In addition, 1,390 signatures against the project were delivered to the Cort (City Council). Opponents of the project hung the sign "Condemned to Death" and the poem "The Formentor Pine" by Miquel Costa i Llobera on the pine trees. The College of Architects requested the suspension of the works, the protection of the trees, and the declaration of the square as a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC). The Association of Visual Artists of the Balearic Islands (AAVIB) joined in with a protest notebook featuring illustrations by Pere Joan, Aranda, Pau, Marcos Vidal, and Lluís Fuster, among others. Of course, there were also voices in favor of the parking lot, especially from the commercial sector.
However, while the PP governed in the Cort, the Greens party, in contrast, the regional Ministry of the Environment was then managed by Els Verds, and the latter opened a case for the possible declaration of the pines as unique trees. The dispute ended up in court. Finally, the City Council threw in the towel and shelved the project for the next term. In 2010, under the leadership of Socialist Aina Calvo, sculptures of two doves by Ben Jakober were installed as a symbol of conciliation.