The Consell de Mallorca cedes part of the Parque de las Vías to Palma to create a botanical garden
The land measures 13,000 square meters and has been owned by the island institution since 1989 due to a forced expropriation.
PalmThe Consell de Mallorca has ceded part of the Parc de les Vies, next to the ring road, to the Palma City Council free of charge to locate the future botanical garden of CityThe land ceded has been owned by the island council since 1989 due to a compulsory purchase and, until now, had not been used for any purpose. It measures 13,005 square meters and is bordered by the ring road, the Inca road, the railway tracks, and the Barberà stream. This area of the botanical garden, which will be complemented by another in the Retreat Houses of Bellver CastleThe site will cover 31,543 square meters. The plan is to create a space on the property showcasing examples of the five types of Mediterranean forests found worldwide: those of the Mediterranean basin (typical of southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East), those of California, those of central Chile, and those of southeastern Austria. Furthermore, the City Council intends to equip the plot with various public facilities, such as an auditorium, departments of the Germplasm Bank, a herbarium, exhibition halls, and offices. However, the transfer agreement formalized this Thursday between the two institutions must be approved at the next plenary session of the Consell (Island Council), and, if approved, a public consultation period will be opened. Beyond the land transfer, the Consell de Mallorca will allow the City Council to use the bridge that crosses the ring road.
"One more step in the transformation of Palma"
The mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, considered the agreement between the institutions to be "another step in the transformation of the city" with an "urban regeneration project that is a benchmark in sustainability, science, and culture." He also emphasized that the initiative "is not focused on today but on the medium and long-term future." He noted that the final timeline and cost of the future botanical garden will be determined by the winner of the ideas competition, which has not yet been announced. The City Council, he assured, is already working on the competition's terms and conditions and intends to have them ready by June and the winner announced by the end of this year. Once the winning project has been selected, the bidding process for the construction will begin, a procedure expected to take place throughout 2027. For his part, the president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, affirmed that the island institution has resumed its role as a governing body. Along the same lines, he asserted that "the botanical garden is a very important project for this legislative term and a long-standing demand of all the city's residents, but one that will also benefit all Mallorcans." He added that the island council will be part of the board of trustees responsible for managing Palma's future "green lung."
What will happen to the shantytowns?
In the area where Cort plans to develop part of the future botanical garden, there are currently shacks. Martínez doesn't yet know what will happen to these people and has simply stated that Cort will make a decision once they need the land to begin the project. "We will provide definitive solutions on specific issues when it is necessary to have the land available; then the appropriate steps will be taken," he assured. However, he affirmed that municipal and island social services are available to these people to offer them other alternatives.
