The GOB demands from Andratx the license that covers the large excavations that are transforming the mountain of the Port

PalmaThe GOB has formally requested from the Andratx City Council the urban planning license and the complete file that authorize the large excavation works being carried out on a hillside in Port d'Andratx. The environmental organization wants to clarify to what extent the deep clearing of the mountain, visible from various points in the area, was foreseen in the authorized project and whether the works being done there comply with the conditions of the license.

The GOB's initiative comes after ARA Balears published on September 10th the complaints of some neighbors of Port d'Andratx who denounced the landscape impact of the excavations and the years of noise from heavy machinery. The residents described the situation as a "hell" and labeled the clearing an "environmental attack." The information also explained that the works have a municipal license granted in 2019.

The GOB has taken a step further and has registered a document before the mayor's office and the Urban Planning department to exercise public urban planning action and to appear in the proceedings related to these works. The objective, as stated in the request, is to verify "the adequacy of the actions to the applicable planning and legislation."

The organization demands that the City Council identify exactly the affected properties, the cadastral references, the file number or numbers, and the permit holder. It also requests a complete copy of the 2019 license and any subsequent modification, extension, or resolution that has affected its validity.

What exactly does the license authorize?

The environmental organization wants to have the authorized project and the topographical plans, profiles, and sections that show what the original terrain was like and how it was planned to look once the works were finished. It also demands the documentation that defines the cuts, excavations, slopes, and retaining walls, as well as the technical and legal reports that served to grant the authorization.

The request also includes possible environmental, landscape, acoustic, and geotechnical reports, the documentation on the management of excavated materials and waste, and any possible municipal inspection reports carried out during the execution of the works. The GOB places special emphasis on one issue: it asks the City Council to indicate which document and which specific plans authorize the earthworks and cuts that can currently be observed on the mountain. This verification will allow determining whether the dimension of the excavation was initially planned or if there have been subsequent modifications.

The information published by ARA Balears indicated that the project belongs to W5 Group, an international real estate investment and asset management firm founded by the family of German investor Ralph Winter, and that the architectural design corresponds to the studio of Antonio García Ruiz.

Years of noise and heavy machinery

The neighbors explained to this newspaper that the machines usually worked from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and that they also did so on some Saturdays until 2:00 p.m. In addition to the physical alteration of the hillside, they denounced the disturbances caused by the drilling and heavy machinery.

Precisely, the municipal regulations of Andratx establish specific limitations for this type of work. The Municipal Ordinance for the Protection of the Environment against Noise and Vibration Pollution, in force since 2024, generally sets construction hours from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays. However, it introduces stricter restrictions for pile drivers and excavation work.

During July and August, excavation work and the use of pile drivers are prohibited; during May, June, September, and October, they can only be carried out from Monday to Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. If the tasks that the neighbors claim to have observed on Saturdays actually consisted of excavations or the use of this type of machinery, it would be necessary to verify if they complied with the regulations.

"How can it be that half a mountain can be dismantled for a single villa," is the question the neighbors are asking. The current subsidiary regulations of Andratx specifically regulate the modification of the terrain on urban land and establish limits for terracing and the alteration of natural levels. In certain open spaces of a plot, the terraces cannot exceed two meters above or below the natural terrain, with even greater restrictions in the setback strips. For this reason, some neighbors have mobilized to clarify if there is any legal breach.

Access to the municipal file that the GOB is demanding will be key to knowing what exactly Andratx authorized, to what depth the mountain could be excavated, and if what is visible today at the Port coincides with that project. The municipality was already famous fifteen years ago for episodes of administrative irregularities in order to make construction possible in places where the regulations did not allow it. The well-known Andratx case ended with Mayor Eugenio Hidalgo in prison. "Maybe everything is legal now, but what is clear is that the judicial action has not served to prevent the continued destruction of our coastline," affirms Ramon, one of the residents who has contacted ARA Balears.