Expats, Locals And Government Join To Fight Palma Mall Development

The Balearic government, Palma city council and the Consell de Mallorca have joined forces with locals and expats to fight against the huge Palma Springs development planned in Playa del Palma.

The proposed 80,000 square metre mega-mall and lifestyle centre, planned for the natural wetlands area of Ses Fontanelles, received its license to build in 2014 but contractors weren’t able to start the project and the license elapsed. On reapplying, developers were told a new license would not be issued as green area protection laws had been introduced, forbidding commercial development in the wetlands. However, developers Unibail Rodamo Westfield are still fighting to get the license and have taken their case to Spain’s Supreme Court, claiming the project should be entitled to a similar permit granted to the Fan shopping centre in 2016.

Environmental group Arnics de la Terra Mallorca is fighting hard to get the license application denied, citing major concerns such as the environmental impact and an increase in the already congested approach roads to the nearby airport. GOB, a fellow green group, told local reporters the very existence of the scheme makes its members ashamed to be citizens of the Spanish archipelago, with Briton Jamie Foster agreeing, saying roads and parking in the area are already extremely overcrowded and may well become impassable should the mall be allowed. Another expat said tourism had already destroyed the sand dunes along the beach due to a lack of understanding of their ecological importance to the region, adding it would be tragic to have to be forced the wetlands as we