VIEWPOINT has repeatedly criticised the complacency of the tourist industry so the overdue renovation of the Playa de Palma should be welcome. Along with the Costa Brava the Playa de Palma was the closest sunny, sandy resort to cold, damp Northern Europe when cheap air travel became available. Our beach, Can Pastilla being the closest to the airport was the first bulk tourist resort on the island. Much of the infrastructure is 50 years old and showing it.
The reform project (www.consorciplatjadepalma.com) is a mix of very forward looking plans that would have had a better chance of being implemented in the boom years of the 1990s rather than the bust years of the 2010s. Already one senses little spirit of commitment by our politicians for at the first sign of dissent (September) the program has been put on hold until after the local elections and is now (October) to be redrawn. If true to form after voting they will go ahead ignoring any public odium for the next 4 years.
Their first action seems to have been the pulling down of the Hotel Nautico in Arenal to replace it with parkland (Daily B Saturday). This is uncontroversial but it is human nature that those who may be adversely affected are the first to comment negatively. Concerning Can Pastilla, the removal of all houses and businesses between two streets (San Antonio and Horacio) is obviously giving cause for their anxiety. This zone has not been chosen by accident but is the smallest area and hence the least disruptive to achieve the goal - an underground car park topped by a boulevard to rival the Ramblas in Barcelona. Not surprisingly the owners on the other side of the streets are delighted with the prospect of overlooking an esplanade pushing their properties up market. As explained to me by the project managers prior to the demolition new modern apartments will be built in the village and those to be dispossessed offered them in exchange and/or cash compensation so they too may in fact gain. Other potential areas of conflict are ex-hotels in Arenal like Don Benito, now an apartment block with 200 separate owners. Apparently the Consortium wants to compulsory purchase, demolish and rebuild it as a modern hotel. However, there may be growing structural problems in the buildings and could produce valuations not to the liking of the owners. Apart from the tourist industry overall the project should also benefit more people than it disadvantages. Although being marketed politically as improving the tourist infrastructure, many unrelated projects have been slipped in. For example in the Bellavista area of Arenal illegal houses numbering hundreds (this is not an exaggeration) will be legalised and officially be connected to the sewerage and other essential public amenities such as asphalted roads which it lacks now. There will be a cost to this but property value increases should more than compensate. To be realistic, we may be seeing a rerun of the free double glazing offer (+/-) 2002. Legislation in Madrid made AENA financially responsible for sound insulation of all buildings around the airport. Can Pastilla, Coll den Rebassa and San Jordi were swamped with Double Glazing Salesmen signing up the residents in droves. 8 years later not one pane of glass has been fitted. Let's hope this current project goes differently and wish it God Speed. We need a quick resolution as those owners with their properties up for sale in the proposed rezoning areas have next to no chance of selling with this sword of Damocles hanging over them. Although I've no intention of upping roots, currently my pool is earmarked for public use!
Mike Lillico
Playa de Palma
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