GOB warn of “destruction of the land” by Government

GOB, the environmental group, yesterday complained that according to their calculations, based on a recent study of theirs, at the end of their term of office this Balearic Government will have concreted over some 10 million square metres, 4 million more than during the last 4 Governments. The spokesperson for GOB, Miquel Angel March, yesterday quoted this figure from the report “Photograph of the greatest destruction ever suffered by the island of Majorca”, which has figures for the construction of homes, roads and other infrastructures between 1987 and 2000. March expressed his hope that the proposed law, which GOB presented to the Balearic Parliament more than a month ago as a “people's law” to stop the construction of more roads and to protect the land, would be approved. He pointed out that the consequences of building more and more roads were: the creation of new urbanisations; the destruction of the land; a “tremendous” drain on the economy; and the encouragement of private transport to the detriment of public transport. The study also says that during the last few years building in Palma and coastal areas has slowed down, but the amount of building in towns situated near new roads has increased. According to this report, during thise period 9'130 hectares in the Balearics had been built on, which is 41.4 percent of the land, complained March.
He added that during the first quarter of 2006 alone there had been 3'400 houses built which, if the Balearic Government continues to build at this rate throughout this year, will overtake the average in the 1970s, when 12'159 houses were built every year.