Aerial view of Son Banya, there are now only 85 homes left standing. | ULTIMA HORA

TW
0

The Governing Board of Palma City Council has approved the demolition of all the homes that are still standing in Son Banya.

The Councillor for Social Services, Antoni Noguera, says there's a budget of 917,000 euros to bring down the 85 houses left in the town, which is home to 90 families.

This second phase of the demolition will be carried out block by block for safety reasons and it's likely to take around 5 days to demolish each of the nine blocks in the village.

Once a block is demolished, a one and a half metres high slope will be built to prevent new buildings from being erected and when the town is completely dismantled, the municipal land will be transferred to the Balearic Government.

Image provided by the town council of the area of the village to be dismantled

The first phase of the project began in July 2018 and ended in March 2019 when 31 eviction orders were executed, forcing 68 adults and 49 children to leave their homes.

Some of the families that were forced out are still waiting for a house and in 5 cases they stayed in Son Bany for humanitarian reasons, (pregnant women or minors who did not qualify for the municipal aid program).

Noguera has announced that within a few days Palma City Council will hire solicitors and barristers to fulfil the legal work required and send eviction orders to the families who will be forced out of their homes.

A budget of around 50,000 euros has been set aside to pay for the solicitors and for a census of the inhabitants still living in the village, to clarify how many families are entitled to financial aid.

Compensation for the affected families is expected to amount to around 120,000.