New Urban Planning Law to boost Construction

The decree specifies that a licence won’t be required for major renovation works and the changes will also affect the size of apartments which will he calculated per metre instead of per floor.

The amount of public space assigned to parking spaces will also be affected, with fewer spaces available on the street, so that more land can be used for recreational or leisure areas.

The decree states that the coronavirus crisis will increase the housing emergency “because much of Balearic Society has lost its purchasing power,” therefore it's critical that mechanisms are put in place to boost the construction of sheltered housing and the approved modifications will simplify administrative burdens and make it easier for positive silence to operate.

Hotel Changes

The decree includes amendments to the Tourism law, changing the increase in building capacity from 10%-15% and making provisions to allow the change of use of obsolete Hotels in VPO. The aim is to give Hoteliers and Tourism Establishents more room to adapt to self-assessment requirements “because of the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 crisis.”

Single rooms with a sleeping area of ​​more than 10 usable metres can now be used as doubles "provided that other double rooms are occupied as singles and the declared occupancy capacity of the accommodation is not exceeded.”

The decree eliminates the possibility that Tourist establishments with definitive termination may reopen in exceptional conditions "that are no longer considered adequate with the tourist situation of our archipelago."

The possibility of expanding the facilities by up to 15 percent will also affect Restaurants, Cultural Centres and Leisure Establishments, but must be ratified by the Local Council in Minorca and Ibiza and the Government in Majorca.

In addition to Urbanism and Tourism, the decree modifies a dozen laws in the Balearic Islands and repeals provisions of others.

The Government is establishing a new regulation for recreational areas managed by IBANAT to be able to execute maintenance and improvements "immediately and urgently".

The decree also abolishes compulsory membership of the College of Tourist Guides.