The one-time Cala Conills beach restaurant in Sant Elm is being demolished. On the order of the Costas Authority, work started on Tuesday, the restaurant having been abandoned for several years.
There used to be a concession for a restaurant, a terrace and a swimming pool. This expired in 2013 under a ruling by the Audiencia Nacional high court in Madrid and which was ratified a year later by the Supreme Court.
In 2015, the restaurant's management explained that there had been complaints from a resident which had resulted in proceedings having been initiated. For a number of years, the management had argued that there was no excess occupancy of public domain. "Unfortunately, the courts decided that excess occupancy had occurred. This was the reason why the concession expired."
Environmentalists GOB have criticised the Costas Authority for its "passivity", saying that the demolition should have been carried out five years ago.