From this summer until 2029, the beautiful trendy Balearic island of Formentera will have to remove a total of 681 sun loungers and 339 parasols from its beaches, in accordance with a resolution by the Directorate-General for Coasts and the Coastline regarding temporary installations for the period 2026–2029.
The resolution affects the beaches of Cavall d’en Borràs, Ses Illetes, Llevant, Es Pujols, Es Copinar and Migjorn, the Formentera Council reported in a statement on Wednesday. The resolution authorises 1,169 sun loungers and 589 parasols, but excludes 681 sun loungers and 339 parasols from the initial proposal put forward by the island’s council.
Other items, such as trunks used as storage boxes, have also been rejected, whilst beach buoys and the island’s three sailing schools have been authorised. During the meeting, the Regional Minister for the Environment, Verónica Castelló, stated that the institution had acted “within the legal timeframe and in accordance with the law” throughout the processing of the application, and that she did not agree with the “excessively restrictive” criteria applied in this resolution.
The island’s authorities consider that a large part of the restrictions imposed stem from the strict application of the criteria set out in the OCAMAT regulations, a regional order governing the distribution of temporary installations on the beaches of the Balearics. Among other matters, this order sets minimum distances of 10 metres from the sea, limits on the length of occupied sections, open spaces between plots, and additional environmental conditions.
The island’s government has reiterated to the concessionaires that it fully shares the need to protect the coastline and ensure environmental sustainability, but also maintains that this sustainability must be compatible with the island’s economic and social reality. The regional minister has also expressed concern about the consequences this reduction may have on the affected business owners.