With the desperate need for affordable social housing across the island, I often wonder how much urgency is being applied to address the situation. It seems a fair share of current building projects in progress are not predominantly aimed at the more needful. Certain developers are more invested in the private sector, embracing a more personal, financial level of commitment over any genuine concern for Mallorca’s challenged minority. It’s a cash conscious culture which seems to be totally blinkered to the problem of affordable housing. So, what drives these hungry developers? Silly question, eh!
Quite recently, excavation for another ‘millionaire mansion’ on the slopes of the Puixet Gotmar, a gentle mountain residency overlooking the sought after Bay of Pollensa, ended in total disaster. The developer’s crew somehow managed to breach the foundations of the public road leading up to the existing community above, causing a dangerous landslide which collapsed a portion of the thoroughfare, forcing immediate closure, and stranding 62 residents with suddenly no vehicle access to their properties! How on earth did this happen! And how did the developer get permission to excavate so close to a public road?
Emergency re-construction was immediately enforced to stabilize, and make the road user-safe; yet having a property on Puixet Gotmar I can say that it certainly took time before access was open again. At least three weeks. And even now, there is only space for one single line of traffic with no visible evidence so far, to restore the road back to its original, recently resurfaced state!
I imagine there is a mountain of paperwork and a back-log of reports to wade through which will never translate to a swift, affirmative conclusion! As usual, it’s a blame game where no-one really wants to take responsibility. So, the local residents must take the hit and suffer the inconvenience. The original excavation happened very quickly. Possibly because there was a private contract involved! Pity getting the original road back to status quo is taking so long! Like the need for affordable housing . . .those responsible should just get on with it!