PALMA
RESIDENTS in the Port of Pollensa are apparently fed up with the way the local council is riding rough shod over their heads and are seriously considering taking protest action.
It appears that the council's latest proposal to pedestrian part of the sea front was unveiled over the weekend without any public consultation and residents in the port, especially those who will be affected by traffic being diverted through their streets, are tired of being ignored by the town hall.
Gary Bonsall, President of the Residents Association, said that a growing number of local people are angry that they were neither consulted about the pedestrianisation plan nor the ambitious project to close the road which runs along the Bay of Pollensa between the port and Alcudia in order to make the beach bigger. The potential traffic problems these are going to cause many of the people living in the port are numerous and most local residents do not approve of either of the projects, he said. There are so many things which need to be repaired in the port - in Gotmar, for example, all the street lights are broken and nothing is being done - but the council says it has no money. We all know where the money has been spent, in putting the roof on the swimming pool the wrong way round, he said. This four-party coalition council - each party only won between 12 and 13 percent of the vote - is clearly not working. As a residents association, we're non political, we represent the best interests of the local population and could act as an important democratic tool if the council would only consult and listen to us. But they will not and, if they continue ignoring us we will take protest action in order to get our point across. We are going to be closely watching the council, acting as a kind of watchdog to make sure they carry out their moral obligations to act in the best interests of the municipality, Bonsall warned. We want to know if environmental impact studies have been carried out for both of the proposed projects, in compliance with European Union law - and if not, we may also consider legal action. The council is taking decisions behind our backs and then forcing them upon us. We don't want to play party politics, we just want the local council to protect the best interests of the local community in co-operation with us.