Further to yesterday’s report on hotel projects in Calvia being “re-thought” by the town hall, the leader of the opposition, Jose Manuel Ruiz (Partido Popular), has attacked the town hall’s reconsideration of redevelopment projects that are under provisions of the tourism law.
Ruiz says that the first thing the current administration did was “to stop urban modifications of a tourism nature in mature (outdated) areas that were already underway”. He adds that “following constant changes of technical criteria for the granting of licences”, there is now a decision - the resizing of these investment projects - that will “cause their paralysis and increase legal uncertainty”.
The most serious issue for Ruiz is that the slowdown or “standstill” will lead to “a reduction in employment both this winter and next summer”. “It will delay the opening of many establishments, causing damage to the municipality’s economy, in particular the significant harm to the complementary (non-hotel) sector.” As for the town hall’s argument that licences, which are compliant with the tourism law, are being granted for redevelopment that goes beyond the provisions of Calvia’s general urban plan, Ruiz believes that this “makes no sense”, given that tourism legislation and regulations pertaining to development “are clear as to the procedures for conversion work in mature zones”. “It is another thing for them to want to change the criteria over and above their provisions.”