Various articles contained in three laws introduced by the Bauzá administration are to be frozen by the regional government until the end of 2017. The laws in question are those for tourism, land and farming, and they are to be subject to a government decree, following an agreement hammered out between the government parties - PSOE and Més - and Podemos. The decree will mean that these articles will not be applicable for the next two years, while others will be amended.
The amnesty on illegal builds on rural land is to be suspended. The law introduced by Biel Company, the former environment minister, made it possible for buildings that didn’t have permission to be legalised. There is to also be a modification to the older law of 1997 regarding rural land which will toughen conditions for building in general and also prohibit construction in the natural areas of special interest in Ibiza. A further suspension applies to the possibility to increase the size of buildings to 450 square metres.
Hotel expansion will now be frozen as also will other provisions of the 2012 tourism law in respect of indiscriminate change of use and unique projects by renowned architects.
A further article under the tourism law that refers to large developments on rural land such as golf courses and polo fields is being frozen, as also are potential additions to hotels. It will now be necessary for a “general interest” to be shown for such rural developments.
Seven farming law articles are being suspended and another seven will be amended. These relate to authorisations to segregate rural land and to use such land for tourism purposes in an indiscriminate fashion. The most striking element, however, is that the decree will freeze tourist facilities on farmland until the end of next year.
The provisions of the decree will come into effect when the decree is issued, although it will still have to be ratified by parliament. Projects started before the decree is issued will be subject to a transitional provision which in effect should allow then to continue so long as they are in the correct form.