Last week, the Majorca Tourist Board was lamenting the lack of services on beaches in Campos, of which Es Trenc is the best known. The tourist board and others have reason to lament further.
Campos town hall, which had said that the demountable chiringuito bars would be installed by the start of June, has taken the decision to suspend the award of concessions for the chiringuitos and also for sunloungers and parasols.
Monday was the deadline for deciding on tenders for beach services. However, during the period of public consultation for the services, a number of submissions have been made which require resolving. Mayor Sebastià Sureda says that until they are, the tendering procedure will be suspended.
The submissions have come from individuals and also from the environmentalists GOB. In the case of GOB, they are ones which take issue with the specifications of the tender. Es Trenc is a natural beach, meaning that there are more restrictions than is the case with urban beaches. The protection of natural beaches, enshrined in national law, was the principal reason why the permanent chiringuitos were demolished, as they breached the law.
The individuals who have made submissions, it is understood, are businesspeople interested in being awarded the concessions. They are worried that there might be some legal issues down the line.
In addition to these submissions, the town hall points out that the regional government's land ministry has issued an unfavourable report with regard to the sunloungers and parasols.
Sureda stresses that the town hall wants to proceed with maximum legal security. The town hall will therefore be requesting clarification from the land ministry and also the environment ministry as to the tender specifications. It hopes to sort things out this week, but there is a fear that services might not be operable for the entire summer.
The key issue in all this is where the new chiringuitos can go. The regional government said last week that they can't be installed in the same places as the demolished bars. They also have to be a certain distance from the dunes.