Mayors from across Majorca have attended a meeting at which the holiday rentals zoning was discussed. Leading the meeting were the president of the Council of Majorca, Miquel Ensenyat, and the councillor for land, Mercedes Garrido.
The zoning received its initial approval at the full session of the Council of Majorca last Friday. Even before this approval, there was unrest among some mayors, in particular those from municipalities where restrictions are due to apply because of "saturation". All town halls have a period of a month as from last Friday to make submissions, and several are looking at means of trying to increase zones.
In principle, these town halls face a difficult task. The Council has always made clear that amendments can be made but only if they are more restrictive rather than less. However, Garrido suggested that it may be possible to change criteria that determine saturation.
The Calvia resorts of Magalluf/Palmanova, Paguera and Santa Ponsa as well as the Llucmajor part of Arenal, Cala Deya, Port de Valldemossa and Port des Canonge are the only areas of Majorca right on the coast that are deemed to be saturated. Otherwise, this classification applies to specific urban centres away from the coast, even if some are very close to the coast, such as Alcudia town. According to the regulation as it currently stands, in saturated zones there can only be rentals of a maximum of sixty days per annum in an owner's main place of residence.
Garrido called on the mayors to take an island-wide vision and so, for instance, not prohibit rentals in their municipalities, as this would just transfer issues to neighbouring municipalities. This wasn't, however, what many mayors had in mind. They weren't talking about bans but about there being fewer restrictions.
Among the town halls wanting a more permissive approach were Santanyi, Fornalutx and Ariany. In the case of Fornalutx, mayor Antoni Aguiló wants the prohibition on rentals on protected rustic land to be modified. Garrido indicated that there may be some change on this.
One mayor who has no objections to the zoning was Alfonso Rodríguez in Calvia (and he wasn't alone in this regard). Calvia town hall will not be seeking anything more permissive. On the contrary, Rodríguez said that the administration will be analysing proposals for greater restriction.