Restauración Mallorca, Afedeco and Pimeco will hold a Referendum at the beginning of April to ask the public if they agree with Palma City Council’s new terrace regulations and the pedestrianisation of city centre streets.
The President of Restauración Mallorca, Alfonso Robledo, says the ballot will contain two questions and those who participate will be asked to answer yes or no.
Five polls will be set up at various terraces and shops in Palma for just one day so that people can vote, but the exact date for the event has yet to be decided.
Business owners claim that the pedestrianisation of areas such as Carrer de la Unió and Plaça del Mercat has devastated trade and profits.
Restaurant and bar owners who have been forced to remove enclosures from their terraces fear that people won’t want to sit outside to enjoy a drink or a meal without protection from the elements.
Alfonso Robledo says he wants to make it clear to the Authorities the new regulations are bad for business.
“With this initiative we want to show the Consistory and the Federation of Associations of Neighbours of Palma that the people who live here are also our customers and that these decisions are not what they want."
The groups say public consultation is the only measure of pressure that has been agreed by both sectors for now, but other actions, including the mass closure of restaurants have not been entirely ruled out.