Palma town hall has denied permission for increasing the space of 184 bar and restaurant terraces. Those terraces which already occupy additional space, the majority of them, will have to be cleared immediately.
Councillor Alberto Jarabo accepts that, in many cases, the terraces were allowed to expand pending official response to requests to increase size. A reason for denying permission is that some of the terraces have taken over space used for deliveries or which is reserved for ambulances and taxis. Others are on pavements, while between 60 and 70% of the terraces are in squares.
The director-general for internal governance, Marcos Cañabete, explains that the terraces can't occupy the additional space that they are in squares because the "spirit of the measure" to allow terrace expansion doesn't mean a reduction in space for pedestrians, "something which happens if terrace sizes are increased in squares".
In the case of the Plaza de los Patines, where bar owners have complained about being denied permission, Cañabete says that the situation is "peculiar". This is because the terraces aren't located in the square as such but on pavements that encircle the square. The decree which made terrace expansion possible "cannot be interpreted" in this way. He adds that most of the owners who are affected, although they have not received official notification, were informed some time ago by inspectors that permission would probably be denied.
At present, the town hall has given authorisation for 904 terraces to be increased.