Four petrol stations in Palma are being shut down because they don’t have a permit to operate.
Government Spokesperson Alberto Jarabo says the petrol stations in Plaça del Progrés, Avinguda Gabriel Alomar i Villalonga, Plaça Francesc García Orell/Plaza de las Columnas and Calle Sant Miquel do not have the necessary paperwork and are not pay any fees for the plots they occupy.
He did not explain why these petrol stations have been allowed to operate for so many years without permission and would not confirm whether they would face sanctions for operating without a permit.
“A process of regularisation of this situation has begun which will also comply with the urban reorganisation plan that prohibits the presence of fuel tanks near homes,” said Jarabo. “It’s Palma City Council’s responsibility to apply the current regulations, to protect citizens from possible risks in spaces it owns.”
The process of ex-officio recovery of these plots will begin on Thursday and the gas station owners and suppliers will be notified and given 10 days to respond.
There are plans to replace the petrol station in Plaça del Progrés with a car park, but insiders say "the one in the Avenidas may be allowed to keep running because it’s in a location that’s used a lot by drivers."