Approval was given on Wednesday for a special plan for Palma's Santa Catalina district. Speaking after a meeting of the town hall's governing board, the councillor for the model of the city, Neus Truyol, said that the plan will involve suppressing traffic through Plaça del Progrés, limiting new licences for restaurants and other establishments and establishing specific standards for new buildings.
The plan will list up to eight buildings and also give protection to the facades of 46 others. Maximum heights of new buildings will, in general, be no more than a ground floor plus two floors. Buildings materials and composition of the facades will be specified.
As for changes to traffic, the most obvious impact will be seen in Plaça del Progrés, which currently crosses a wide street (Comte de Barcelona) and "breaks the square and neighbourhood in two". The town hall wants to make the square "a meeting space" by removing the "barrier" of having traffic in between.
Regarding economic activity, there is to be a limit of three "public establishments" (bars) within a radius of 50 metres. Existing establishments will continue to operate so long as they maintain the licence.