The special plan for Santa Catalina has been approved by the full meeting of the council at Palma town hall. But it does not have universal support. All the opposition parties voted against at Thursday's council session, while business and residents' representatives have expressed their worries.
Jacinta Galindo, the president of the Santa Catalina residents' association, spoke at the session and stressed that "we are all pretty concerned". In terms of planning for buildings, the plan "seems good to us to a certain extent, but we totally disagree with the planned traffic measures".
For example, residents do not agree with proposals for Plaça del Progrés, which will no longer be divided into two parts. Traffic will instead go past one side of the square. The consequence of this, they argue, will be that residents on one side of the square will benefit to the detriment of those on the other side. The urban planning department has explained that trees will be planted to act as an acoustic screen against traffic noise, a measure that residents consider to be "ridiculous".
Galindo regretted the lack of participation by residents in the development of the plan. Instead, reports were requested from entities such as the Balearic government's Institute for Women. The spokesperson for the residents said: "We have nothing against this body, but let's face it, it's of no interest to anyone."