Environmentalists GOB and Terraferida have criticised the Costas Authority in the Balearics for not having acted against alleged appropriation and development of a cave that is linked to a property owned by Mike Ashley in Cala Vinyes.
Spokesperson for Terraferida, Jaume Adrover, said on Wednesday that "the Costas don't do their job, while the municipalities turn a blind eye". It is understood that the Costas have ordered an inspection to check if work at the cave has been done recently. But for Adrover, it is a case of "these people with so much money do what they want because they know how to move within these frameworks, and even to what extent they can revalue properties".
He added that the property, on the market for 35 million euros, is advertised as having a 'private cave', despite the fact that the cadastre register apparently doesn't include it. Located in the public domain and in the coastal protection easement area, Adrover said that there are "hundreds" of cases like this in Mallorca.
For GOB, Margalida Ramis wondered how it is possible that public domain can be bought and sold. "It's scandalous." The Coasts Law established that occupation of the public domain may only be allowed for those activities or facilities that, due to their nature, cannot have another location. "This is not the case with this cave."