Jordi Oliver is the owner of the Can Lluc restaurant in Cala Deya, which has operated for 42 years but now faces an uncertain future because the Costas Authority delegation in the Balearics has decided not to renew the concession for its terrace. "It's a joke," he says, adding that he has been waiting for fourteen years for the Costas to respond to a request for permission and explaining that the authority has been granting him temporary permits since 2008.
If the terrace has to go, Oliver explains that the restaurant will carry on but "with a reduced service". This will mean job losses and inferior service for the many residents and visitors who typically go to the restaurant. The most recent temporary permit expires next month, and he will only be able to maintain the terrace if the Costas have a change of mind.
Oliver has the support of the Adopuma association, which was formed over the summer by businesspeople whose establishments have run into similar issues with the Costas, and also of the mayor of Deya, Lluís Apesteguia. He can't understand the Costas decision, pointing out that the restaurant and terrace have had favourable reports from municipal technicians and from the regional environment ministry. Despite these, adds Oliver, the Costas appear to be of the view that the terrace prevents members of the public from "walking freely".
* Can Lluc is one of two restaurants in Cala Deya. The other, Cas Patro March, featured in the BBC series The Night Manager.