Palma Town Hall has yet to put out to tender the second phase of its housing emergency plan, under which more than a thousand apartments with limited-price rents are due to be built on municipal land. The intention had been for this second batch of homes to be put out to tender in the first quarter of 2025, but that schedule has not been met.
Óscar Fidalgo, the councillor for urban planning, attributes the delay to the fact that the department is working with "limited resources". There are staff shortages. Almost 40% of jobs in the planning department are currently vacant.
He puts this down to many positions having been understaffed during the period of the previous administration. It is two years since the municipal election was held. Efforts are now being made "weekly", e.g. taking on staff for posts that had been created but which had not been funded.
The emergency plan is being carried out in various phases. The first involved a smaller number of apartments - 363. But one of the plots was withdrawn and three others didn't have funding. The bidding process is still under way for what are now 246 apartments.
Meanwhile, the second phase, which is on a larger scale, is already some months behind schedule.