When the Partido Popular government took office in June 2023, housing in the Balearics was a top priority. An emergency plan was introduced, but implementation was not helped by issues at the housing ministry. The minister, Marta Vidal, resigned in July 2024, citing personal reasons. An impression later given was that she had never wanted the job.
Her successor, José Luis Mateo, has a lot on his plate. He is also the transport minister. While key transport projects - the Alcudia and Llucmajor railways - have generated controversy, housing policies have been better received, albeit with the inevitable criticisms from the opposition. Misgivings have also been expressed in professional circles; by the islands' architects for instance. And these have largely centred on just how much affordable housing (and at what prices) the government is planning.
The current background is one which has seen housing prices rise by roughly 30% since the PP took office. Mateo prefaces his response by attacking the PSOE-led governments of 2015 to 2023. "There's no immediate solution to a problem like this. We're now reaping the consequences of a policy that, over eight years, brought us a 90% increase. They only started a little over 500 public housing homes. We're now sowing the seeds we intend to reap by the end of the current period of office."
President Prohens has promised the "activation" of some 1,000 homes in 2026. Mateo explains: "We've approved an expedited procedure for public housing. We're accelerating all the processes and are skipping a period of one to three years. But I prefer not to give dates for the handover of keys."
In the meantime, the rental market is characterised by rising prices. Mateo is adamant that rent caps are not the answer. "There are reports that expressly and unequivocally indicate that capping rents in Catalonia has been an utter and resounding failure. There are regions governed by PSOE that don't apply this measure. If it were such a resounding success, then the whole country would be implementing it. Isabel Rodríguez (Spain's housing minister) has acknowledged that it's a supply problem. In the Balearics we'll continue with the Safe Rental programme."
Some 10,000 homes have been promised in Palma, Mateo pointing to two projects that the housing ministry has submitted to the town hall for planning approval - Son Güells and Son Puigdorfila. "We're talking about almost 4,000 homes, and more than half are affordable."
A government plan to build on rustic land has generated some controversy, not least because of suspicions that development will benefit certain landowners. Mateo insists he has "absolutely no idea who owns any land" in any municipality. "I don't know and I want to remain unaware, because we don't govern for any landowner or developer. We govern to solve the problems of the citizens of the Balearics. We have a very serious supply problem; we need to build. What we can't do is solve the housing problem without building.
"All our measures are aimed at generating housing for residents and, moreover, at affordable prices. That's why, by law, the requirement of five years of minimum residency in the region has been established and is also why we have no problem accepting proposals from town halls that ask us for longer residency requirements.
"It's normal for town halls that cede land to us for construction to set their conditions. They are very aware of the problems their citizens face in their municipality. They ask us to apply stricter requirements because they are the ones with first-hand experience of the reality of their citizens."