The Balearic Government Council approved a deep and broad slowdown of urban growth across the territory this Tuesday. In the Balearic Islands, city councils are now restricted from permitting new developments on unbuilt urban land. The measure aims to curb expansive growth of large villas where there are existing plots or buildings that could be refurbished within urban areas. It also imposes limits on the construction of swimming pools on rural soil and protects certain areas designated as ANEI or Natural Areas of Special Interest, including Es Trenc, the Xorrigo cottage zone, parts of the Serra de Tramuntana, and Cala Jornal in Eivissa. These provisions are contained in Legislative Decree 10/2022, which awaits approval by the Parliament.
According to the Minister of Environment and Territory, Michael Mir, after the Council of Government, municipal planning will not allow new developable sectors if real needs can be met through rehabilitation, renewal, and urban renewal actions and the municipality owns more than 15 percent of vacant land or land designated for growth. The policy further states that new developable sectors cannot be planned in areas at risk of flooding.
This framework includes a notable exception: the promotion of public housing and public facilities. Parks, sports centers, health centers and other public infrastructures are contemplated as allowable projects, provided the municipality has the land required to implement them.
The decree also strengthens water conservation measures. The strongest restriction concerns the building of swimming pools on rustic land, permitting only one pool per agricultural plot and capping total surface at 35 square meters.
Separately, the Emergency Urban Planning Measures Decree announced today expands protection by designating 145 hectares of natural special interest areas (ANEI). The aim is to safeguard Es Trenc and to ensure the continuation of the Natural Park. Eleven hectares of countryside previously identified as ARIP, along with the Son Gual and Xorrigo valleys and other natural areas of the Serra de Tramuntana, have seen revisions that declassified certain zones in Palma’s General Plan and its Detailed Planning Plan. Cala Jondal in Eivissa remains listed as a Community Interest site within the Natura 2000 network. In total, 170,642 hectares are now protected under ANEI, and 26,748 hectares under ARIP within the Balearic Islands, reinforcing a broader territorial protection strategy [Citation: Balearic Government].