New sustainable approach to land use will see green areas reclassified
A RADICAL new building ban will prevent further erosion of the islands’ valuable green spaces.
The Balearic parliament ruling means that land previously classified as ‘urbanizable’, or available for development, will be reclassified if construction has not yet begun.
Thanks to a campaign by Més per Mallorca thousands of hectares of rural land will be saved from construction across the islands.
The law which comes into force in January will see heavy fines for anyone break- ing the rules.
“It’s great news for the environment,” said Damia Borras, PSOE deputy leader in Menorca. “It provides transparency and more control mechanisms to combat urban speculation.”
At a press conference to celebrate the ruling, MES spokesman Bel Busquets said that in the town of Llucmajor alone some 200 hectares of land would be prevented from being developed. That’s the size of 280 football pitches.
She added that the regional authorities were ‘committed to a more sustainable model, which is adapted to the needs of a limited territory that we have to preserve’.