Dilip Kuner
MALLORCA’S spiralling housing crisis has taken another bizarre twist – with a gang of Algerian squatters moving into an abandoned lobster hatchery perched above the sea in Palma.
The once-thriving Pescados Miró seafood plant in El Peñón, Coll d’en Rabassa, now stands in ruin – but for the past few months, it’s served as a makeshift home for four young men. Locals say the group has hooked into electricity illegally, fends for food by fishing, and washes using sea water and a nearby fountain.
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The building, at risk of collapse, sits right on the coastline — just metres from tourist beaches and family homes. As the summer season approaches, residents say the occupation has sparked fears of increased thefts, anti-social behaviour and rising insecurity in the area.
“We’ve had bikes, bags, even phones stolen,” one neighbour told The Sun. “And now there are strangers watching our homes and tourists.”
Despite repeated calls to the authorities, police say they cannot act — as the property is publicly owned and no official complaint has been filed.
Meanwhile, frustrated locals are hitting out at Mallorca’s broken housing system, where rental prices have soared and young islanders are priced out — while abandoned buildings become shelters of last resort.
“Locals can’t afford to live here anymore,” one resident said. “But squatters get to stay on the beach for free.”
