The Consell de Govern yesterday approved a major halt on urban growth across the Balearic Islands. As Diario de Mallorca and Diario de Ibiza reported on October 22nd, city councils will not be able to authorize new urbanizations if they have unbuilt urban land within their municipal boundaries. This measure is intended to avoid expansive urban growth of large villas in the outskirts when there are unbuilt plots, land for development or buildings that have not been rehabilitated. It is a way to put a stop to the decades of expansive urban growth experienced by the islands.

Similarly, swimming pools on rural land are also restricted to just one installation per site and a maximum area of 35 square meters. All these measures, among others of minor impact, are included in the Decree Law 10/2022, which must be validated by the Parliament.

Curb on urban growth

Limiting mansions

The fine print of the decree prohibiting new urbanizations has a clear objective: to avoid new urban areas of large villas and mansions on the outskirts of municipalities while in the interior there is unbuilt urban land.

The exceptions

VPO or public facilities

City councils will only be able to bypass the rule of not being able to authorize urbanizations if they have 15% of vacant urban land, if public housing developments (VPO) are to be developed or schools, health centers or sports centers are to be built.

Limiting swimming pools

Curbing the urbanization of the countryside

The Govern has pushed the restrictions of rural swimming pools to one per property arguing that it is to save water. However, it is an urban planning measure to make construction and holiday rentals in the countryside less attractive.

As explained yesterday by the Councilor for the Environment and Territory, Miquel Mir after the Consell de Govern, municipal urban planning will not be able to create new growth of developable land, occupying rural land on the outskirts of the urban area, when the needs can be solved with rehabilitation, regeneration and urban renewal actions and when in the municipality there is more than 15% of unbuilt, vacant land.

For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.