By Andrew Ede
The Balearic Government is to allocate €15 million to the purchase of obsolete properties in tourist resorts. Primarily this is for hotels/hostels but other types of property could be included.
The purpose is the regeneration of urban environments. Eligible projects could be demolished in order to create green spaces or could be converted for what the government describes as “social purposes”.
A stated aim of reducing density in resorts where construction was carried out without environmental criteria during the tourism boom of the sixties and seventies would appear to favour the creation of green spaces. The government also refers to mitigating the impact of climate change.
In addition, this will be a measure “aligned with the transformation of the current tourism model into a more balanced, sustainable, and resilient one”. “It addresses challenges arising from tourism overcrowding”, such as the loss of residents’ quality of life and the increase in polluting emissions.
An aspect of eliminating obsolete accommodation will be a reduction in the overall number of accommodation places. These will not be placed in the pool for acquiring places and will therefore disappear. The number, it has to be said, is likely to be minimal.
It is expected that proposals from town halls for the purchase of obsolete properties will be requested in October and that there will then be a two-month period for applications. The purchases are to be funded by the tourist tax.