By Humphrey Carter
The environmental organisation Amics de la Terra (Friends of the Earth) continues its fight against the overcrowding of beach loungers on the beaches of the island of Ibiza, especially in the ‘smallest and wildest coves’. The environmental organisation has informed the public about what to do if a beach or cove is crowded with sun loungers and parasols.
First, go to the Visor Litoral website, run by IdeIB, where you can check all the temporary facilities and concessions authorised on the beaches of the Balearics. Once you have identified the area you want to check, simply enlarge the image of the beach and click on the item you want to consult. Clicking on the arrow next to the selected item will open a detailed list with the number of sun loungers, parasols and other information that has been authorised in that specific area.
If the number of sun loungers on the beach does not match the number shown in the document, Amics de la Terra recommends taking a photo and calling the relevant town hall to report the situation. It was recently announced that Mallorca will remove nearly 2,000 sun beds from beaches on the island in a bid to make more space for local residents. A total of 1,700 sun loungers will be taken away as protests surrounding overtourism continue in areas of Spain, with Palma council deciding to take action. But one local council appears to have been caught out.
S’Arenal de Llucmajor near Palma will not have parasol and sun lounger services this summer as usual. This has been confirmed by the local council, which cites ‘technical problems’ with the ‘administrative deadlines’ for awarding the concession. Hoteliers in the area are furious and this morning issued a statement in which they say they are ‘outraged’ at the lack of facilities on the popular beach.
They claim that after three weeks of demanding a response from Llucmajor council to find out why the services had not yet been set up, given that it is now the end of June and the season has already started, they have only just been informed that the ‘Llucmajor council did not process the application for authorisation in the public maritime-terrestrial area for seasonal facilities in time’, they stated.
And, the beaches of Spain could undergo a significant change in their infrastructure with the disappearance of traditional showers. José Palacios Aguilar, president of the Association for Environmental and Consumer Education (ADEAC), has announced that this measure is being considered as part of a long-term strategy focused on sustainability and water saving.