Editorial: A bad idea

I get the impression that the new city council made a big mistake when they announced that they would seek to end the bar and restaurant terraces on the Born in Palma. The suggestion has been slammed by many, who quite rightly say, that the terraces helped  bring the Born to life especially during the evenings. I would say that the Born terraces were  probably one of the more successful policies of the previous Partido Popular administration. And I think that the new left-wing council is ready to admit that they made a big mistake. I get the impression that the new council is more concerned about access issues in other parts of the city where bar and restaurant terraces have been allowed to engulf the public highway. The city council have said that they will be holding talks with the bar and restaurant owners during the coming weeks but I suspect that the terraces are here to stay. Some Palma residents say that the joys of the Born have been ruined by the terraces and that access is a big problem. Fairs, such as the book fair, had been moved to other venues, because there is simply not enough space. But at the end of the day Palma is a tourism capital and tourism is our lifeblood. We need as much revenue from tourism as a possible and the terraces were a clear example. The new council has other rather controversial projects which are more than likely to go ahead such as the possible delay on environmental grounds of the new Playa de Palma shopping centre.  This is a not bad idea.