New plan to control the Balearic urban sprawl

This morning the Balearic government will unveil in detail the “model for the country” the region's new land management model for the next ten years. The principal aim of the new legislation will be to reduce the amount of new housing built by one per cent, which will effectively put a maximum on 18'000 new houses being constructed per year across the Balearics. A whole team of people has been working on the new plan for the past two years and the government hopes that the legislation will be approved at the end of this year or early in 2002. The “new model for the country” will also consolidate and boost the roles played by the Insular Councils and the local councils. The final objective is that within ten years time, the Balearics “is no longer growing” and that from the points of view of the population and the urban development, “we improve what we've got” government sources said yesterday “and if there is any growth, it is well controlled.” The new legislation will bring a greater sense of control and order to development, combining sustainable growth with the preservation of the environment.