Mayor visits building sites in the city centre

Mayor of Palma Joan Fageda donned a hard hat as he visited the building sites in the old part of the city, which is being given a facelift. The city council is revitalising the old city centre and has spent considerable sums in districts such as Sa Gerreria, behind the Calle Sindicato. The Mayor visited the red light district, which is being torn down, and also stopped at the archaeological sites, where experts from the heritage board have to give permission before building work can go ahead. The council is planning to build 300 flats, 45 shops, an underground car park and two public squares. The cost of a flat with parking space could be in the region of 120'000 euros. The Mayor was accompanied by Rafel Vidal, the head of the planning department, who said that all the necessary expropriations had been completed and 52 families had been rehoused. Only three families still need to be rehoused, he said. He pointed out that part of the work has already been completed: the Flassaders cultural centre is up and working, as is the craft school and the Passeig per l'Artesania (Craft Avenue). The Calatrava cultural centre will be opened shortly. Some 84 million euros are being poured into the area, 60 million from private enterprise.