Central government to take a closer look

The group will be headed by Antonio Serrano, the director general for coasts, and its mission is to “revise” and “reconduct” a wide range of agreements which cover regenerating beaches, desalination plants, the city's ambitious green belt and the refurbishment of Raixa, an old estate in Bunyola.

The island of Cabrera will also be discussed, following a recent Constitutional court ruling which said that it was the regions, not the central administration, which were responsible for the management of national parks.

The socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is revising various projects agreed when Balearic leader Jaume Matas was the central environment minister.

Sources say that plans to set up an “interpretation centre” or museum on Cabrera could be revised.
As to Raixa, purchased jointly by the environment ministry and the Council of Majorca, it is now the subject of an internal audit. But Council of Majorca sources said that all that had to be discussed over Raixa was when the government would start to pay.

Miquel Nadal, who negotiated the purchase, pointed out that the Council and ministry are co-owners. When Matas was minister, he planned to make it the headquarters of the National Parks Foundation, but his replacement cancelled the agreement. As far as the ministry is concerned, its future is “an unknown” and that is why it wants to have talks with the local authorities.

The central ministry is also about to unveil a specific plan for Balearic coastlines, recovering the public domain and guaranteeing free access to the beaches.

It says this project will be given priority.
Jaume Font, the Balearic environment minister, said that his relation with the central minister Cristina Narbona “was not negative”, adding that in many projects the two governments could “go hand in hand.”