26/09/2013 00:00
TW
0

PALMA City Council's planning department agreed yesterday on penalty measures to be brought into force against those who infringe by-laws and has imposed fines totalling 1.8 million euros.
Rodrigo de Santos, head of the town planning department, also said that the owners of some twenty properties in Palma which are threatening to collapse, will be told to carry out the necessary works to make them safe “within a time frame of a fortnight to a month”. De Santos specified that if someone doesn't take appropriate action within the stipulated period of grace, the City Council will apply sanctions, including bringing down unsafe buildings. He said that this was the case of an unfinished building on the Na Burguesa road which will shortly be demolished, or another building in a central street in Palma. The town planning chief also confirmed that at yesterday's meeting, 65 cases were processed relating to the granting of licenses for building work, for new as well as for restoration work. José Manuel Sierra, a councillor, reported on the agreements reached on Monday at a meeting of the Joint Housing Executive, during which certificates for building work were approved to the tune of 546'135 euros. This involves the completion of construction of 14 homes for old people to be managed under a rental scheme; the Es Jonquet day centre: and 12 homes for young people in Son Pareda. Sierra added that the meeting approved 423'022 euros worth of subsidies for the restoration of house façades.
According to Palma City Council's housing department, a study has been initiated to analyse the need for homes in the city. When it is complete, a “permanent watch” will be kept on the situation. Amongst the current plans of this City Council department, are the construction of 31 new homes in Sa Gerreria, 22 destined for old people in La Soledad and another 44 for the housing relocation project at Baluarte del Príncipe. Another of its priorities centre around the promotion of renting, since there are “40'000 empty homes” in Palma.
Discussing means of addressing this glut of unused homes, Sierra talked of the possibility of the City Council renting directly from the owner of a property in order to sublet it to a suitable tenant. Tax concessions as incentives to owners to let their property was also tabled for discussion. The head of Tax Affairs and the Civil Service, Pedro Alvarez, commented that representatives from Palma City Council and the Balearic government, began a series of meetings yesterday, which are to be held on a monthly basis in order to address shared responsibilities.