Parties oppose castle cover

Joan Collins VARIOUS associations and political parties have criticised Palma council's acceptance of the design of a cover for Bellver castle's courtyard. As reported in yesterday's Bulletin, the proposal for a transparent cover was accepted in the meeting of the Historic Centre Commission. There were seven votes in favour, three against and one abstension. One of the votes against was from the Association for the Revitalisation of Ancient Centres (ARCA). Their representative on the Commission, Josep Massot, said that the main problem with the project “is its aggressive nature, it is an installation which will put anchor points in the castle wall, and there is no guarantee that the tension force generated by the cover will not make cracks in the structure of the building”. At the same time Massot, who is also vice president of ARCA, criticised “the seasonal nature of the cover” and put forward the theory that possibly “through neglect or practicality, this cover will stay in place at all times, thus obscuring the view of the castle's patio from the Keep.” For his part, the secretary of ARCA, Joan Pascual, said that it is a “comparative insult” that “Bellver castle's patio can be covered but it is prohibited to cover private patios in the city” and added that “it is one more demonstration of the council's modus operandi, they have one rule for themselves and another for the rest of us”. The red/green alliance joined in the controversy by branding the proposal “extreme” and saying that “if ceremonies take place at times when there is more risk of rain, it would appear logical to choose a more appropriate setting and not try to change a castle which was not built with Señora Cirer's receptions in mind”. The Republican left wing party think that this project is an “agression against our heritage”. Helena Inglada, member of the party's executive, said that “the council is continuing with its disregard for our heritage, trying to force a centuries old design to fit the requirements of a modern function room”, adding “we should not forget that the main function of the castle is to be a museum and to teach our history”. Also joining in the row was Angel Aparicio, President of the Group for the Study of Balearic Fortifications (GEFB), who put forward various reasons for his opposition. He said that “we are totally opposed and we will ask to see the project during the period when objections can be raised”. He described the idea as “an aberration”. He is worried about the 32 anchor points and the damage that they could inflict of the castle's walls. He thinks this is “against the law” and opposed “modifying the castle's skyline”.