The stretch of way in question is only some 200 metres long, but it is of vital importance to the whole hiking route from Inca to Lluc. It is also the only part of the way that is now blocked.
The town hall will have to answer to the courts and explain its actions, but the mayor of Selva, Toni Frontera, says that the town hall is relaxed about this. "We have followed all the legal procedures for recovering the public domain. The documentation is very clear."
The Council of Majorca is likewise satisfied that there is no legal problem. The director for the environment, Josep Manchado, intends sending workers this month to start clearing the route and putting up signs. He refers to old photos from the 1950s which were taken by the US military and show the route of the way. Recovering the way is a town hall responsibility, but the Council will be marking it out and maintaining it. Neither the town hall nor the Council are aware of there being temporary legal measures to stop them performing the recuperation work.
The owner, meanwhile, insists that the 200-metre stretch is her property. The town hall put in a claim for it in 2004, but the process for this was stopped the following year. "We can demonstrate that it is mine."
