Habtur, in announcing that the court was to consider the case, stated that 53% of holiday rental accommodation has "disappeared in Palma". Noguera has responded by saying that Habtur "intentionally" failed to mention that 53% of holiday rentals had been cut because "they were always illegal".
This decline, in the mayor's view, is good news and in the general interest in terms of creating access to housing.
Tourism minister Bel Busquets has defended the validity of tourism legislation and holiday rentals zoning specifically. Responding to the High Court decision (which will apply to the Council of Majorca and to Palma town hall), Busquets said yesterday that the legislation had provided the possibility to both promote apartment holiday rental in areas of Majorca's interior and to ban this in areas where there are problems with access to housing and coexistence.
The minister dismissed the idea that legislation was in an any way unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, Llorenç Galmés, the Partido Popular mayor of Santanyi and the party's candidate for president of the Council of Majorca at the May election, says that the PP will eliminate the zoning.
During a visit to Son Servera with the president of the PP, Biel Company, Galmés observed that holiday rentals have a positive impact on Majorca's economy. He referred to the situation in his own municipality, where the Council of Majorca had determined that Santanyi itself was "saturated". "The Council compared it with Magalluf and Palmanova, which have nothing to do with Santanyi."
Galmés stated that "when we are in government, we will get rid of zoning that has caused so much damage to families in Majorca".
