The intention had been for approval prior to the end of the current administration. This has not been possible because the Council has yet to receive mandatory reports from the State Ports and the Costas Authority and has also not had sufficient time to incorporate provisions set out by the Balearic Environment Commission.
PIAT, a wide-ranging plan principally aimed at regulating tourism growth, is most known for its inclusion of the Council's zoning for accommodation places - holiday rentals and hotels - and therefore the classification of parts of Majorca (saturated, non-saturated, prohibited).
The councillor for land and infrastructure, Mercedes Garrido, explained on Friday that the situation with the reports and inclusion of the commission's requirements "is not especially complicated". The PIAT does, however, need some more work, "and there is too little time to do this". She was confident that the reports from the two state authorities would be "positive".
At the meeting to consider this, Pere Fuster of Més observed that a recommendation from the commission to limit the number of new accommodation places to 30,000 has not been adopted; the Council and the regional government tourism ministry have been working on the basis of 43,000.
Ivan Sevillano of Podemos noted that there was a willingness for consensus and that there are still some submissions from ecologist groups and tourism businesses that have yet to be resolved in respect of PIAT. The support of these sectors, he added, should be obtained in order for there to be definitive approval.
Garrido concluded that a further three to four months work will be required. Her party, PSOE, and Més and Podemos believe that they will still be governing the Council after the election later this month. Whatever happens at the election, Garrido will not be a councillor; she is on the PSOE candidates list for the Balearic parliament.
