Restaurant owners in Palma's La Lonja area, whose relations with the town hall have been fraught for some years, have launched a new attack on the administration, accusing it of "continuous persecution".
This stems from regulation regarding terrace space, the restaurants maintaining that there has been a reduction of fifty per cent, while the town hall puts this at eleven per cent. The restrictions, says one owner, "will lead directly to the destruction of jobs and the ruin of some of the businesspeople in the area".
With the support of the CAEB Restaurants Association, they have requested a formal meeting with Mayor Hila and the internal affairs department. This is due to take place shortly. Meanwhile, the matter has been put in the hands of lawyers and may well end up in court. If so, this won't be the first time that judicial intervention has been sought.
In 2018, La Lonja restaurant owners went to court to demand the elimination of the decree by which terraces had to close at 11pm. A judgement favourable to the owners was appealed, legal sources suggesting that the Balearic High Court is likely to back this ruling.
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These restaurants need to be controlled. It is a lovely square aoart from the restaurants that seek to fill it with tables. What right do they have to take 70-80% of a public square just to serve poor quality tapas to tourists? Their use of outside space should be as constrained as every other restaurant in Palma is.