Homeless person living by the port in Palma Mallorca

Living in the road works. | Miquel À. Cañellas

Andrew EdePalma23/07/2024 08:10
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A homeless person is living in the midst of construction work on Palma's Paseo Marítimo near to the Torre de Paraires.

He has been occupying the roadside space for the past six weeks. Sheets have been put up to shield a mattress, supermarket trolleys full of clothes and several parasols. There is no roof.

Accessing this space isn't straightforward because of all the fencing. It's between two lanes of the Paseo, and there is no pedestrian crossing nearby.

Home for a homeless person in Palma Mallorca
Between two lanes. Photo: Miquel À. Cañellas.

Homeless people are not uncommon in certain parts of the city, e.g. Parc de ses Estacions, but for the Paseo Marítimo this is unprecedented.

Meanwhile, the president of Paseo Marítimo Residents Association, Antonio Ruiz, is critical of the general mess on the frontline - overflowing bins, rubbish on the ground, indelible stains on the new paving stones and the smell of vomit and urine.

Ruiz says that the municipal cleaning service has problems removing the dirt that has become encrusted in paving stones that were only laid a couple of months ago. "The pavements absorb all the grease and liquids. These have created stains that are now impossible to remove."