• ARCA has been working in the selection of several 'posesiones' (old traditional country houses), which it considers to have a historical, artistic and scenic value.
  
• No further demolition licences will be granted for these kind of traditional country houses during the course of one year and while the specific modifications of the PGOU to introduce new elements within the scope of the catalogue review are underway.

The Town Planning Department and the Department for Culture of the City Council of Palma have begun with the required procedures to protect a total of 76 traditional country houses, located on rural land within the municipality of Palma, which have been considered to have a special historical, artistical, architectural and scenic value by the Association for the Revitalisation of Old Centres (ARCA).

Thus, during the next City Council assembly, the government team will submit a proposal to suspend any procedures granting town planning licences for the demolition of any of these 76 traditional country houses during the course of one year. Besides, the town planning licences or authorisations that are not related to the demolition but affect, in some way or another, any of these 76 country houses, will first need to be subject to a report issued by the Commission of the Historical Centre and Catalogue.

This suspension in the granting of licences will be valid for a year, as of the date of publication of the agreement reached by the assembly in the BOIB. The regulation already envisages that this measure will come into effect retroactively three months prior to the date of publication.

All these traditional country houses may be included later on in the Catalogue that the City Council of Palma tendered out on 17th February.

CATALOGUE REVIEW

During the session held on 17th February, the Government Assembly approved the tendering out of works for the collection of information for the review of the catalogue for the protection of buildings and of those elements located within the municipality of Palma having a historical, artistic, architectural and scenic value. The period for the presentation of teams wishing to carry out this task will run until the end of next week (until 26th March).

It is envisaged that the collection of information for the review of the catalogue shall be accomplished in November. This tool will be helpful to improve the protection of those elements located within the city having a scenic, environmental and heritage value.

The completion of the catalogue by means of the inclusion of these elements will make the catalogue of Palma become:

- More complete and become adapted to the protection requirements of the city's cultural heritage.
- Easier to consult by citizens. New digital dossiers will be created.
- A more operational work tool for the Town Planning Department and the Department for Culture and Heritage of the City Council of Palma.
- A tool available for the use of the citizenship.

Non-permanent Commission

As soon as the task concerning the collection of information has been accomplished, a non-permanent Commission will be constituted for the completion of the Catalogue for the protection of buildings and of those elements having a historical, artistic, architectural and scenic value. This non-permanent Commission will be made up of entities for the protection of the cultural heritage, of the federation associations and entities of Palma, of the UIB University, of the Association of Architects, of municipal political groups and members of the Town Planning Department as well as of the Department for Culture and Heritage of the City Council of Palma.

Criteria for the catalogue review

Include:

- Any BIC Monument, Historical Collection of elements, Historical Garden, Historical Place and any Place of Ethnological Interest.
- All the elements catalogued by the Commission of the Historical Centre and Catalogisation.
- All the elements catalogued in the Special Plans that have not been included in the general catalogue.
- All the elements required to be catalogued by the Territorial Plan of Mallorca:

1.- Civil architecture:

Traditional architectural buildings and buildings for housing purposes located outside the historical city centre and outside the suburban development area of Palma (1902).

Representative buildings located across the municipality and showing stylistic features from the 19th or 20th centuries.

2.- Industrial or pre-industrial heritage.

3.- Elements having a scenic or environmental value.

4.- 'Posesiones' (old traditional country houses) and rural architecture.

5.- Ethnological elements, especially stone walls and cobbled paths.

6.- Hidraulic heritage.

7.- Heraldic sculptures.

8.- Sundials.

The area of the municipal cemetery that dates back to before 1950.

The water extraction mills and the old traditional country houses located in rural areas are excluded since they represent elements that have already, parallel to these tasks, been subject to protection measures or to an analysis.