• The surface allocated to public premises has been tripled and it has been decided that all dwelling units will be subsidised housing.
• The agreement will allow the realisation of a more sustainable project in line with the new city model.

The Defence Department and the City Council of Palma have reached an agreement to reduce by half, from 1,668 to 831, the number of dwelling units that may be built on the Son Busquets land, as suggested by the City Council.

The Defence Department informed the City Council on 18th January about the acceptance of the municipal proposal. The agreement relates to the covenant signed between the Defence Department and the City Council of Palma in 1998, whereby the Defence Department pulled down the military family dwelling units 'Baluard del Príncep' and the City Council committed to reassess the use given to the Son Busquets barracks. During the PP municipal term of office, the reassessment of Son Busquets initially planned the building of 1,668 private dwelling units and allocate 30,000 square metres to the tertiary sector.

The mayoress of Palma, Aina Calvo, assumed the commitment to reduce the number of dwelling units in Son Busquets and to ensure the provision of public services required by this area. In line with this policy, the current City Council has been working for two years in order to develop a more sustainable project in Son Busquets in compliance with the new city model.

Since the proposal made by the current government team has been approved, the maximum number of dwelling units that may be built in Son Busquets will be 831, only half of the 1,668 dwelling units that were originally planned in the first proposal.

The solution agreed upon for Son Busquets implies the following:

• The surface allocated to premises has been tripled, i.e. it has been increased from 5,900 square metres (PGOU) to 16,800 square metres. The area will be provided with four premises, an issue that had been long awaited and demanded by the neighbourhood's residents. The premises will be providing the following services: educational services, sports, socio-cultural services and health care services.
• All the dwelling units being built will be subsidised housing. This measure thus helps to meet the social demand for subsidised housing, that will be enhanced by tertiary sector services.
• The density of dwellings, i.e. the number of dwellings per unit area, will be reduced from 150 to 75 dwelling units per hectare. Besides, land available for building will be reduced by 17% (31,000 square metres). These measures contribute to making the project more sustainable and ensure compliance with the new city model.
• The surface allocated to the tertiary sector (administration, retail, public premises, facilities...) is increased in such a way to locate these services in the urban stretch of the city and not in the industrial estates.
• A park covering a surface of 25,000 square metres
• Cession of 15% to be used by the City Council

The City Council of Palma already informed the Department of Defence about the acceptance of the new conditions, while at the same time it expressed its satisfaction for the acceptance of the new proposal that had been defended by the government team.

The Department of Defence understands and accepts the approach taken by the City Council of Palma in several meetings, focusing on the importance of adapting the future of the Son Busquets area to the new economic, environmental, social and sustainability demands.

The City Council of Palma will begin immediately to speak with the neighbours, thereby giving way to a participative process for the writing of a PERI (Special Plan for Internal Rehabilitation) that will include the agreement reached by both administrations. This plan will establish the final regulation of dwelling units, facilities, green areas, roads, etc...

The final proposal for solution accepted by the Department of Defence is the most positive proposal that has been proposed throughout the two years of conversations. The initial approach proposed to reduce the number of dwelling units by 354 (proposal submitted by the Ministry of Defence in the year 2008). However, the number of dwelling units has now been reduced by half, i.e. by 831 units, thereby reducing the initial dwelling population from 5,000 people to 2,500 people.