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Next Monday, September 15th, an extraordinary plenary session on the Island Territorial Plan will be held at the Island Council of Menorca. At 10 in the morning. Everyone who is concerned about the future of the island and is available at that time should attend the hall in Biosfera square, Maó.

The Territorial Plan is one of the main tools for keeping Menorca’s land protected. The current government team is trying to introduce major changes that would seriously alter the island’s territorial model. This has been confirmed by technical and legal reports made on the modification documents that had been drafted.

Now, the President and the Councillor for Territory say those were only drafts from external advisors, even though the documents had been sent to other public administrations as a formal proposal for modification. It is as if they wanted to pretend that those episodes, which are on record in public archives, had never existed. And now the Council announces new proposals in press conferences that have not yet appeared in any public document.

This somewhat surreal situation, which some are already calling “the draft deception”, would be a comic episode if it were not for the fact that the island has so much at stake. The modifications included in the documentation that was intended for approval —new urban and tourist pressure on rural land, the elimination of all landscape criteria, the loss of protection of many areas that have been protected for decades— outline a frankly dangerous scenario, implying a serious setback.

It is not the first time that speculative forces, which always hover over preserved territories, pressure administrations to play their game. To stop these particular interests, people’s protest must be shown.

For these reasons, everyone who can is called to attend the Council Plenary Session on Monday 15th, at 10 am. Even better if you attend wearing T-shirts in defence of land protection.

Spread the word to friends you think might be interested.