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GOB considers it an error of historic proportions to allow the continued existence of the huge hotels at Son Bou for some decades more. For this reason they have filed a written list of the alleged defects of the project to the Alaior Town Council.

The two towers of the Milanos Pingüinos Hotel, part of the chain of Meliá hotels, have 11 floors on the front line of the sea and break up the landscape of the Son Bou beach. In Menorca it is difficult to find constructions so out of place and they are the antithesis of what should be the image of a Reserve of the Biosphere.

Also, this is somewhat contrary to the good perception that the Meliá Hotels want to have of themselves: http://www.meliahotelsinternational.com/es/responsabilidad-corporativa. To put forward a project, at this time, which keeps a building of up to 12 floors on the front line is a gesture which conveys no sensitivity for environmental questions and a serious incapacity to read the tendencies of tourism in a world that urgently needs the politics of sustainability.

These two enormous constructions were built in 1973, before the existence of the Law of the Coasts, before there were any environmental regulations, during the rule of a dictator and before GOB was created. They are two enormous blocks of cement fashionable at that time. Agreed. But now 45 years have passed and the buildings have more than amortised. It is quite illogical to tie the overall concerns of this tourist island to attempts to renovate these constructions in order to keep them for another 50 years.

Conversions of out of date tourist buildings should focus on improving quality and reducing quantity; on applying significant reductions in consumption of services; lowering the heights of constructions already on the front line and removing buildings.

But this remodelling is for keeping the current 1,140 places. It preserves the height of 12 floors and adds three floors to the constructions at the side. It increases the number of swimming pools and doubles the surface area.

GOB studied the project and presented a written list of defects before the start of the licensing process which has to analyse the towers of Son Bou and other similar cases.

It is illogical that laws are kept that reinforce errors such as this. Public institutions have proposed necessary amendments to prevent undesirable planning in 2018 but have acted as if we were in 1973. The ecotax should be used, also, to work towards these objectives.