Sant Lluis weed killing

Views: 255

A few days after the weed killing along the roadsides of urbanizations on the Sant Lluis coast, the effects of the product used are evident where dry and blackened grass has been left. It confirms that a herbicide product was used from Cap d’en Font to Binibèquer Nou .

GOB estimates that they have sprayed weed killer along some 7 kms of sidewalks adjacent to houses. The treatment has not gone as far as the eastern area from Cala Torret, where the contrast with the island greenery at this time of year that still exists can be seen. (See attached photos.) Continue reading Sant Lluis weed killing →

The provision for 490 chalets, in distress

Views: 278

The projection of 490 villas on the Sant Lluis coast has had an official complaint made by GOB as a result of finding many important deficiencies in the forward planning.

The official plans for plots in Binisafuller and Cap d’en Font, with a projection of nearly five hundred villas, of which nearly half are already built, implies a projected population of 1,470 inhabitants, that must be supplied with drinking water and must have the management of sewage. Continue reading The provision for 490 chalets, in distress →

GOB will take part in the Show by Organisations

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This Saturday in Es Castell, GOB will take part in a show given by Organisations of Menorca. It will be a festive morning in which representations of the Island’s organisations will have workshops and activities related to their purposes. The aim, through fun, is to highlight the importance of the work of the association fabric of the island and to invite everyone to join in.

The exhibition is organised by the Forum of the Third Sector Associations of Menorca (Fòrum ETS Menorca) currently formed by 49 associations from very different fields, which, between them, channel the needs and concerns of Menorcan society. There will be 22 represented in Es Castell, each one having prepared an activity: workshops, activities, games, visits, discovery tours… Continue reading GOB will take part in the Show by Organisations →

Desalination plants: the excuse for suicidal growth

Views: 264

For months now, we have seen in the press, repeated articles on desalination plants. They are always presented as giving water to the population, but the information hides some points that should be kept in mind.

Desalination is much more expensive

Since the work on the desalination plant for Ciutadella was delivered, the Balearic Government promised to pay the equivalent of 8,000 euros per day for the 15 years of construction. More than 43 million euros. This is being paid by the citizens although blurred by other costs. Continue reading Desalination plants: the excuse for suicidal growth →

Ciutadella, water chaos that could be made worse

Views: 497

The Ciutadella Town Hall plans to increase the current extractions from the aquifer (which is nearly completely saline) by 30% and use the desalination plant  100% by 2031. GOB has submitted formal complaints about the so-called Sustainable Management Plan of water and the drought emergency, because it considers the plan to be unrealistic. Continue reading Ciutadella, water chaos that could be made worse →

The Exhibition for Son Bou has covered the balance of the costs for the legal proceedings

Views: 290

Hundreds of people visited the exhibition, “Son Bou Act”, acquired works of art and gave donations. This meant that, within five days, the necessary funds were raised to defray the costs of the legal proceedings initiated by GOB. The entity asks that public institutions will also work to avoid the enlargement of the two enormous hotels on the beach.

The hotels of Son Bou have made one of the worst impacts to the landscape of the Menorcan coastline. They were constructed in the seventies, then, in 2017, a project was submitted by the promotion company that plans to keep the height of the 12 floors of the two towers and add a five-story construction next to and between them. This will have the effect of a huge screen.

GOB found that the hotels never complied with the plot surface requirement for a licence in the seventies, thus making the buildings illegal and not able to benefit from the Provision of the Tourism law that could allow an extension. For that reason, the process has been stopped during the last six years.

In 2022, the company submitted a petition to separate and regroup the plots of land with the intention of adding more square meters as building land and so legalising the current constructions. However, GOB considers that they have taken green areas to count as building land. This is the reason for having started the contentious administrative process, since the Alaior Town Hall has rejected, through its administrative silence, reviewing this operation.

GOB considers that it is unwelcome these days trying to enlarge yet more such enormous buildings as the hotels in Son Bou on the front line of the sea.

The entity regrets that the public institutions are not working to reduce significantly the effect of the hotels on the landscape but rather apply silence and opacity to a project that aims to increase the impact greatly on the landscape of the largest beach of Menorca. This attitude needs to change.

At the same time, we would like to give our sincere thanks for the help given by more than 50 artists who donated works; to those who helped carry out the activities complementary to the exhibition (of theatre, poetry recital and the “glossat” – improvised poetry performance) and to all those who responded to the call ensuring that legal costs are not an impediment for defending the island.

Discharge of sewage water in Cap d’en Font

Views: 301

The presence of sewage water along the coast of Sant Lluis  led to finding a fixed installation for a discharge into the public domain. GOB documented the case and made a formal complaint to Costas and the Department of the Environment.

Cap d’en Font has a series of large chalets with enormous lawns in their gardens. For that reason, the area was chosen by GOB to show the large consumption of water taken for gardening, as part of the framework for their excursions made last year in their campaign Menorca In-SOS-tenible.

Some of the people on this excursion saw, in an open area close to one of the large chalets, an area covered by shrubs and weeds, filled with sewage water and told GOB. An inspection led to finding a pipe hidden in the vegetation, from where the discharge came.

Comments from the neighbours suggested that they had noticed, on other occasions, rocks with coloured waters and suspicious smells. It pointed to a habitual practice of the emptying of a septic tank belonging to a chalet, which, they also said, had a lot of summer tourist activity despite not having a tourist rental permit.

Cap d’en Font is one of the urbanizations that does not have a sewage system. The owner of each establishment is responsible for contracting someone to empty their septic tank when it is full.

GOB estimates that the garden attached to the discovered “facility” must use about 1000 litres of water daily just for maintaining the lawn in the summer. This is 90,000 litres, minimum, during the tourist season.

For that reason alone, these chalets should be, already, the object of systematic inspections. This is particularly so since there is a means for discharging sewage water into a public domain, including an area where people swim, which aggravates the situation even more.

A formal complaint has been registered with the Balearic Government Ministry of Sea (that assumed the responsibility of coastal surveillance since July) and with the Environmental Agencies.

Monday 28 August, benefit exhibition for Son Bou

Views: 237

A large group of artists are donating works to benefit the legal proceedings filed by GOB against the intention of enlarging the Son Bou hotels. The opening will be on Monday 28 August at 19.30. Different events have been organised for the following days as part of the Son Bou Act exhibition.

Numerous paintings, drawings and photographs can be bought at the GOB premises in Maó, in the Molí del Rei, that have been donated to help defray the legal costs required for the case brought against the increase in volume of the two large hotels that are on the front line of Son Bou.

GOB has spent six years fighting to have the project presented by Melia reconsidered, which aims to build five more floors between the two existing towers. On the understanding that the existing buildings have legal deficiencies and that the regrouping of the plots made by the Alaior Town Council, making green areas for building, a judicial route is being taken that is being paid for with contributions made by the public.

This is when the solidarity of a series of artists appeared, who believed it necessary to contribute to this public mobilization that favours complying with urban regulations drafted for obtaining equilibrium and respect for our land. Their willingness to help has been followed by a number of other participants who are giving works for the benefit exhibition.

At the same time, artistic events are being added to the initiative. All the activities will take place in the Molí del Rei, Camí des Castell, 53, Maó, at 19.30. Here is the programme to note in your diary:

    • Monday 28, opening and presentation of the exhibition
    • Tuesday 29, improvisation theatre on the roof terrace of the Molí
    • Wednesday 30, poetry recital from different authors
    • Thursday 31, projection of images with an explanation of the controversy over the hotels.
    • Friday 1 September, Glossat (improvised poetry performance)

Spread the word, help by distributing the attached poster in pdf and bring your friends.

Son Bou poster https://www.gobmenorca.com/sites/default/files/son_bou_act_cartell_expo_2023_.pdf

S’Estany de Mongofra and the problem of microplastics

Views: 197

GOB organised a clean up of the coast along s’Estany de Mongofra that took place on Sunday 23 July. The topography and the enclosed coves of this unique area make it particularly prone to the accumulation of waste brought in by the sea.

The fifty volunteers that came to help were distributed to various points already identified around s’Estany. In total, they collected 83 kilos of waste, mostly plastics. The presence of microplastics in the area, with muddy or pebble beaches, made them difficult to collect, so that they could only be collected manually picking up each one by one.

It was a day of intense heat so that the mid-morning snacks, with Land Stewardship Scheme farm products, above all the melons and watermelons, helped rehydration and to give strength to continue with the task.

At the end of the day, the different types of waste were separated. This time, the remains of broken plastics made up the main part of the waste, weighing 29 kg, followed by bulky plastic waste, 23 kg, and in third place were the ropes weighing 17 kg. What is surprising is the large number of stoppers that can be found, on this occasion 3.5 kilograms that took up a volume of 30 litres.

Since 2015, GOB has organised various clean up days at the same point and something interesting has been observed that, with the passing of time, the smallest plastics (microplastics, mesoplastics and others) have been replacing the larger objects that used to represent the most common waste. These small waste objects are nothing more than the result of plastic degradation, which, as we all know, is not biodegradable so that it breaks up into smaller and smaller pieces that end up in the trophic chain and become ingested by humans.

We are grateful to all the volunteers that took part on this day and we encourage everyone to take advantage of their beach days and collect the plastic waste they are sure to find in the sand.

This event was supported by the Island Governing Council and the Menorca Preservation Fund.

For photographs, please look here

Conscientious Ecology