Staff Reporter
It’s a step towards a return to normality as indoor capacity will be increased for hospitality venues, helping to create more parking in Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca when the temporary terraces go at the end of this month.
Interior capacity for bars and restaurants is expected to rise from the current 50% to 75% to compensate for the removal of the temporary terraces.
Alberto Jarabo, Palma Town Hall spokesperson, confirmed that bar terraces which have been established on parking spaces will need to be dismantled before October 1 or business owners could face a fine.
More than a thousand temporary terraces were allowed on the streets of Palma during the height of the Covid pandemic, enabling hospitality venues to offer outside seating following the strict social distancing restrictions.
Without these terraces many bars and restaurants would not have survived during this period. But the downside has been the problem of insufficient parking in the City, affecting residents, workers and visitors.
Jarabo said the terraces have been in place for “a long time” and resident’s associations have been demanding that the parking spaces be recovered.
“They have been patient for months and they have understood the need, but they are now calling for a return to normality. We consider it reasonable to now recover these parking spaces.”
He explained that the loss of parking spaces has even been an issue amongst hospitality workers themselves.
Adding: “There have been many complaints from bar and restaurant workers. When they go home at 11.30pm or midnight, they can’t find anywhere to park. So, the measure has also created a problem for these workers.”
Inspectors will be informing business owners to remove their terraces before October 1 2021.
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