The councillor for urban planning, Óscar Fidalgo, said this was a decision which had to be taken. “It is proportionate, it is fair, and it should have been done sooner.” He was critical of the previous administration of the left for having allowed holiday rentals to increase “like never before”.

(It was actually the previous administration in Palma who introduced the ban on apartment holiday lets; not just applications for new ones, but all existing ones.)

The measure will require amendment to the city’s general plan, Fidalgo justifying this by arguing: “The expansion of tourist accommodation reduces the available residential supply and makes it harder to access housing. The current model presents problems of legal certainty and complicates inspections, which allows for fraud. More inspection capacity is needed.

“There are also urban sustainability reasons; it affects neighbourhood coexistence. We must protect neighbourhoods and prevent the displacement of residents.”

The amendment is based on a town hall technical report which concluded that Palma is unsuitable for the opening of new holiday rental properties.