Palma: Construction starts in Son Guells – 64 apartments, but is that enough?

Clear guiding question

Are 26 price-capped apartments out of 64 planned units really enough to alleviate Palma's pressing housing problems — or is a small measure once again being sold as a solution to a big problem?

Brief overview

The developer has begun work on a private residential complex in Son Guells. 64 apartments with one to four bedrooms are planned; penthouse units will have roof terraces, and ground-floor apartments private gardens. Of the 64 units, 38 will be offered on the open market, 26 at capped prices. The complex is planned to include green spaces, communal areas and a pool. Around 3,000 further apartments are also planned in the new Son Guells district.

Critical analysis

On paper this sounds like a mix of market-based sales and a social share. In practice the equation is more complicated. 26 out of 64 means: less than 41 percent are price-restricted. How many of these capped units will actually be accessible to middle-income households remains unclear. Will they serve the rental market long-term or be set up as owner-occupied units with resale options for investors seeking returns? And: how does this single complex fit into an urban fabric that will soon have to absorb several thousand new units?

What is missing in the public discourse

There is a lot of talk about square meters and roof terraces, but little about infrastructure: Where will children go to school when hundreds of families move into Son Guells? Who pays for the expansion of water and sewage systems, bus connections or medical services? Also rarely discussed: the impact of many new apartments on the local rental market and on the living quality of existing neighborhoods. And finally: what requirements exist for sustainable water use, energy efficiency and genuine greening — or will all that remain mere decoration?

A daily-life scenario from Palma

At eight in the morning on Carrer de Son Castelló you can already hear the hammering and diesel generators, construction cranes outlined against the cold December sky. Delivery vans maneuver, an elderly couple stops and watches an excavator cutting a foundation trench. “They build a lot, but for whom?” the woman says as a school bus passes the plaza. This scene is now repeating at several construction sites around Palma: pace, visible building activity — and the question of social benefit.

Concrete solution approaches

1) Increase the percentage: The city should mandate a higher share of price-capped apartments in new large projects — not 40, but rather 50–60 percent, scaled by project size.
2) Long-term binding: Price-capped units must be bound to rental or occupancy rules for a long period to prevent speculation.
3) Tie infrastructure levy: Permits should be linked to binding contributions to municipal infrastructure (schools, daycares, public transport, water).
4) Promote social mixing: No closed private quarters with a pool, but mixed neighborhoods with publicly accessible green spaces and programs for community building.
5) Make sustainability mandatory: Low-energy standards, rainwater use for gardens, solar panels on penthouses — these measures are feasible and reduce follow-up costs.
6) Phased construction: Instead of sealing the area all at once, projects should be built in stages so infrastructure can grow with demand.

Why this matters

Housing construction is more than a shell and a parking space. If Palma plans thousands of apartments in Son Guells, every new building should be measured by whether it makes the city liveable or simply adds more pressure. Those who build now are laying foundations for the coming decades — and that affects tenants, families, neighborhoods and the city's ecology.

Concise conclusion

The start of construction for 64 apartments in Son Guells is not insignificant, but it is not a gamechanger either. Without higher quota requirements, long-term binding of the price-capped units and clear infrastructure rules, much will remain piecemeal. Son Guells could become a model neighborhood — if the city sets different priorities now. Otherwise the pool remains private, and the real questions of housing provision stay open.