Trade fair in 17 months? Son Ferriol between euphoria and doubts

Trade fair in 17 months? Son Ferriol between euphoria and doubts

Key question: Can a new exhibition centre in Palma really be built in record time — without compromises on cost, traffic and the neighbourhood?

At the Son Ferriol roundabout, where bus line 3 runs along the road and the neighbouring bakery sends the smell of fresh bread into the air each morning, Palma's mayor Jaime Martínez and architect Cristian Vivas recently presented the winning design for a new exhibition centre. The headline figures sound like they came from an efficiency handbook: €33 million, a central hall of 10,000 square metres, divisible into five halls of 2,000 m² each, a ring-shaped outer building with all service areas and — as a big promise — a construction time of only 17 months thanks to industrial prefabrication. Opening date: 2029.

The figures are concrete. The financing framework has also been sketched: Palma is to cover one third of the costs, while the regional government and the island council will provide the remaining funds; ten million euros are already planned in the city budget for next year. Procedural plans foresee five to six months for design and execution planning, then another five to six months for the tendering process.

Sounds fast. Too fast? That is precisely the core question being asked, especially by people in Son Ferriol and the island's craft businesses. A 17‑month construction period for a project of this scale raises expectations — and concerns. In short: what looks possible on paper must be measured against realities that are often overlooked.

Critical analysis: Where the plan puts the pressure. First: time versus quality. Industrial prefabricated elements can drastically reduce assembly times, that is true. But they do not change phases such as soil investigations, foundation work, utility connections and permitting procedures, which are often time sinks. Second: procurement procedures. The envisaged tendering period of five to six months sounds tight, especially when EU-wide procurement rules, bidder questions and possible reviews are taken into account. Third: infrastructure impact. A new exhibition centre brings traffic — access, supply chains, event logistics. The planned rail connection to Llucmajor is cited as an argument, but it is a separate major project with its own timeline. Who is responsible for traffic planning, who pays for mitigation measures, and where will additional visitors park?

What has so far been lacking in public debate. There is no clear statement on environmental assessments and noise or light emissions, on parking concepts or on concrete financing commitments. Load studies for the adjacent residential areas or binding pledges on local employment quotas have not been made public either. And: how robust is the cost model? An estimated volume of €33 million can quickly grow in complex infrastructure projects if unforeseen work arises or supply chains stall.

A typical everyday scene from Son Ferriol illustrates the tension: a pensioner on the plaza who has lived here for decades welcomes new jobs; the young mother from the supermarket fears more lorry traffic in front of her door; the small carpentry shop around the corner feverishly calculates whether it can even bid under such tight deadlines. These voices show: projects of this scale change daily life and neighbourhoods — and that should not remain only on council papers.

Concrete proposals the city now needs. First: a public feasibility review with an external assessment of time and costs before contracts are signed. Second: a binding financing agreement between city, region and island council that clearly stipulates who bears overruns. Third: a traffic and parking plan including contingency measures for peak times; the planned rail connection must be decoupled in schedule and evaluated independently. Fourth: environmental and noise studies and measures for integrating the site into the landscape should be disclosed; the design may aim to fit into its surroundings, but that is painstaking work in practice. Fifth: structure procurement rules so that local SMEs are not immediately outcompeted by large corporations — for example by dividing lots or setting qualification criteria for craft firms.

And one pragmatic step: phased construction instead of all-at-once. If central exhibition spaces become usable first and ancillary buildings follow later, revenues can be generated earlier and risks spread. That reduces pressure on schedules and allows time for genuine neighbourhood engagement.

Conclusion: The design has potential and the planned spaces could make Palma more flexible for fairs and conferences. But the promise of a 17‑month construction period is not a given; it requires transparent reviews, robust contracts and a plan B for infrastructure and finances. Son Ferriol deserves not only glossy renderings but clear answers to the questions that concern residents and local businesses. Only then will an ambitious project become credible and viable — and not a construction site that hums longer than the bus in front of the bakery in the morning.