The City Council of Santa Eulària has approved the tender for the construction of between 70 and 120 homes for rent at a limited price. The initiative, which has been opposed by PSOE and Unidas Podemos and the abstention of Vox, provides for the transfer of public land to a private company for 75 years for the construction and management of leases.
The homes will be located in the area of s’Olivera, in Puig d’en Valls, on two municipal plots totaling 3,000 square meters. The rental prices will range from 593 to 1,078 euros per month, depending on the size of the apartment, which will vary between 51 and 106 square meters. This initiative seeks to facilitate access to housing for residents of the municipality, especially young people between 25 and 40 years of age and those over 65 years of age.
Housing eligibility requirements
The minimum income required will be 27,000 euros per year in the case of a single person and 48,000 euros for family units with two adults. As for the maximum income, it is set between 54,000 and 96,000 euros, depending on the number of members of the family unit. In order to access this housing, interested parties must meet several requirements:
- Be a tax resident in Spain.
- Not owning any property in the country.
- To be registered in the municipality of Santa Eulària des Riu for at least 10 of the last 20 years.
In addition, additional points will be awarded in the selection process:
- Half a point for each year of residence in excess of the required 10 years, up to a maximum of 5 points.
- One point for each minor child in the family unit.
- Seven additional points if applicants are between 25 and 40 years of age or over 65 years of age.
The successful bidder will be responsible for drawing up the list of applicants, although a joint committee will supervise the process to ensure that the requirements set by the Consistory are met.
Confronting positions in the plenary session
The initiative has generated a strong debate between the government team and the opposition. The socialist spokesman, Alan Ripoll, has described the project as a “tragala” and has criticized the privatization of public land instead of betting on the promotion of public housing. According to Ripoll, this formula will make rents 30% more expensive than what they would cost under the public system, which will mean that tenants “will pay 3,335 euros more per year“. In addition, he has questioned the transparency in the awarding process and has assured that “only 30% of the residents meet the minimum rent requirements”. He has also warned that the apartments will not be available until 2030, which, in his opinion, demonstrates the “inability” of the City Council to address the housing emergency suffered by Santa Eulària. From United We Can, Councilman Alvaro de la Fuente has branded as “shameful” the transfer of two municipal lots to a private developer, while the representative of Vox, Paula Salsoso, has warned of the risk that these promotions end up in the hands of vulture funds.
The mayor defends the mixed model
In the face of criticism, the mayor, Carmen Ferrer, has defended the public-private partnership as a mechanism to speed up the construction of housing in the municipality. “This does not exclude that we work with Ibavi, but it allows projects to be faster,” she said. Ferrer has considered “offensive” the accusations of lack of transparency and has stressed that the initiative seeks to facilitate the return of young talent between 25 and 40 years, in addition to prioritize people over 65 years. He has also rejected the opposition’s proposal to declare Santa Eulària as a stressed area, which would allow setting a limit on rental prices. “Time will prove us right or wrong,” said the mayor, convinced that such initiatives will increase the supply of housing in the municipality.
