The Consell de Ibiza has rejected suggestions that the island's newly approved tourist reconversion zones could provide a way to unblock the planned leisure venue at the Hotel Ibiza Corso.

The issue was raised during Friday's plenary session, September 25, after the Consell approved the definitive declaration of several areas of Ibiza Town as saturated tourist zones and areas for reconversion.

The declaration includes Talamanca, where the Hotel Corso is located.

Opposition questions the effect on the Corso

Socialist spokesperson Elena López Bonet directly questioned Consell Vice President Mariano Juan about the possible implications for the Hotel Corso.

The opposition argued that the new declaration could create a route for the hotel to pursue an alternative application under the extraordinary regime for improvements to existing tourist establishments.

Under the current version of the Balearic Islands Tourism Law, applications for the modernisation of existing tourist establishments in declared reconversion zones can benefit from an exceptional planning regime if they meet the conditions established by law. Applications under this provision can be submitted until June 1, 2029.

López Bonet asked whether the measure could therefore provide a way to resolve the problems surrounding the Corso's current licence.

Consell says the rules on uses do not change

Juan rejected that interpretation.

The Consell's position is that declaring the area a reconversion zone does not change the permitted uses of an establishment.

He said that if a discotheque could not legally operate at the property before the declaration, the new designation does not change that situation.

Juan also said that the same applies to complementary activities that are not permitted to open to the general public.

According to the Consell, the new declaration concerns the possibility of carrying out improvement projects and certain extensions in the designated areas, rather than changing the rules governing what activities can operate there.

Expansion limit reduced from 15% to 10%

Juan also pointed to a second difference that he said works against the Corso project.

The new reconversion-zone framework reduces the relevant potential expansion from 15% to 10% in the circumstances covered by the declaration.

He argued that any future modification of the Corso project would therefore have to work within the lower limit.

The Balearic tourism framework separately establishes an extraordinary regime for improvements to existing tourist establishments in designated reconversion areas, subject to its specific conditions. It does not automatically grant approval for a particular project or activity.

The Corso licence remains unresolved

The dispute comes as the Hotel Corso project is already facing separate administrative difficulties.

Ibiza Town Hall suspended the effectiveness of the hotel's 2026 works licence on September 17 after municipal technical services determined that the project exceeded the applicable maximum occupation limit.

The suspension did not amount to a definitive cancellation of the licence.

The Consell is also continuing to review the tourism report issued in October 2025 that formed part of the process behind the hotel modernisation project.

Why the reconversion declaration matters

The new designation is nevertheless relevant because the extraordinary improvement regime in the Tourism Law applies to existing tourist establishments located within areas formally declared as tourist reconversion zones or saturated and reconversion zones.

The law states that qualifying modernisation applications submitted before June 1, 2029 can be exceptionally excluded from certain territorial, urban-planning and tourism parameters that would otherwise prevent them, provided the projects meet the purposes and conditions established by the legislation.

That does not mean every project in a reconversion zone automatically receives planning or activity approval.

The specific project, its proposed use and the applicable administrative requirements would still have to be assessed.

PSOE says questions remain

López Bonet did not accept the Consell's explanation as resolving the issue.

She acknowledged Juan's statement that the declaration does not change the regime of uses but continued to question whether the new framework could nevertheless provide a route for a new application or help resolve the existing licence situation.

She also called for clarification about when the Commission for Tourism Planning would meet to consider the ongoing review of the tourism report connected to the Corso.

A wider €36 million reconversion programme

The declaration approved by the Consell covers several areas of Ibiza Town, including Talamanca, Platja d'en Bossa, the historic centre and the seafront.

The overall programme is associated with planned investment of almost €36 million in measures including accessibility, mobility, sustainable mobility, public-space improvements and other interventions in the designated areas.

The Consell has stressed that the objective is to improve the quality and infrastructure of mature tourist areas rather than increase tourist capacity. Hotel establishments are not permitted to increase their number of tourist places through these measures.

The Corso case remains open

For the Hotel Corso, Friday's decision does not by itself resolve the outstanding licence issues.

The Consell says the reconversion declaration does not change the rules governing permitted uses, while the opposition argues that the new framework could create another route for the project to be pursued.

For now, the works licence remains suspended rather than definitively cancelled, and the review of the Consell's tourism report remains pending.