The Consell de Formentera has responded to the controversy surrounding the advertised Vestige Can Jordi project near Cala Saona, stating that the three existing planning licences at the site were granted for newly built homes and that there is currently no application or authorisation for a tourist activity linked to the project.

The clarification comes one day after opposition group Gent per Formentera (GxF) demanded information and an inspection after the project was promoted online as a new luxury hotel in the rural area of sa Miranda.

The Consell says the administrative reality currently recorded in its files is different from the way the development has been commercially presented.

The Consell Says the Licences Are for Homes

According to the island government, three planning licences have been granted for new residential properties at the site.

The applications were originally submitted in June 2019, when GxF was in government on Formentera. The processing continued across different legislatures, with the three licences eventually being granted between 2023 and 2025.

The Consell states that it currently has no record of any application or authorisation for a tourist activity linked to the company involved in the development.

Its position is therefore that the licences granted concern residential buildings, not a hotel.

The Hotel Is Being Promoted Online

The controversy began because the development has been promoted online under the name Vestige Can Jordi.

The property has been presented as a luxury hotel associated with the Vestige Collection brand, with an opening planned for 2026.

Promotional material describes a collection of private units in the Cala Saona area and presents the project as a high-end hospitality development.

That commercial presentation prompted GxF to ask the Consell to establish what had actually been authorised on the land.

The existence of online promotion, however, does not itself prove that a hotel has been legally authorised or that the property is operating as one.

No Tourist Licence Has Been Recorded

The Consell's statement is particularly clear on the tourism aspect.

It says that there is currently no application or authorisation for a tourist activity connected to the company in question.

This means the administration has not identified a tourism licence or similar authorisation in the relevant files that would permit the three licensed residential properties to operate as a hotel.

That distinction is at the centre of the current dispute.

GxF had specifically asked whether any title or authorisation existed that could legally support the advertised hotel operation.

No Final Works Certificates Have Yet Been Issued

The Consell has also highlighted another important administrative detail.

None of the three properties has yet received a final works certificate.

This is significant because the final works stage is when the technical services can inspect the completed buildings and verify whether what has actually been constructed corresponds to the authorised project.

According to the Consell, that final review has not yet taken place in any of the three cases.

As a result, the administration says it has not yet reached the point in the procedure where it can determine whether the completed buildings contain any deviations from the approved plans.

Inspections Could Still Take Place

The absence of a final works inspection does not mean that authorities have ruled out an inspection.

The Consell says it will provide GxF with the relevant administrative files and documentation so that the opposition group can carry out its political oversight.

It also says that, if the technical services consider it necessary, inspections can be carried out as part of the normal planning control process.

That could allow officials to compare the buildings being constructed with the licences and approved plans.

The Consell Criticises Conclusions Being Drawn Too Early

The island government has also pushed back against the way the controversy developed.

It says it is difficult to consider the existence of a new hotel established when there is currently no tourism licence or application recorded in its files.

The institution has called for the issue to be approached with rigour and for conclusions not to be drawn before all of the administrative information has been examined.

That does not resolve the question of why the development has been publicly marketed as a hotel, but it makes clear that the Consell does not currently recognise that hotel operation as an authorised activity in its administrative records.

The 2019 Applications Have Become Politically Important

The date of the original planning applications has become another point of political debate.

The Consell notes that the three applications were submitted in June 2019, when GxF was governing Formentera.

That means the party that has now requested the documentation was in government when the planning files were first opened.

The Consell has used that fact to question how the current controversy has been framed and to stress that the files have a history extending across several political terms.

GxF, however, is now acting in its role as an opposition group seeking clarification over the current use and promotion of the properties.

The Earlier GxF Complaint

GxF raised the issue on September 7 after discovering the online promotion of Vestige Can Jordi.

The opposition group argued that current territorial and tourism regulations do not allow new hotel establishments to be created on rural land in Formentera.

It requested copies of planning, infrastructure, activity and tourism files associated with the development and asked for an inspection to establish whether the buildings and their use comply with the relevant rules.

The Consell's response now provides the first detailed clarification of what its own records show.

A Difference Between Marketing and Planning Status

The case illustrates an important distinction between commercial promotion and planning authorisation.

A property can be marketed under a hotel or hospitality brand while the corresponding administrative status may be different.

In this case, the Consell says its records currently identify three residential licences and no tourism authorisation.

That does not, by itself, explain the full commercial structure behind Vestige Can Jordi, nor does it establish whether the project could seek further approvals in the future.

It does mean that the hotel described in promotional material is not currently recorded by the Consell as an authorised tourism establishment.

Why the Site Has Attracted Attention

The development is located in the rural area of sa Miranda, close to Cala Saona.

The location has made the project especially sensitive because Formentera places strong restrictions on development and tourism activity outside established areas.

Cala Saona is also one of Formentera's best-known coastal areas, meaning major new developments can attract considerable public attention.

The controversy therefore combines questions of planning law, tourism regulation, rural land use and the island's wider development model.

The Buildings Are Still Under Review

Because the final works certificates have not yet been issued, the current administrative picture is not necessarily the final one.

The technical inspection stage will be important in establishing whether the buildings correspond to the approved projects.

If discrepancies are identified, the administration could then determine what further action is required under planning regulations.

For now, the Consell says that this formal verification has not yet occurred.

What Happens to the Hotel Advertisements?

Another question remains around the online promotion itself.

The Consell says there is no current tourist authorisation linked to the properties.

The commercial material nevertheless describes Vestige Can Jordi as a luxury hotel expected to open in 2026.

The administration has emphasised the need to distinguish between what a private company promotes and what has actually been authorised through the relevant planning and tourism procedures.

That distinction is likely to remain central to the debate while the authorities examine the documentation.

Transparency Promised by the Consell

The island government has committed to providing GxF with the requested administrative files.

It has also stated that it will carry out whatever technical checks are considered necessary.

That means the next phase should provide more detailed information about the individual licences, the buildings being constructed and whether their physical configuration corresponds to what was approved.

The Consell says its aim is to guarantee maximum transparency while avoiding conclusions before the relevant evidence is available.

The Political Dispute Is Likely to Continue

The response does not end the controversy.

GxF was reacting to the way the project has been presented publicly, while the Consell is responding by setting out the administrative status recorded in its files.

The two sides are therefore focusing on different questions.

GxF wants to know whether the development has any legal basis for operating as a tourist establishment.

The Consell says that, at present, its records contain residential licences and no tourism authorisation.

Further inspection and document review will be important in determining whether there is any conflict between what has been approved and what is being constructed or promoted.

No Hotel Authorisation Has Been Confirmed

For now, the clearest conclusion from the Consell's statement is that Vestige Can Jordi is not recorded as an authorised hotel in the relevant files.

Three licences have been granted for new homes, with applications dating back to 2019 and approvals issued between 2023 and 2025.

No final works certificates have yet been issued, and no tourist activity authorisation is currently recorded.

At the same time, the project has been publicly promoted as a luxury hotel, which is what triggered the political controversy in the first place.

A Closely Watched Development Near Cala Saona

The situation will now be watched by both local politicians and residents as the administrative files are examined.

The Consell has made clear what it currently considers the legal status of the buildings, while GxF continues to seek information about whether the advertised hospitality operation has any valid authorisation.

The next decisive step will be the examination of the files and, potentially, an inspection of the properties.

Until that process is completed, the distinction remains important: Vestige Can Jordi may be marketed as a luxury hotel, but according to the Consell de Formentera, the licences currently granted are for residential properties and no tourism authorisation is recorded.