Sant Josep Town Hall has been paying €45,000 a year to rent premises intended to become the new Cala de Bou municipal library, but the facility has still not opened four years after the lease was approved.

The 220-square-metre premises, on the corner of carrer des Caló and carrer de sa Punta des Pinet, were selected to replace the existing library on carrer des Caló, which the municipality says has become too small for the area it serves.

The Town Hall approved the direct lease in October 2022 for a period of 20 years, at a total cost of approximately €901,000. The municipality's announcement at the time said the rent would be €45,000 per year, including taxes.

A library that has yet to open

The intention was to adapt the new premises for use as a larger library after the lease was signed.

The existing Cala de Bou library remains at number 127 on carrer des Caló. The Town Hall's current library information lists that location as the municipal facility serving the area.

The new premises, meanwhile, have remained unused while the planned renovation has been developed.

The Town Hall now says the original renovation project, prepared during the previous municipal administration, did not meet the required planning parameters. A new project therefore had to be prepared, including changes relating to air conditioning, sound insulation and lighting.

New renovation project costs €679,000

The project has now moved further forward.

In its latest update on municipal cultural and educational investment, Sant Josep Town Hall confirmed that it has an executive project for renovating the new Cala de Bou premises, with a budget of €679,000.

The planned renovation will transform the space, which has a ceiling height of almost six metres, into a library of more than 220 square metres. The municipality says the project will use a sustainable timber CLT structure.

The Town Hall has said the renovation is expected to be put out to tender shortly, but as of September 2026 the works have not begun.

Why was the premises chosen?

When the lease was approved in 2022, the municipality said the new premises would provide considerably more space than the existing library.

The Town Hall said the existing facility had around 56 square metres, while the new premises would provide more than 300 square metres. It also said the larger space would allow the library to increase its reading points and book collection and provide better conditions for activities.

The municipal planning documents later described Cala de Bou as a population centre requiring a stronger public library service and identified the existing facility as insufficient for the needs of the area.

The project has become a political issue

The delay has also generated criticism from the opposition.

In 2024, the Sant Josep Socialist group criticised the lack of progress and described the planned facility as a “ghost library”, arguing that the municipality was continuing to pay rent for premises that were not being used.

The current municipal government subsequently described the lease as a financial commitment inherited from the previous administration and said it had explored the possibility of ending the agreement but was unable to do so.

Those political assessments are statements from the respective parties and administrations rather than independent findings.

A long-term financial commitment

The original lease is for 20 years and has a total value of approximately €901,000. At the stated annual rent of €45,000, the municipality is committed to a substantial expenditure on the premises over the life of the contract.

The eventual cost of establishing the new library will also include the renovation. The current executive project carries a budget of €679,000.

This means the planned library involves two separate major financial commitments: the long-term rental of the premises and the investment required to convert them into a functioning public library.

What happens next?

As of September 2026, the new Cala de Bou library has not opened and the renovation works have not started.

The municipality says the new executive project is ready and that the next step is to put the renovation contract out to tender.

Until the works are completed and the facility is equipped and opened, the existing library at carrer des Caló, 127 remains the public library serving Cala de Bou.