An excavator entered part of the settlement in Es Pratet, Ses Feixes, on Tuesday, September 22, as vegetation and other material were cleared from a privately owned plot where dozens of people had been living in makeshift structures.

The operation led some occupants to collect their belongings and leave the area while heavy machinery was working nearby. People at the site said they had received little or no warning, although the exact circumstances of any prior notification have not been independently established.

The operation began on Tuesday morning

The machinery arrived in the Es Pratet area at around 9:00-10:00 in the morning, according to reports from the scene.

The work initially focused on clearing dense vegetation and cleaning the privately owned land and its access routes. The presence of the excavator prompted some of the people living there to dismantle belongings and move out.

Importantly, reports from the site did not establish that the excavator was being used to demolish all of the makeshift homes. In the initial operation observed, the main activity was the removal of vegetation and clearing of the plot.

The land is privately owned

The parcel where the operation took place is privately owned, and reports from the scene indicated that the property owner had requested the land to be cleared.

Police officers were present during the work, but no representative of Ibiza Town Hall was observed at the site during the reported operation. There has also been no publicly documented municipal statement confirming that the Council itself ordered the action.

That distinction is important because the available reporting does not establish that this was a formal municipal eviction carried out by the authorities.

Some occupants leave as machinery advances

People living in the settlement began removing personal possessions as the machinery moved through the area.

Some occupants reportedly said they had been told they had only a short period of time to leave, with accounts referring to a two-hour warning. However, the details and legal status of any notice given to residents have not been independently confirmed.

Other residents remained behind during the operation, with reports indicating that not all of the structures had been removed at that stage.

Around 80 people reported living in the settlement

Recent reports have put the number of people living in this part of Ses Feixes at around 80.

The settlement had grown during the spring and summer, with makeshift accommodation including tents and improvised structures. Reports from inside the area described spaces containing beds, kitchens, electrical appliances, furniture and everyday household items.

An earlier municipal operation in June had identified 40 makeshift dwellings in the Ses Feixes area. At that time, Ibiza Town Hall said the camping was illegal and informed identified occupants that they had to leave.

The figure of around 80 residents refers to the later situation reported in September and should not be confused with the 40 dwellings identified by the municipality in June.

Concern over rubbish and fire risk

The settlement had become the focus of complaints from nearby residents, who reported accumulated rubbish, new structures and concerns about fire safety.

Local residents had also raised concerns about the use of gas cylinders and machinery in the area. Those concerns came after fires had already occurred in parts of Ses Feixes during the summer.

In July, a fire in a makeshift dwelling in the wider Ses Feixes area spread to surrounding vegetation. The Balearic environmental authorities said the fire ultimately affected around one hectare of reeds, while emergency services from Ibiza and Santa Eulària responded.

A separate smaller fire was also reported near a settlement in Ses Feixes in August, with no injuries reported.

A protected historic and environmental landscape

Ses Feixes is not an ordinary undeveloped urban site. The historic wetland system has significant cultural, environmental and landscape value.

The Consell declared ses feixes des prat de Vila and des prat de ses Monges a Bien de Interés Cultural, with the category of place of ethnological interest, in 2003. The protected area includes the traditional agricultural landscape and its historic infrastructure of channels and entrances.

The Ayuntamiento describes Ses Feixes as a historic wetland with important environmental and cultural value, including habitats for birds and other wildlife.

The area has been the subject of recovery plans

The long-term public policy for Ses Feixes is focused on conservation, restoration and the recovery of its historic wetland and agricultural landscape.

Planning documents describe Ses Feixes as an area affected by decades of urban growth, abandonment of traditional agriculture and fragmentation of the original landscape. The proposed management and recovery measures include restoring the water system, protecting heritage elements, improving the landscape and facilitating appropriate public use.

The recent growth of an informal settlement therefore comes against the background of a protected landscape that authorities have been seeking to preserve and restore.

What has not been established

There are several details surrounding Tuesday's operation that remain unclear.

It has not been independently established that every person living in the settlement was formally served with an eviction order, nor that the operation constituted a court-authorised eviction. The available reporting instead points to a privately owned parcel being cleared at the request of its owner.

It is also not yet clear how many people ultimately left the site, which structures were removed and whether further clearance operations are planned.

A rapidly changing situation in Ses Feixes

Tuesday's operation marks a significant development in an area that had seen the settlement grow rapidly in recent months.

For now, the most clearly established facts are that heavy machinery entered a privately owned part of Ses Feixes on September 22, vegetation and parts of the site were cleared, police were present, and some occupants began removing their belongings and leaving.

The longer-term outcome for the settlement, and the precise legal and administrative steps behind the clearance, remain to be established.