Sixteen caravans and camper vans have set up in the free Marivent car park, next to the Royal Palace, turning it into a new hub for alternative housing due to the impossibility of accessing a rental.
The free municipal car park at Marivent, located next to the Royal Family's summer palace, has become a new caravan settlement in Palma. This Thursday, sixteen vehicles adapted for living were counted, a number that is growing following the trend of other areas in the city such as Son Hugo, Son Güells, or Ciutat Jardí.
Florencia, an Argentine with Italian nationality, is one of the residents. She works in hospitality and has been living in her caravan since the start of the season. “Until three years ago, we could still rent, but now we can't. The cheapest flat is 1,400 euros, it's impossible,” she explains. She shares the space with two other colleagues who also work in the sector.
An Alternative Forced by the Housing Crisis
The phenomenon of caravans as housing has surged in Palma due to the lack of access to affordable rentals. Florencia recounts that many of the people settled in Marivent work during the tourist season and will stay until the establishment where they work closes. “Last year it closed in October; let's see how long we can last this year. I suppose we will then move and go to another place on the island,” she notes.
For her and her colleagues, the caravan is the only option. “We manage well like this, but there is a very big problem with housing, and we have no other choice,” she laments. Life in the car park requires daily organisation: she washes clothes at a laundrette, showers at the gym, and once a week goes to a petrol station to empty the wastewater. She also calls for civility from everyone living in the area to avoid conflicts.
A 30,000 Square Metre Car Park
The municipal land, opened as a deterrent car park in 2023, has about 600 spaces and an area of 30,000 square metres. It was established to compensate for the parking spaces lost due to the reform of the Passeig Marítim. In the first phase, 120 spaces were adapted in the area closest to Joan Miró street, and it was connected to the L30 bus line, which links Marivent with the Congress Palace.
“We definitely see more people bringing their caravans here,” warns Florencia, reflecting the expansion of a phenomenon that already includes several points in the city. For the local residents, the increase in caravans represents a change in the usual landscape of the car park, which now coexists with the daily lives of those who have no other housing option.
The Palma City Council has yet to comment on this situation, but the Marivent settlement adds to a growing list of plots and car parks where caravans have become temporary or permanent homes for dozens of people. The housing crisis in Mallorca, with skyrocketing rental prices, continues to push workers and residents to seek alternatives outside the conventional market.
For now, Florencia and her colleagues will remain in Marivent until the season ends. After that, as she herself says, “we will move to another place on the island.” Meanwhile, the car park next to the Royal Palace solidifies as a new symbol of the housing emergency in Palma.
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