Ciutadella court brings cars back to Born

Cars, parking spaces and delivery bays must return to Plaza des Born in Ciutadella, Menorca, after a court order on 3 September 2026. The ruling also means restaurant terraces must lose their permits. Ciutadella Council says it will comply, while still defending its plan to make the square a pedestrian space.

Administrative Court No. 4 at the Palma Court of First Instance rejected the council's bid to review a 7 July 2026 order. It confirmed interim measures requiring the square to be returned to how it stood before July 2025. No appeal is possible.

Parking on Plaza des Born will again be freely available, with no controlled hours. The current traffic rules do not provide for either regulated parking or a green zone there. Former loading and unloading bays will also return, beside the entrance to Carrer Major des Born and outside the post office building.

Restaurant businesses must have their public-space terrace licences revoked. New terraces cannot be authorised until the relevant bylaw changes, as the present rules do not allow them on pavements.

The council says the redesign was the right move and maintains that it has sufficient legal grounds, including a traffic bylaw approved in early June 2025 and changes to rules on using public space. The court has not yet ruled on the central question of whether those grounds are enough for the redesign.

Ciutadella has again urged the claimants to withdraw both their case and their request for interim measures, arguing that keeping the square as it has been since July 2025 serves the public interest.

Ciutadella court order puts cars back on the Born