SEMARNAT Denies Balam Kan Beach Club Permit

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — The Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has denied the permits required for the installation of a beach club on Punta Esmeralda, the most frequented beach in the area. The project, known as Beach Club Balam Kan, was proposed by the development company Corporativo Balam Kan, which counts Isidro Santamaría, a leader of the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), among its partners.

Semarnat determined that the necessary environmental legal conditions do not exist for the establishment of the business on the coastal dunes. According to the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA) submitted for the project, the developers had requested a one-year term for construction, a 50-year term for operation, and an investment of 2,823,100 pesos (approximately $150,600 USD).

As previously reported by REPORTUR.mx, the company had argued in June that the project would help expand the beach club offerings in the area, which they claimed would provide a higher quality of service for tourists. The proposed new club in Xcalacoco, north of Playa del Carmen, had presented its technical studies to Semarnat.

"The project called 'Xcalacoco Beach Club' sought to obtain authorization in matters of environmental impact for the stages of site preparation, construction, operation, and maintenance of a beach club," stated the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA) prepared by the promoter, Artemio Roque Álvarez.