Appeal to restore removed wayspots

[Juasmio]

Hi there. Over the past few weeks, a few things have been removed in my town. I noticed at least four PokéStops and one Gym are gone — both were decorative tiles or statues or graffitis that got accepted time ago:

• Wayspot Title: Imagen de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Gym)

• Location (lat/lon): (38.702199, -3.772547)

• City: Calzada de Calatrava

• Country: Spain

• Additional Information (if any): The gym just disappeared

• https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ujIs7hiynjiCVtQejxZdbOP-GoabAMm_1nRmsFcYAfrfJnPnUj7Kthp71lh4amKnjd2Z2gsY2JU7Rk-977zS8bTcP4Nwjg6ElpNa0Vzg=s0

• Wayspot Title: Azulejo de “El Quijote” (PokéStop)

• Location (lat/lon): (38.707177 , -3.775846)

• City: Calzada de Calatrava

• Country: Spain

• Additional Information (if any): The wayspot just disappeared

• https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cf2iLHWYvC61oyUS9ouiOl9ZhnOsdTXGi3ML-mlBHHu8nJqbSSf5-r3REoAoPzzRWXRNYH63_rWz8PjCQbD3fYDFI5_t_OhTRAFxshw=s0

• Wayspot Title: Antigua talla de Ángel en piedra (PokéStop)

• Location (lat/lon): (38.697497, -3.7763)

• City: Calzada de Calatrava

• Country: Spain

• Additional Information (if any): The wayspot just disappeared

• https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ht1QCFOaNEZGYEdPiBCNhnrln1XKWbMYl3xrIdx4tnjzN_OY-h3wsIV5kFj9buAx3gWSnIkF7aEB8jTv8uNJtfZg7aytUcDrYEpD3Q9_=s0

• Wayspot Title: Grafiti de Pedro Almodóvar (PokéStop)

• Location (lat/lon): (38.699995, -3.774436)

• City: Calzada de Calatrava

• Country: Spain

• Additional Information (if any): The wayspot just disappeared

• https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9GDqVK9ImEFvcIx6WHRUr7rCe39ReCAXDW13r9uKQebyO7emzwPsD1JTmkZhje5XleDD72HJrnPNz9NAm6cR5QrPLAZ8GX5sTKl7lPn6Bg=s0

• Wayspot Title: Estatua de una mujer tejedora (PokéStop)

• Location (lat/lon): (38.703743,-3.77286)

• City: Calzada de Calatrava

• Country: Spain

• Additional Information (if any): The wayspot just disappeared

• https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hOY7trdVE7CUlzQNNso5gE-xyP8ObyiVdT1C7pbPP5oDUpxKQ5ajGbi_RKuTAZ7CQMFGJafkHumPcprnPwW8xant7xke5C1Y005QSVSrLA=s0

[cyndiepooh]

Welcome to the forum!

I don’t have anything to do with the appeal request, but I try to help new folks make a stronger appeal if I can. Is there any evidence that you can provide that these should be Wayspots other than that they exist?

This clarification makes clear that graffiti that is vandalism should not be a Wayspot:

@NianticTintino

Vandalism

The street art pictured above may have initially been a good example, but due to the overwhelming number of names and different styles added to this piece, there is evidence to suggest it is not an intentional work of art and is therefore not eligible.

I don’t have anything to point you to about tiles, but I have seen other post here about Niantic removing them. If the tile is on a single family private residential property, then it is ineligible, even if you can reach it from the sidewalk:

Private Residences, Farmland & K-12

Single-family private residential properties (SFPRP), farms, and K-12 (schools or facilities primarily focused for persons under 18 years of age) are ineligible. This includes the outer facing facade, fence of these locations, and property boundaries. Objects in or upon apartment blocks, gated communities, or their shared spaces may be eligible assuming they otherwise meet criteria and are intended to be accessed by a community, even if not everyone. Communal spaces have the potential to be eli…

[NianticAtlas]

Thanks for the appeal, @Juasmio We have taken another look but stand by our decision to retire the Wayspots in question.

[Juasmio]

Hi again @NianticAtlas,

Thanks for the reply, but I have to say I find it very disappointing that no specific reason has been provided for the removal of these Wayspots — especially considering that they were all valid, visually verifiable, and had been accepted through the standard review process.

In particular, the removal of the Gym “Imagen de Nuestra Señora del Rosario” is frustrating, as it was an active part of the community and I had invested time into leveling it up. Now that it’s gone, that progress is permanently lost.

I understand that Niantic may have internal criteria for retiring Wayspots, but without transparency or justification, it’s hard to accept the decision — especially when the locations still exist and are culturally or artistically relevant.

Could you please clarify what led to the removal of these specific Wayspots?

Thanks in advance.

[hankwolfman]

I can’t comment on the other ones, but from what I can see on street view and comparing it with the image you posted (bearing in mind that street view is over a decade old and doesn’t show the nomination), it looks like “Imagen de Nuestra Señora del Rosario” was removed for being attached to private residential property. If that is the case, it was indeed ineligible, and was correctly removed.

The private residential property clarification can be found here:

Private Residences, Farmland & K-12

Single-family private residential properties (SFPRP), farms, and K-12 (schools or facilities primarily focused for persons under 18 years of age) are ineligible. This includes the outer facing facade, fence of these locations, and property boundaries. Objects in or upon apartment blocks, gated communities, or their shared spaces may be eligible assuming they otherwise meet criteria and are intended to be accessed by a community, even if not everyone. Communal spaces have the potential to be eli…