Endesa sold land in Nou Llevant for almost 74 million euros in 2004. The year before, a plan was established for the building and the land, which was never carried out and included the possibility of demolishing the building, which was subsequently given protected status as an asset in the cultural interest by the Council of Majorca. This affected the possibilities for the building's redevelopment and it became a town hall property in 2009. In 2016, after much involvement by the courts, Endesa was ordered by the Supreme Court to pay Josel 44.8 million euros in respect of the Gesa plot. Compensation to Endesa has never been settled.
Because of the further court rulings, Endesa is now pressing for the return of the property and for damages. As yet, Endesa hasn't put an exact figure on the compensation it requires.
Endesa, which has its own property department, is understood to have been approached by developers and hotel chains. One that has apparently expressed particular interest is The Standard Hotels, an American group with establishments in New York, Los Angeles and Miami Beach. It is a company familiar with Majorca in that it is believed to have also taken an interest in Michael Douglas's S'Estaca estate in Valldemossa.
Before there can be any movement on this front, there are almost inevitably going to be more legal moves. The building, meantime, is in a deplorable condition, one that is itself contrary to the protected status that was given and therefore to obligations for maintenance. The town hall says it is open to Endesa's demand and that a change of use of the building to a hotel is feasible. However, it would want guarantees regarding other building in the area, given the town hall plan for a green zone.
9 comments
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A blog on the landscape.A building not to be proud of !!! How can Mallorca have allowed this to be left like this. Are you an upmarket island or not ??? Are you the jewel in the Mediterranean or not ???
Absolute waste of space. Stay or go...........................put it to a public referendum.
Yet more brown envelopes flying around ( with the promise of yet more to come!)This public eyesore would have been demolished years ago had a certain Antonia Munar ( now residing in prison) not declared it a 'national treasure' to be preserved. Instead it has become an unhygienic ,unsafe, home to whoever breaks in.Palma is at saturation state yet New Hotel proposed (financed/built with foreign money.Time for more affordable/ well designed housing for people willing to work and contribute.Islanders should be able to vote on its future.
Affordable apartments for workers is a far too sensible use for this government to agree to. Also I would think pretty small 'brown envelopes' would change hands, compared to those if a gigantic hotel is built. I think maybe the council have the building earmarked as suitable storage for the paperwork for the thousands of expedientes which they plan to issue against illegal holiday lets.
And not one single word about "saturation",a lot of brown envelopes must have been passed out.
This is an ideal opportunity to turn this building into affordable rent apartments and would go a long way to solving Palma's housing crisis,the last thing that Palma needs is another hotel.
Palma needs affordable apartmemt space for impoverished workers NOT yet another hotel.
Convert this protected building into affordable rent able apartments, free of the current rental regulations etc.
Possibility of another mega hotel there? Camper hotel in Gomila? Boutique hotels given licences all over the city centre? I thought they said Palma was 'saturated'??