Rafael Morató, co-owner of the old Can Morató carpet factory in Pollensa, has presented a letter to the town hall in which he asks for a specific modification to urban planning regulations in order to enable the building to be used for a sociocultural, commercial or hotel purpose. The factory, which is a listed building, has deteriorated to such an extent that it is now a virtual ruin.
Last month the town hall made clear that the owners were obliged to make safe part of the building or there would be fines and ultimately expropriation. Can Morató was an issue for the town hall 2018 budget. The Alternativa per Pollença only agreed to support the budget (its support was necessary), if provision was included.
Rafael Morató has taken issue with the town hall's order, citing its years of inactivity and its responsibility for not having established a use for the factory in order to make the building's future viable.
Although the Morató family should invest the estimated three million euros for a complete restoration, it is reluctant to unless it can obtain the necessary certification for habitability. This means that the building currently has no use as a hotel, which would be the preferred option, or use for dwellings. The regional government's land law has had an effect in this regard. The factory and the estate do not correspond to the amount of land for development in what is a "rustic" area; there isn't enough land.
The family objects to the "coercive power" being deployed by the town hall in threatening fines and expropriation. The building was listed in 2002, and this meant that the town hall should have been obliged to give it proper protection. "Pollensa town hall has never complied with this."
Can Morató is one of only a few examples of Majorca industrial heritage that have listed status. The Sindicat wine cooperative building in Felanitx is another, and it is now having significant investment lavished on it.