The amendment to Palma’s general urban plan as it affects the Gesa building and surrounding area has officially been presented.
Deputy mayor for urban planning, José Hila, said yesterday that it applies to the seafront, the Nou Llevant estate and the building itself.
Under the plan, Endesa will retrieve ownership of the building and be allowed to undertake development, but not on the seafront. The plan envisages there being 1,059 properties.
The town hall had to revise the plan following a Balearic High Court ruling last year which annulled an order made in 2009. The arrangement that the town hall has now come up with is similar to that of 2009 but contains certain differences. For example, the amount of land that has been granted to Endesa (and also Mapfre) by way of compensation for not developing the seafront has increased.
The size of properties in Nou Llevant will be smaller than had once been contemplated - between 90 and 100 square metres and not 140 to 150 square metres. Hila explained that this reduction is in accordance with “current needs of the middle class”.
There will be over 300 more properties as a result. The town hall still intends to make the seafront area a public park of some description.