The mansion in Santa Margalida that was commissioned by the British composer John Barry in the early 1970s now has listed status.
The town hall has included the property in its revised catalogue of protected buildings. It has been given A2 listed status in recognition of its architectural value and its unique cultural connection with Barry, who was famous for his scores for eleven James Bond films as well as for films that won Oscars and BAFTAs, e.g. 'Born Free' and 'Out of Africa'.
The new additions to the catalogue were initially approved in March and put out to public consultation in April. The most recent council meeting finally rubber-stamped the revised catalogue.
Barry's mansion was never finished. He was the victim of a swindle that took years to resolve. He had left the management of the project in the hands of someone he thought he could trust, but money was used for other purposes.
He had been a regular visitor to Mallorca in the 60s. For a time this was with his then wife, Jane Birkin. After the issues with the building of the mansion came to light, he vowed never to return to Mallorca, though apparently he did in 2005 so that he could see "the white elephant".
The mansion was sold by the Barry estate to a German real-estate businessman, Kristian Worbs, in 2016. He intends finishing the work, agreement with the town hall having been the preservation of certain features.
The town hall's listed status approval has been given despite a report from the Council of Mallorca's heritage department which argued that the property had neither architectural nor heritage value.