Cort will demolish Gaspar Bennàssar's building on 31st December street but will preserve the facade

PalmThe Palma City Council has finally approved the conservation of the facade of the Gaspar Bennàssar building located on Calle del 31 de Diciembre. The initial project, which had been approved, by the developer, envisaged the demolition of the current building to erect a new one that would faithfully reproduce the original facade designed by the architect.

However, the entity ARCA filed an appeal with the Consell de Mallorca, which led to the demolition being halted. Now, the Historic Center Commission has given the green light to a new proposal that will maintain the existing facade and allow the construction of a multi-family building with 15 homes, parking spaces, and storage rooms, as explained by the Councilor for Urban Planning, Óscar Fidalgo, this Tuesday at a press conference.

Fidalgo recalled that in January 2025 the Insular Heritage Commission rejected granting heritage protection to the building, as ARCA requested, considering that it did not "present sufficient values" for any of the protection figures provided by law. The technical reports from the Consell indicated that the construction "did not have a special interest from a formal or aesthetic point of view" and that the current facade is a simplified version of Bennàssar's original design. Despite this, and after municipal mediation, the property has opted to "reformulate the project to preserve the exterior appearance," Fidalgo explained.

On the other hand, the Management has also authorized two changes of use from premises to housing, in addition to an interior renovation and the grouping of two offices into housing.

Seventh development

Furthermore, the councilor has announced the incorporation of the urban development of Son Toells as the seventh area under processing. It thus joins the nuclei of Puig dorfila, Son Ximelis, Can Pastro, Son Güells, Son Cladera, and Can Fontet.

According to preliminary estimates, this new development could accommodate between 110 and 115 homes. The final number will depend on the technical reports and previous studies that are being prepared before the final approval of the project.