The Poblat Gesa has been neglected and abandoned for years. | Andrew Ede

TW

Plans for the redevelopment of the Poblat Gesa in Alcanada, Alcudia have been placed on public exhibition. They entail the restoration of the thirty bungalows, maintaining the character of the exteriors but with total interior renovation; they will be promoted as luxury residences.

The Poblat was created at the time of the construction of the old power station at the end of the 1950s. It was designed by the architect Josep Ferragut, who is also known, among other things, for the Gesa building in Palma and the Porciúncula glass church in Arenal. The bungalows were for power station workers and their families.

The small estate started to deteriorate, according to the tenants, after Gesa was rolled into Endesa in 1983. In 2000, tenants started to receive notices to leave. Some stayed on, and it wasn't until 2015 that agreement was reached with the tenants of three remaining bungalows that were legally occupied. Others, meanwhile, had been taken over by squatters. The estate was in a very poor condition.

It was always clear that Endesa intended to sell the estate, and in 2017 there was confirmation of a sale to an Asturian investment concern for 3.1 million euros. Alcudia town hall and Endesa arrived at an agreement regarding the maintenance of the character of the Poblat, and this is now reflected in the plans.

Sixteen of the bungalows will have their own pools, and there will be two other communal pools. Other buildings, e.g. the old chapel, will be for "sociocultural" purposes.