Algaida wants to buy Son Reus de Randa and give the island a piece of land back

Algaida wants to buy Son Reus de Randa and give the island a piece of land back

Municipality proposes joint purchase with the Island Council and Balearic government — historic possessió should remain public

On the road from Palma to Algaida, the silhouette of Randa across from the village noticeably draws the eye. On a cool morning you can hear voices on the plaça where people drink their coffee, and in the distance the occasional clatter of a wheelbarrow — real island sounds. Right there, on the border with Llucmajor, stands the Possessió Son Reus de Randa, an 18th-century estate: roughly 138 hectares of land, a manor house of about 500 square meters and an old four-part wine press beneath an arched veranda.

The municipal administration of Algaida has put forward the proposal to purchase the estate jointly with the Island Council and the Balearic government. The purchase price currently being mentioned is five million euros. The current owners have made contact and signaled their desire for the property to pass into public hands — a rare opportunity to link historic heritage and landscape conservation.

The figures in the offer are clear: of the 138 hectares, about 72 hectares are arable land, around 15 hectares are maquis shrubland and a further roughly 51 hectares belong to the Randa mountain. Parts of the house were already modernized in 1881; the entrance portal bears the year 1776 engraved, a reminder of the many lives and uses of this property.

It is no secret: plots of this size are becoming increasingly rare on Mallorca. When a municipality takes the initiative, it is not only about monument protection, but about setting a course for the future: publicly accessible landscape instead of secluded private residence. In Algaida people are already quietly discussing possibilities — from public green spaces and paths at the foot of Randa to areas where traditional agriculture can continue. Concrete decisions are still pending; the Island Council has announced that technical appraisals for an asset valuation will be reviewed before further decisions are made.

For the people here the news has an almost tangible effect. At the weekly market in Algaida, between stalls selling olives and almond pastries, you can hear approval: those who know the olive groves and the paths on Randa know how quickly private sales can change the landscape. For locals who see the hills every day, the idea that the fields will remain accessible to the public in the future is reassuring.

There are practical questions: who will cover which costs? How can agriculture, nature conservation and tourism be combined in a compatible way? Answers to these questions are needed so that a purchase is more than a symbol. The appraisals that the Island Council has promised are the first step; they will provide information on the condition of the buildings, agricultural usability and infrastructural requirements.

What now matters is civic engagement and a clear plan for use. Anyone who walks along the old dry stone walls here will see goat tracks and small acacias — elements that fit well into a concept of careful use. Possible ideas include small educational programs on traditional agriculture, sensitive trail routing on the mountain and areas where local businesses can continue to operate.

The news is therefore an invitation: to the municipalities, to the Island Council and to the Balearic government to jointly preserve something that is more than a building. For Mallorca it would be a model: land in public stewardship that links culture, nature and traditional use. And for the people of Algaida? A piece of home that does not disappear behind high fences.

The coming weeks will show how serious the intent is. Initially, technical examinations and talks about the financing shares are planned. For the moment, however, the image of an open path at Randa where dogs run and children stack stones is enough. That is a notion that is well received here — and that gives the word “public” renewed weight.