The Galician government has approved a decree to make the Pazo de Meirás, located in Sada, a site of cultural and historical interest.
The building, owned by the Franco family since 1939, was the summer residence of the dictator.
The Sada City Council first made a request to have the building listed in 2007, but the Franco family refused to allow technicians to have access to the property for the purpose of inspection and assessment.
Following this setback, the Ministry of Culture took the matter to the courts and in April 2008 received authorisation to enter and inspect the premises. The process of declaring it a site of cultural and historical interest began in August 2008 and will be finalised with the publication of the decree in the Galician Gazette.
The owners are obliged to open the home to the public, free of charge, on four days per week. Furthermore, if the owners wish to make any repairs or alteration to the building then they will have to first get permission and they will also be obliged to care for and preserve the building.