The proposal to build an underground car park raises major concerns in the APB
Palma de Mallorca
03/12/2014
The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) considers that the proposal to build an underground car park in the south area of the Port of Ibiza, presented by the company Urbex, raises major concerns, both in terms of its technical and economic feasibility.
Similarly, the APB Chairman, Alberto Pons, informed the Majorca Island Council and the City Council this morning that it is a complex project to sustain. “I understand that the project is an ambitious one and is good for the city, but it has already been analysed and was unfortunately ruled out”.
Technical issues
The APB, in a letter signed by its Chairman and sent to the representative of Urbex, has stated that building a car park below the water table at the Port of Ibiza’s Inner Quay is extremely likely to affect the structures of the buildings in the area, as it may harm their foundations, either through ground vibrations or by reducing the effective stress of the land.
The car park plans presented at the request of the Architects Association of Ibiza and Formentera do not include the underpass for the sewer system or the electrical installation that run through the area near the quayside. Their inclusion would mean having to build the car park further underground than initially planned, and thus generate an increase in the project’s cost.
The proposal plans to raise the area near the sea by 50 centimetres compared to the promenade, thus breaking up the even horizontal surface. In the APB’s opinion, this implies going against one of the premises of the project, which is to prevent differences in floor levels between the quayside and the pavement next to the façades. To avoid this, the car park would have to be built much further underground.
In addition, the idea is for cars to park underneath the quayside’s natural stone surface. This would involve the car park being built about 80 cm down, i.e. the thickness of the existing stones. This aspect has not been taken into account either in the plans.
