New step for the transformation of Plaça Major: 1.4 million euros to convert the galleries into an open agora

PalmThe Palma City Council has taken a new step towards the transformation of Plaça Major, aiming to open the underground galleries and turn them into an open agora. The Cort Governing Board approved this Wednesday the contracting file for the drafting service of the integral works project that will develop the ‘Àgora’ preliminary project, aimed at improving Plaça Major, its lower floors, and its surroundings.The contract also includes the technical direction of the works and will be processed by means of a negotiated procedure without prior publication. The base tender budget is 1.4 million euros (VAT included) and the action will be partially financed with funds from the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS).

The proposal stems from the ideas competition convened by Cort, which was won by the team formed by Barceló Balanzó Arquitectes and Scob Arquitectura i Paisatge. The preliminary project envisages the opening of the underground galleries as a central action, which will cease to be a closed space to become a large open atrium, conceived as an agora intended for cultural and commercial activities, integrated into urban life, as explained by the municipal spokesperson, Mercedes Celeste.

The project also includes the connection of the end of the Rambla with the square by burying the access to the car park and reorganizing the space into two different levels.Furthermore, the reform will allow the future City Interpretation Center to be located there, which will act as the axis of a network of exhibition spaces together with Can Serra and the Temple Towers. The objective is to highlight the history, heritage, architecture, and culture of Palma.New neighborhood house of Es Pil·larí

The Governing Board has also approved the basic project to build the neighborhood center of es Pil·larí, an infrastructure long claimed by the neighbors. According to Celeste, the building will have a surface area of 512 square meters on the ground floor and will be located on a municipal plot of about 2,300 square meters, which will allow for outdoor spaces for parking and open-air activities.The community center will be located at Falcó street, 245, on the corner with the Muntanya road, and has been designed to integrate with the environment and architecturally dialogue with the church of Sant Francesc d'Assís. The budget is 2.66 million euros and construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027.Interventions on heritage

On the other hand, modifications have been approved for the restoration contract of the wall that incorporate two notable actions: the Muslim Tower–Wall of Puig de Sant Pere and the Drassana Arch, in s'Hort del Rei. These interventions amount to 362,000 euros, of which 92,400 will be financed with already authorized remaining funds. According to Celeste, these actions respond to unforeseen needs that could not have been foreseen at the time of tendering the initial contract.Snail Fair

The Council has also declared the 24th edition of the Fira del Caragol, which will be held from May 15 to 17 in Sant Jordi, of municipal public interest. The event has been held uninterruptedly since 2001, with the exception of the years 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.