Bofill battle rages on in Calpe
BANNERS have been hung from the ‘ramparts’ of fortress Bofill in Calpe as besieged residents fight moves for La Muralla Roja to be registered as a building of cultural interest.
Many of the white sheets have ‘No BIC’ emblazoned across them, referring to the process that could effectively have homes in the iconic apartment block protected as a listed building. Others claim the property is being ‘expropriated’ by the local authority.
The town hall is unrepentant – it is one of three buildings designed by Barcelonabased architect Ricardo Bofill, whose post-modernist dreams fill skylines as far away as Chicago, Paris and the Far East. Home owners living in the building - a stone’s throw from a second Bofill block of homes, Edifici Xanadu – complain they were not consulted in the process, the listing as a BIC will inhibit their rights, and even more visitors will flock to Cala del Manzanera bringing more noise and chaos to the quiet area.
Winning the BIC status for the three buildings has been on the council agenda since 2014 and it has sent supporting documentation to the regional government in Valencia. Householders claim they have never been consulted and never agreed to the town hall’s ambition, claiming letters opposing the move have been ignored.
Mayoress Ana Sala also made residents bristle with her comment: “It is not mandatory to request the authorisation of residents in order to apply for BIC status.”
She also maintained: “At the start of the process the council wrote to the owners in case they wanted to contribute something and there was no reply.”
A town hall insider told Costa Blanca News the special status would preserve an important part of Calpe’s culture.
“It is the town’s way of saving its heritage for future generations; it is not just about the people living there at the moment,” they noted.
“I believe about 50% of the residents are architects anyway; they know exactly what it is and its value. I believe every building designed by Bofill around the world is protected. They are protected, quite simply, because he is one of the most famous modern architects in the world.”
However, there was some sympathy too.
“The problem is, it is a very quiet area and if a coach load of excited visitors arrives with their cameras, they try and get into the gardens and make a lot of noise,” they added. “On the other hand, the community is quite happy when there’s a fashion shoot there because the money goes into the community pot.”
ELCHE is making it easier to cycle around the city by releasing a map of all the Bicielx bike hire stations, cycle racks and cycle paths.
According to councillor for mobility Esther Díez, this will make it simple to check how to get around either using the public hire service or ‘their own bicycles’.
Until now, the Bicielx website only showed the location of their stations and availability of bikes at them, but residents had been asking for it to include information about these other cycling facilities as well, she explained.
Elche has 45 Bicielx stations, 87 cycle racks (in the city and rural districts), 27 kilometres of cycle paths in the city and 57km in the countryside.
The cycle paths include sections along pavements, segregated lanes, roads on which bicycles have priority, paths and streets in the historic centre
without motor vehicles.
Projects are currently being drawn up to install new cycle paths on Calle Pere Joan Perpinyá and Avenida de Alialso cante, as well as more cycle racks and increase the Bicielx service. All the city’s neighbourhoods are connected by the public hire service, which
offers an annual pass for only €36.90. For more information see https://bi cielx.es/estaciones-bicicletas/