The Office of Mobility of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that the access barriers of the car park under Plaça d'Europa in Es Pujols will be reactivated from Monday 20 February.

The barriers were left open last summer following a serious incident at the access control and payment machines. Due to the lack of supplies, the incident could not be resolved until today. Once resolved, the parking lot will resume normal operations on Monday 20 February. A second payment machine will be installed this year to avoid a recurrence of the incident.

Car park users will have to stop by the office to purchase or renew subscriptions. Users who had subscriptions at the time of the incident have the option of requesting a new subscription for the period of time they were unable to use the service or a refund of the money for the days for which the service was not provided as agreed. Some of the regular users have already requested one of the two options.

The office is open Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 2.00pm. From 20 to 24 February, it will also open afternoons from 4.00pm to 6.00pm to handle the expected increase in requests.

15 February 2023
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Office of Rural Environment of the Consell de Formentera is pleased to report that Wednesday 15 February marks the start of registration for the children's agriculture course. This workshop is four- to twelve-year-olds and will be held on Saturday mornings. Those interested can register in person at the Citizen Information Office (OAC) and online on the OVAC. The course will begin Saturday 25 February.

"The activity aims to promote knowledge around working the land using organic and traditional techniques while promoting respect for peers and the natural environment", explained Josep Marí, rural environment councillor.

The Children's Garden, or Hort Infantil, is next to Sa Tanca Vella chapel in Sant Francesc. Children will be divided into two groups according to their age. The first, for four- to seven-year-olds, will meet Saturdays from 10.00am to 11.45am, and the second, for eight- to twelve-year-olds, Saturdays from 12.15pm to 2.00pm. Classes are free of charge.

15 February 2023
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Office of Heritage of the Consell de Formentera has removed the fences that surrounded the Can Blai heritage site, a Roman castellum, to improve its accessibility and to make it more pleasant for visitors. The old fence has been replaced by a rope and post enclosure.

Raquel Guasch, heritage councillor, framed the operation as "the latest in a line of efforts this term by the Office of Heritage to raise the visibility of and showcase our heritage treasures to make them accessible to the people." Previously fencing was removed round Sa Tanca Vella chapel and the Cap de Barbaria II archaeological site is also in the process of being opened.

Can Blai are the remains of a fortified structure from the lower-imperial Roman period. Experts estimate the castellum, which has a square floor plan with a tower at each corner, was erected between the late third and early fourth century AD. The results of excavations in 1979 and 1980 suggest that it is an unfinished work, possibly built as shelter for nearby inhabitants on private initiative. It was declared an archaeological site of cultural interest in 1994.

14 February 2023
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

Today on Formentera, the Agency for Tourism Strategy of the Balearic Islands (AETIB) has presented efforts to define the underpinnings of a tourism intelligence system in the Balearic Islands. Alejandra Ferrer, vice-president and tourism councillor, offered opening remarks at the event, which also included members of the tourism sector and law enforcement agencies, as well as Francesc Mateu, AETIB's managing director.

Councillor Ferrer said the 2018 opening of the Formentera Data Observatory reflected an effort to pursue various visions, "not exclusively tourism-oriented, which can guide us in decision-making and help us continue on the path toward sustainability and a circular economy." Likewise, these data "also help us understand islanders' needs and how tourism impacts their quality of life."

Ferrer spoke about the importance of having and sharing data segregated by islands. To that end, the new tourism intelligence system will allow for both data sharing and data creation. Ferrer highlighted environmental issues that require continuous and updated data such as "the number of anchorages and maritime traffic on the coast, housing costs, the cost of living on the island, our carbon footprint and rising sea levels."

"Only with all this information will we be able to continue adopting measures as an island administration and also urge other competent authorities to implement strong actions to achieve the sustainable development goals for economic and environmental balance, which will have a direct impact on social welfare", she concluded.

For his part, Mr Mateu said that creating the framework to develop the Balearic Islands' intelligence system required "sitting down with roughly one public and private entities to find out what data they have and what data they need, because we will design the tourism intelligence system according to needs." The system is expected to be publicly available via an online platform by late 2024.

13 February 2023
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera