Alex Trelinski
AN UNDERGROUND shopping centre car park has partially reopened- nine months after being flooded during the Valencia October 29 disaster.
The Bonaire centre facility in Aldaia became a media focus in the early days of the tragedy after fears that motorists were trapped in their vehicles.
Divers led emergency teams in a thorough check that confirmed that nobody was in any of the destroyed cars.
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The first phase reopening on Saturday saw 1,000 places available to shoppers and store workers- in addition to the 4,000 outdoor spaces.
Restoration work included maintenance and improvement work on the entire car park to get it eventually back to the full quota of 1,800 parking spots.
Bonaire manager, Angela Perez, said that they were ‘delighted to be able to offer more space to the thousands of people who visit us daily’.
“The centre is a key economic driver for Aldaia and its surrounding area,” she added.
“Reopening the parking lot is an important milestone for us, for the more than 2,300 people who work there, and for the entire region,” Perez commented.
During the first few months of Bonaire’s reopening following flood clear-up work, it stated it experienced ‘growth not only in new international brands that have invested in the centre, but also in sales.’
Bonaire claimed that since a major outlets started trading again from February, there has been a 5.5% increase in sales compared to the same period last year.
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