- The tender for the project, which has a budget of €8.2 million, will begin shortly.
- The improvement of this area of almost 25,000 square meters will serve to humanize the space with landscaped areas.
- Mar Chao emphasized that this project is in line with the APV’s Strategic Plan, which aims to make Gandia a benchmark in the blue economy.
- José Manuel Prieto: “This is a city project that settles an outstanding debt: Gandia’s new view of the port.”
Gandia, November 24, 2025 – Valenciaport and Gandia City Council are promoting a project that will remove the physical barriers between the city and the Port of Gandia by developing the area around the fruit warehouses and the controlled area of the port facilities. The project, for which tenders will be invited shortly, will create a space for public use by citizens.
The president of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV), Mar Chao, and the mayor of Gandia, José Manuel Prieto, have announced a project financed by Valenciaport, with a base tender budget of over €6.8 million (€8.2 million including VAT) and a surface area of 24,987 square meters, located on port land. Of this, 1,894 square meters will be landscaped areas and will include a parking lot with 78 spaces.
At a meeting with the municipal commission ‘Usos Tinglados. Interacción Port ciutat’, Chao introduced the project, accompanied by the mayor and Tomás Llavador, head of the architectural and engineering firm that designed the project. The project is based on the winning entry in the idea’s competition entitled ‘Camins a la mar’ (Paths to the Sea), by Peñín Arquitectos.
The commission is made up of political spokespersons, municipal technicians, representatives of the Fishermen’s Guild, Destí Safor, the Safor business association, the Gandia Campus of the UPV, and the port’s shipping agent, among others.
The mayor of Gandia has emphasized that this is “a strategic project for the city, one of the most important we can undertake, which settles an outstanding debt: the city’s new view of the port through the redevelopment of the surrounding area. This place will become a space of opportunities.”
For her part, the president of the APV explained that the aim is to remove the physical barriers between the port and the city and to create, in the area around the warehouses, “a space for public use by citizens, which works in harmony with port activity, revitalizing the Grao district and Gandia beach, and enriching the tourist, cultural, and leisure offerings.”
Specifically, the scope of action focuses on two areas, one of which is between fruit sheds 5 to 17 and the space between its south facade and the boundary of the commercial port area, and between the north facade and the cliff. The other area includes the Lonja building and square, and the platform to the south of the church of Sant Nicolau.
In addition to improving connections with the urban area, particularly the northern part, the project also considers integration with the surroundings of the Research Center currently managed by the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV).
Walking routes and green areas
The design of the space has been carried out considering the peculiar geometry of the space to be developed, delimited by the promenade area in front of the Tinglados, with a strong longitudinal component, and a larger space perpendicular to this promenade. The proposal uses green areas, tree lines, and different pavement patterns to create pedestrian routes that invite citizens from the access points to the project area and guide them through the planned public space.
Likewise, a large plaza is planned in front of the sheds, with a shaded area created by a large pergola that covers it and connects with the rest of the pedestrian spaces. Shaded areas will accompany pedestrians throughout all the routes and spaces created, either through large trees or smaller pergolas next to the sheds during the summer months.
Uses of the sheds
On the other hand, according to the mayor, the municipal commission ‘Usos Tinglados. Interacción Port ciutat’ (Shed Uses. Port-City Interaction) is expected to reconvene before the end of the year to address the activity of the sheds. “If we gain a space for opportunities outside, we will also have the sheds themselves as a new hub for investment.”
More than 30 million for the major transformation of the Port
José Manuel Prieto pointed out that the transformation of the Port of Gandia is attracting investments exceeding €30 million. These include the redevelopment project for the area around the warehouses; the Marine Science Technology Research Center; the new Marina; the area around the church of San Nicolau; and the Sustainable Tourism Plans.
In this regard, Mar Chao also highlighted Valenciaport’s willingness to work on developing a project that positions the Port of Gandia as a “benchmark for projects aimed at growing the blue economy,” promoting R&D projects in the marine sector, renewable energy generation, and the promotion of recreational boating. “Gandia is a port that serves the regional economy and generates wealth around the blue economy.”
The port-city relationship: a commitment of the Strategic Plan The president of the APV explained that actions such as those taken in Gandia reaffirm the port’s commitment to social cohesion and relations with the port environment. “This is reflected in the 2035 Strategic Plan, which highlights the importance of Valenciaport as an agent that generates value for people and a benchmark in management based on respect and the defense of the general interest,” she concluded.