Theatre work on schedule

Joan Collins THE overseer of the works to the Teatro Principal in Palma, Joan Mut, said yesterday that the building is a metre lower and has 1'000 metres less space inside than was envisaged in the initial project. These modifications have been done “with the intention of reducing the annoyance caused to the neighbours”, according to the Council of Majorca's head of Culture, Dolca Mulet. She was speaking yesterday at the visit to the work site made by members of the management of the Foundation which manages the theatre, accompanied by technical experts from the Council of Majorca and the heads of the companies which are carrying out the reform (Dragados and Melchor Mascaro). Mulet said that, up to now, they had not received any notification from Palma council about any action over the alterations to the initial plan. She said that the Council of Majorca had carried out the promise it had made to the citizens and that “if anyone is upset, it is because they haven't done their homework”. She added that, at the moment, the work schedule is going to plan and the work will be finished in February 2007, to be inaugurated in April. Mut explained that the amount of work had not increased, but they had altered the part of the installations which contain the theatre's air conditioning to avoid blocking the view of the residents in the street behind the theatre. “The container is one metre lower than planned”, he confirmed. Mut said that the air conditioning apparatus just needed to have acoustic panels fixed to it to reduce the noise so as not to annoy the neighbours. He added that no permission had been sought to make this change, and he hinted that it is something “habitual” in all works and that nobody goes through the bureaucratic process. “I have never had to apply for permission to change the siting of an air conditioning unit”, he said. In any case, he added that the building could be modified to adapt it to the approved plan, “although that would delay the completion of the work”. With regard to complaints from the neighbours, Mut denied there had been any and said that a representative of the residents association from the neighbouring building had asked for information about the height of things, which was why the unit was changed.