Indigo Wins Tender for Former Regesa Car Parks
The French parking operator Indigo, through its Spanish subsidiary INDIGO INFRA ESPAÑA, will take over the management of five public car parks across Barcelona and L'Hospitalet. The company was the sole bidder in a tender launched by IMPSOL, the Metropolitan Institute for Soil Promotion and Heritage Management, an agency of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB). The sites include four locations in Barcelona: Plaça Ferran Reyes and Plaça Maragall in the Sant Andreu district, Carrer Cristóbal de Moura in Sant Martí, and Plaça Isabel Vilà in the 22@ district, the latter still awaiting completion. The fifth site is the underground car park at Plaça Francesc Macià in L'Hospitalet. In total, the contract covers 635 car spaces, 56 motorcycle spots, 75 storage rooms, and space for 48 bicycles.
50-Year Concession with Investment Commitments
The agreement grants Indigo operational control for the remainder of the original 50-year concessions, which expire between 2053 and 2064. As part of the deal, the company will pay 6.35 million euros over the concession period and invest 5.1 million euros in facility renovations and energy efficiency upgrades. An additional 1.1 million euros will fund technological integration, including access via platforms such as ElParking, Bip&Drive, and Waylet for subscribers. Indigo must also complete construction on the unfinished Plaça Isabel Vilà car park.
The contract allows for rotating parking, subscriptions, and individual transfers of usage rights.
This includes fulfilling an existing obligation to reserve 36 parking spaces for the PINNAH Foundation, serving users and staff of the adjacent Hospital Evangèlic.
From Failed Public Company to Private Management
These municipally owned facilities were previously managed by REGESA Aparcaments i Serveis, SA (RASSA), a subsidiary of the now-dissolved public developer Regesa. Regesa, originally tasked with real estate development for the defunct Consell Comarcal del Barcelonès (CCB), collapsed after accumulating 30 million euros in losses between 2009 and 2016. IMPSOL inherited the assets following RASSA’s 2024 dissolution. After an unsuccessful 2015 tender attempt, when six car parks were offered as a single lot, the institute has now restructured the offering, lowering starting prices significantly. For example, Plaça Maragall's entry price dropped from 1.1 million euros in 2015 to 696,465 euros today. The move aligns with IMPSOL’s strategic shift toward prioritising social housing under the Generalitat de Catalunya’s "Pla 50.000" initiative.
Indigo’s Growing Presence in Catalonia
Indigo, one of the world’s largest parking operators, already manages 15 car parks in Barcelona. Its current portfolio includes facilities at Maremagnum, Finestrelles, El Born Centre, Can Fabra, the City of Justice, and high-demand zones like Plaça Wagner and Mercat de la Mercè. With this expansion, Indigo will operate over 2,800 car parks globally, spanning 580 cities across 10 countries. In 2024, it acquired Parkia, Spain’s third-largest parking operator.
Reported by metropoliabierta.elespanol.com, Metrópoli Abierta - Urban Life.
