Life after Space: what's next according to the rumourmill

Next summer heralds the end of an Ibizan era.

Carl Cox will complete his final residency at Space and the people behind Ushuaïa will take charge of the the land the venue is built on.

This is huge news for the island. Space and, in turn, Coxy's residency are synonymous with Ibiza (Space fans fear not: the clubbing brand will continue to operate on an international scale).

The reason for this massive change is that the Space Ibiza club, as we currently know it, is under a lease which expires at the end of 2016. After that, it'll be in the hands of the owners of the land it's built on, the Matutes Group, who currently manage Ushuaïa.

Locals and island regulars have known about this for years but now it's official ( as Coxy loudly revealed earlier today). Nobody knows exactly what will become of Space after next summer, but there are currently a number of plausible rumours doing the rounds on the island... As well as some more imaginative ones. Here they are.

Where the harbour area of Ibiza Town is renowned for being chic and exclusive, Space's location – Playa d'en Bossa – has a reputation for being loud, brash and altogether more fun. But all that may change in 2017, with the potential opening of the Space Hotel.

We've heard that the existing venue will be gutted and restyled in the manner of a contemporary boutique hotel, designed specifically for affluent clubbers. To add to the nostalgia, every room will be styled to capture the history of the venue. There will be a minimalistic ENTER. room with sake on tap and plenty of mood lighting, and an elrow wing with Mexican skulls nailed to the walls and clown butlers roaming the hallways.

According to the rumourmill, a new VIP golf course will be built along the south-eastern tip of the island sometime in the near future. It has even been said that the course will be located on the site where Space is currently located. However, golf courses tend to be pretty big, which is why it's more likely that the Discoteca will be gutted and reopened as a VIP driving range. Or, alternatively, a crazy golf course, with the old Funktion One speaker stacks and discarded elrow ornamentations used to create themed holes. What a horrible thought…

Since Ushuaïa opened its doors in 2011, the venue has been tweaking the balance of its weekly output year on year. Apart from ANTS, EDM sounds now dominate the roster. However, if it actually opens its doors in 2017, Ushuaïa After Dark will offer clubbers a definite sonic counterbalance: expect EDM sounds at the Beach Club throughout the daytime, followed by techno at night inside a totally refurbished and rebranded Space, connected to the rest of the Ushuaïa buildings via a tunnel.

Over the course of the last five years, Playa d'en Bossa has changed beyond recognition. First came the Ushuaïa Beach Club. Then, in 2013, the Ushuaïa Tower. Then the Hard Rock Hotel. In 2017, there are rumours that the Palladium Group (which runs a plethora of swanky places to stay including the Hard Rock and Ushuaïa hotel) is planning to further expand its position by way of a bridge that will connect the Ushuaïa Beach Club to what is now Space. The roof will be taken off the Terraza and the Sunset Terrace will be returned to former glories as Super Ushuaïa expands to festival-sized girth.

Although most people don't realise it's even there, the water park behind Space gets pretty busy in the summer. The rumours are that when Space is bulldozed, the water slides and swimming pools will be refurbished and extended. The new water park will then either be opened to the public or reserved exclusively for Ushuaïa guests, thus creating a complex similar to the BH Mallorca resort which took over the old Mallorca Rocks venue this summer.

There are a one or two reasonably-sized supermarkets situated on the outskirts of Playa d'en Bossa, but nothing to speak of centrally save for a procession of sparsely stocked Spa minimarts. With plenty of year-round residents living locally and many self-catering apartments nearby, all of which are sold-out during the summer, don't discount a huge Hypermarket landing in Playa d'en Bossa in 2017.

Worried that the slingshot in San Antonio is enticing trade away from Playa d'en Bossa, local movers and shakers might decide to build a new theme park on the site where Space currently stands. Plans for the park remain a closely guarded secret (or myth), but rumour has it that Carl Cox has been asked to design the concept for one of the rollercoaster's, while Richie Hawtin has agreed to manage the dodgems. Of all the rumours this seems the least likely.

After its final swansong next summer, Space owner Pepe Rosello may decide to raze the venue sometime in the final months of 2016, for the structure of the club itself belongs to him. The land will then be handed back to the Matutes Group, who will not have enough time to implement their future plans before the start of the 2017 Ibiza dance season, leaving the land in a state of limbo, at least for the summer.

As they prepare to leave Playa d'en Bossa behind, the team behind the Space brand are rumoured to be eyeing up a move to one of Ibiza's other superclubs. In recent years, Privilege has lost headline DJs Tiësto and Armin van Buuren to rival venues, and while the Vista Club continues to pull in the crowds, the 10,000-capacity main hanger has proved difficult to fill. Which is why a merger between Space and Privilege makes absolute sense. You heard it hear first.

Don't panic just yet. Ostensibly, at least, clubbers may not even notice that anything has changed. After all, rumours of Space's demise have been rife for 10 years or more, but until now nothing has changed. And so in 2017, expect the Matutes Group to offer Pepe Rosello an extended ten year lease, or perhaps they'll take over the running of the venue but decide to keep the Space name. Either way, the Space flag will probably continue to fly in Playa d'en Bossa for decades to come...