The premises will house, among other services, the Foietes-Colonia Madrid Municipal Administrative Branch and the PROP office
Benidorm will convert the former courthouse facilities on Beniardà Avenue to accommodate new public service offices for citizens
Benidorm City Council will convert the former courthouses on Avenida de Beniardà, recently transferred to the municipality by the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian Regional Government), to accommodate new municipal offices and improve the services provided to citizens. This was announced this Monday by Mayor Toni Pérez during a visit to these premises, which have been closed and unused for a decade, along with the Regional Minister of Finance and Economy of the Valencian Regional Government, Ruth Merino; the Director General of Heritage, Antonio Woodward; the Councilor for Administrative Extensions, Mónica Gómez; and other members of the local council.
Toni Pérez recalled that the transfer of these eleven premises, which occupy a surface area of approximately 1,250 square meters, was formalized by agreement of the Consell (Regional Council) on April 15 and ratified by the City Council plenary session on May 30, thus addressing one of the local government's major demands before the Generalitat (Regional Government). “Benidorm had been requesting this transfer for more than a decade,” a request that even prompted a motion in plenary session by the then municipal group, Compromís, in 2016, specifically demanding that the Botànic administration hand over this facility to the city. This request was ignored despite the council's persistent and ongoing demands to end the unspeakable closure of these facilities for public use.
“When the regional government changed hands in 2023,” he continued, “we initiated these contacts again to advance the entire administrative process that could lead to the transfer of these premises to Benidorm City Council, in this case for 30 years and with an objective: the improvement of many services we already provide and that will now have better facilities,” the mayor added.
The mayor announced that the City Council will begin refurbishing these spaces as soon as possible so that "the relocation of facilities and the provision of services can take place before the end of the year." Specifically, he referred to the Foietes-Colonia Madrid Municipal Administrative Extension and the Generalitat's PROP service, which serves citizens throughout the Marina Baixa region, "in a very limited space and which has been dreaming of having better facilities since 1995, when it was launched. The time has come, and it has arrived thanks to a job well done, a Ministry that listens, and a government in the Generalitat that, when you knock on its door, doesn't turn its back on you, doesn't close it, but instead serves the municipalities, as in this case, Benidorm."
Along with these two services, the City Council also plans to create spaces for other municipal uses and citizen services in these premises, as well as the presence of entities, associations, and citizen participation groups.
After the visit, the Regional Minister of Finance and Economy emphasised that this transfer "is the result of a process and should be common sense, which is listening to the needs of the citizens of each municipality." Merino stated that "it's inconceivable that anyone who has to provide a public service would not be able to respond to a request, when you have premises that have been closed for many years and the need to improve a service that you are providing just a few meters away to citizens throughout the region."
"It's a matter of common sense, while at the same time ensuring efficient management of resources," added the regional minister. "The fundamental principles in the management of public assets must be based on operability, utility, and proximity," emphasised Ruth Merino, who also highlighted the Regional Council's commitment "to the efficient reuse and optimisation of Valencia's public assets." As an example, the Regional Ministry explained that by transferring the property to the municipality during the period of the lease, the Generalitat will save more than €101,000 in property taxes on a property that had been closed for years.
Finally, both the mayor and the regional minister agreed that "with this agreement, a further step is taken in the loyal collaboration between the Generalitat and the City Council, transforming a closed and unused space into a living, useful resource open to all citizens."
