Green light for the Youth Hostel and interpretation center of Séquia Mare park

The Governing Board of Benidorm City Council has approved the specifications for the construction of the youth hostel and the interpretation centre of the Sequia Mare park, one of the most emblematic constructions of the DUSI strategy. “With the presentation of these specifications, the Séquia Mare shelter and interpretation centre is closer to becoming a reality,” declared Mayor Toni Pérez. The mayor has also highlighted the innovative nature of the building: "we propose an avant-garde building, integrated into the environment and designed with the highest energy efficiency standards, to reclaim our past with the vision of the future that Benidorm has always defined."

With a budget of 2.1 million euros, of which more than 700,000 euros come from European funds, this great work is a vindication of the city's ethnographic and cultural heritage. "This iconic building, which blends perfectly into the natural landscape, will highlight the ethnographic and cultural legacy of our city and will also expand the leisure offer for the young people of Benidorm," explained Mayor Toni Pérez.

The contemporary and innovative design of this building ensures perfect integration with the surroundings of the Séquia Mare park to enhance this green lung of Benidorm. The complex includes all kinds of spaces such as a dining room, a toy library, a cafeteria and a hostel, one more alternative for a stay in Benidorm. The public spaces are flexible and can be opened to the outside to take advantage of the good weather.

The complex also includes an interpretation centre for the customs of the region, a tribute to the arrival of water in Benidorm in 1666 through the Séquia Mare. For the design of the iconic building, a team of archaeologists specializing in hydraulic heritage and sociologists have been involved from the beginning of the project to ensure a building that claims the legacy of the city.

The project, which has already been put out to tender, also includes improvements to the natural environment of Parque de la Séquia Mare. Respecting the current bicycle and pedestrian paths, a camping area and a multi-adventure space will be built for the enjoyment of the youngest.

Interested companies can submit their offers through the contractor's profile on Benidorm City Council website. Once the bidding and award processes are completed, the works will last 10 months. The youth hostel and interpretation centre project already has the approval of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation.

The total investment for this great work of the Benidorm DUSI strategy amounts to 2,177,500 euros, of which the European Union contributes 720,000 euros through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The construction, of great impact in Benidorm, is included in the fifth line of action of the DUSI strategy, which seeks the "rehabilitation and enhancement of public assets, opening them to tourism and citizen use."

EDUSI IN BENIDORM:

The Pluriregional Operational Program of Spain 2014-2020, and the Operational Program for Sustainable Growth (POCS) promote the DUSI strategy, for Sustainable and Integrated Urban Development, of which Benidorm, as established in the Resolution of May 4, 2018, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) of the Order of the Third Call HFP/888/2017, has managed to opt for and obtain financing from the ERDF aid of 10 Million Euros, through its EDUSI BENIDORM strategy.

The EDUSI BENIDORM is made up of a series of thematic, specific, strategic and operational objectives, encompassed through 13 Lines of Action, whose social, environmental, economic and urban impact on the city aims to transform a delimited urban area of ​​the city into the to intervene and regenerate comprehensively, for the sake of producing an impact and global improvement in the city.