City Council considers “unfair and unjustifiable” the Treasury Ministry’s decision to turn down Marbella’s application for the Urban regeneration subvention

Marbella, June 12th 2008.- Local government’s spokesman Félix Romero has described as “unfair and unjustifiable” the Treasury Ministry’s decision to turn down the City Council’s application for the Urban city centre regeneration European subvention.

Romero considers that the central government “is not committed to Marbella and continues having the same blinkered attitude towards our city as before”. This attitude contradicts, in his opinion, “President Zapatero electoral promises of unconditional investments”. He has also specified that the project —backed up by the Regional Government experts— was “of great interest to Marbella and the best we could submit”.

In this respect, he has highlighted that “less significant” initiatives have been backed up, and cities “of relatively less importance” such as Alcalá de Guadaira have obtained a subvention for a project that will “benefit 3.000 persons as against 70.000 which would have been benefited in Marbella”. Romero has criticised the Treasury Ministry for “not taking into account the City Council’s financial situation and the efforts we are making to renegotiate the inherited debts”, although he has assured that “Marbella will manage to get through this situation with our own resources”.

Javier García, coordinator of the municipal quality and subvention management department (Ugescal) has specified that the total cost of the project amounts to 14.349.189 euros and the subvention requested for the period between 2008 and 2013 within the framework of the Urban initiative amounts to 10.044.432 euros.

Among the measures proposed to improve urban environment’s quality —to which the project allocates a sum of 6.914.495 euros— we find a comprehensive public lighting plan for the most degraded areas, a multi-modal transport plan and a campaign aimed at encouraging citizens to use sustainable public transport. Improvements on accessibility, by eliminating architectural barriers, and the creation of a traffic management station have also been considered. Regarding public spaces, the measures considered include the replacement of damaged urban equipment, a façade rehabilitation plan and a comprehensive restoration of Plaza de Toros district.

As for urban environment quality, the measures include the creation of new public parks in Las Albarizas and Vicente street, the use of renewable energies on public facilities and their promotion on households and private sector. Measures aimed at reducing pollution, such as the burying of high-tension cables in the city centre, the elimination of wiring on old town’s façades or the installation of eco-friendly waste disposal facilities, have also been considered. Budget allocation for these measures amounts to 3.322.753 euros.

The City Council also intends to improve the City’s competitiveness, innovation and economical development with an estimated investment of 2.311.941 euros. In order to do so, proposals such as the promotion of quality systems implementation on retailers, the creation of a business promotion centre, the training and professionalization of city centre’s commercial sector and the promotion of handicraft and traditional activities are included on the plan, as well as the refurbishment of Marbella’s central market, the support to tourism as a regenerating element and the creation of a local employment observatory.

As far as social welfare, with a budget allocation of 750.000 euros, the project includes initiatives such as the improvement of citizen participation mechanisms, the revitalising of San Juan de Dios Hospital, the implantation of a foreigners’ university and an inter-cultural centre and the guidance and social integration of the unprivileged. Regarding culture, 900.000 euros are destined to the creation of an open museum and the restoration of the Trinitarian Convent.