The Socialist Group (PSOE) in Torrevieja has presented a motion to the Town Hall demanding the urgent rehabilitation of municipal property, better protection of the city’s historic buildings, and a gradual end to what it describes as unnecessary rental spending that now exceeds €240,000 per year.
PSOE spokesperson Bárbara Soler criticised the current management model, stating that the council has been paying more than €20,000 a month to rent private premises for municipal services, while numerous publicly owned buildings remain closed, underused, or abandoned.
According to information provided by the governing team in response to a PSOE question, the Town Hall currently holds five rental contracts totalling around €19,000 per month. However, Soler explained that this figure does not include additional premises, such as a property on Calle Clemente Gosálvez costing almost €2,700 per month, or a newly rented unit on Calle Valencia for more than €1,000 per month. “The real monthly cost already exceeds €20,000 and continues to rise,” she warned.
Municipal Buildings Left Idle
The motion highlights several municipally owned properties that have remained unused for years. Among them is a three-storey building on Calle Clemente Gosálvez, purchased for over €620,000, of which only the ground floor is currently in use. Upper floors remain closed, awaiting an undefined future project.
Also cited is the building on Calle Azorín, acquired in a land swap in 2011 and still unused more than a decade later, despite being protected for its historical value. Another example is the former Parroquia del Salvador, purchased by the Town Hall in 2024 for €251,000 to house municipal services, which remains closed.
Particular concern was raised over the old Town Hall building, which Soler described as being in a “deplorable state”, showing clear signs of deterioration and potential risk. Despite occasional public access due to its use as a storage facility, no rehabilitation work has been undertaken.
The PSOE also pointed to unused areas within the multi-purpose building, formerly promoted as the new Holy Week Museum, which remain closed despite being suitable for administrative use.
Heritage at Risk and Lack of Planning
Soler warned that several of these properties form part of Torrevieja’s limited historical and architectural heritage, and that continued neglect could lead to irreversible damage. “This is not just poor financial management,” she said, “it is a serious failure in the council’s duty to protect public heritage.”
The PSOE was also critical of the recent announcement of a future administrative city, describing it as “smoke and mirrors”. According to the motion, the announcement amounts only to a €50,000 agreement with a university for academic studies, with no executive project, no funding commitment, and any real action deferred to the next term.
“That agreement wasn’t even included in the budgets approved just a week earlier,” Soler noted, “which confirms the absence of planning and any real intention to change the current model.”
PSOE Demands Immediate Measures
Through its motion, the PSOE is calling for an updated inventory of all municipal properties, the immediate rehabilitation of the old Town Hall, the activation of underused buildings, proper conservation of historic assets, and a progressive reduction in rental expenditure.
“Enough of unnecessary rents, enough of empty announcements, and enough of letting Torrevieja’s municipal heritage decay,” Soler concluded.
