Region puts lid on Alicante City Hall roof repair plans

THE regional government in Valencia halted plans to restore Alicante City Hall. The previous council’s plans did not comply with heritage laws and failed to take into account overall aspects of the 18th century building, the generalitat said.

This news came as blow to city hall because tenders for the €600,000 project were classified and the contract about to be awarded for €438,000, municipal sources revealed.   

The former Alicante mayor Miguel Valor committed city hall to a project that lacked an essential Culture department report, the same sources said. This was essential before the contract could be put out to tender.

Work due to start in October has been put on hold while ideas are exchanged between city hall and the regional government, said Alicante’s Contracts councillor Natxo Bellido.

Restoration involves repairing the small dome that tops the baroque building as well as its balconies, façade and leaking roof. The front of the building would need scaffolding and several offices vacated for the six months envisaged for the project.

Despite the regional government’s reservations, Bellido maintained that city hall still hopes to carry out the restoration, even though it could be necessary to substitute the present plans. The existing project is several years old, he said, and was commissioned from an outside firm and not the municipal architect.