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CostaBlancaPeople 13th - 19th February 2018
Municipal theatre – no end in sight The town’s theatre is still closed two and a half years on from when it was first announced that it did not have all the necessary paperwork to open its doors to the public.
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owever, what is of most concern is that there doesn’t appear to be a solution. In 2015 the Valencian government announced that the theatre did not have the necessary licences and that it must close. Safety issues were identified, including problems with fire safety. The local government hired a company to help rectify the situation and obtain the necessary licences. They paid out a total of €45,00 in order to correct the building’s deficiencies. Since then actions have been taken to improve the safety of the building with a
view to getting the necessary licences. In order to get the final go ahead it’s necessary to obtain the signature of the architect who is responsible for the theatre’s construction. The architect responsible, it’s claimed, no longer wants to sign the document but has agreed that he will do so for €130,000. Although it is acknowledged that the building is now safe for occupation and
can open, the architect is concerned that he has not directly supervised the work himself. He wants to see all the paperwork that has been completed since the theatre was closed and details of the work done. The local government is now threatening to take him to court for damages. The theatre was opened in 2006 and had been used by the public since that date until it closed in 2015. It was opened
by Francisco Camps who was then the president of the region. He is perhaps now best known for the string of corruption cases that have been brought against him. The theatre continued to be in operation until 2015 whilst not complying with local laws and also being rumoured to have cost well above what was initially planned. The town council feel particularly powerless to ensure the final action that
would mean the theatre could be opened and used by everyone. A technician who was also involved in the project has been asked to sign in the architect’s place, but he has also declined to do so. The mayor, José Manuel Dolón in desperation has asked if it is possible for a professional who wasn’t involved in the initial project to sign. However, the Colegio de Arquitectos has made it clear that this would not comply with the rules. So, at the present time this gridlock continues. Those desperately wanting the re-opening of this important cultural centre will hope that a solution can be found soon. Suzanne O’Connell
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