WHITE ELEPHANT SLAIN

BULLDOZERS have finally moved in on an infamous 'white elephant' that has drained away millions of euros in public money.

The Marina Baches Cultural Centre - nicknamed La Paloma - was once branded ‘the shame of Pilar de la Horadada’.

It even reached national notoriety as a prime example of overspending by councils during the boom period of the 2000s.

Now, after years of legal wranglings, €390,000 has been allocated to demolish it. Its original construction budget was just €2 million but that soon spiralled to €9 million by 2006, when building was forced to stop.

The shameless project was officially scrapped in 2014 when it was described as ‘obsolete’ Pilar council ended up having to pay €2.7million in compensation to two companies for lost revenues as an underground car park on the site could not be used.

Besides demolishing La Paloma, the underground car park with 252 spaces will be refurbished at a cost of €2.3 million - more than the 2001 original budget. for the cultural centre.