"PSOE and Compromís lose the opportunity for Dénia to have a second home due to their inability to manage"

OPINION | Popular Dénia

The worst fears have come true, the Generalitat has withdrawn the powers of the Dénia City Council governed by PSOE and COMPROMIS, for the construction of the long-awaited second senior residence and day center. "We already warned you that the way the government team was managing the construction of a new senior residence and day center would end in what was confirmed yesterday: the Generalitat withdraws the authority to build it and, even more seriously, Dénia loses a subsidy of almost 10 million euros for its construction." With these words, Pepa Font, spokesperson for the Municipal Group of Party from Dénia, describes the result of the disastrous management of the Councilor for Territory, María Josep Ripoll, which has culminated in the loss of much-needed infrastructure for Dénia, such as a new senior residence and a day center.

Pepa Font, spokesperson for the PP in Dénia

The PP spokesperson stated that "at the plenary session last November, we warned them that their intention to build the residence in phases was unviable with this type of European subsidy. However, they insisted on their position. We warned them that they didn't have the necessary time to build it in 15 months, as predicted in the last schedule sent to the Generalitat. In March, when they submitted their objections, we told them it was a poor solution, and much to our regret, our warnings have been fulfilled."

And as it could not be otherwise, the blame lies with the Generalitat, or rather with Carlos Mazón and, by extension, Pepa Font, whom the governing team accuses of not having lifted a finger for the second home. In this regard, the PP spokesperson pointed out that "PSOE and COMPROMIS have a narrative that they must stretch like gum, but what no one can hide is that, due to their ineffectiveness, not only have we lost the second home and the day center, but no company wants to build the new Raquel Paya, and the renovation of the María Ibars remains up in the air due to their mismanagement. At the March plenary session, we made ourselves available to the governing team to help them get the situation back on track, but to date, we have not received a single call to work on the issue. If they don't count on us for the regular activities of the city council, they'll count on us even less for this."

Currently, the tender for the project is already four months behind schedule. Considering that the grant stipulates that the work must be completed by the end of June 2026, it is impossible to execute it and provide the necessary justification, as required by European regulations for this grant. Furthermore, it took almost two years to draft the project, which led to increased costs and a change in legislation, coinciding with the Botànic administration.

Another problem facing the project is financing, as the initial budget amounted to €9.124.077,56, but the City Council approved a project for €13.830.084,14, demanding that the Generalitat cover the difference. In this regard, Pepa Font pointed out that "the delay in processing the documentation and the failure to meet the deadlines set by the Councilor for Urban Planning have made it impossible to manage this cost overrun. This cost overrun, incidentally, seems to be a constant in the projects drawn up by her department, as evidenced by Plaza Valgamedios, the Torre del Galliner, the disastrous plaza of the old outpatient clinic, or the interminable roundabout, which has been unfinished and unconfirmed for almost three years, and with the company in court against the City Council. This demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the Councilor for Territory at the head of this department."

From the Popular Party, we will hold the governing team politically accountable, as the loss of nearly 10 million euros in aid to build the much-needed second senior residence is one of the most resounding failures in Dénia's recent history.