“We haven't received any offers. Absolutely nothing.” With this forcefulness the president of the Alicante Provincial Council, Toni Pérezin response to INFORMATION questions about the Chamber of Commerce's willingness to sell its headquarters located in the old Palas hotel, in the Puerta del Mar square in Alicante, to the provincial institution.
The change in ownership would foreseeably imply moving dependencies of the Alicante City Council of the installation as the councils of Turismo y Human Resourceshe Citizen Information and Attention Service (SAIC) and the General Registrysince the municipal institution is currently a tenant of the headquarters. And it is in this situation that Pérez has expressed his “institutional respect, fundamentally for the Alicante City Council and the Chamber of Commerce“, as well as “the contract” between both organizations.
The headquarters that the Chamber of Commerce has rented from the Alicante City Council, located in the old Palas hotel. / Pilar Cortés / PILAR CORTES
The also president of PP in the province of Alicante and, in turn, mayor of Benidormdenies that there have been any “formal or informal” offers regarding the sale of the headquarters of the former Palas hotel. “The headquarters is owned by the Chamber of Commerce and has a tenant, which is the Alicante City Council.” Pérez affirms that he thinks this relationship is “very good” “except that the two parties can resolve otherwise,” which he “hopes” does not happen “because The City Council is interested in continuing”, he stated.
He also added that “The Provincial Council is scrupulous with institutional respect and with private propertyand it is essential to highlight that it is a property of the Chamber that has a tenant who is also institutional, which is the City Council. We are not in those stories,” he concluded.
Suma Headquarters
According to the roadmap drawn up by Carlos Banopresident of the Chamber of Commerce, The idea is to recover the Palas headquarters and sell the property to the Provincial CouncilI would buy it to install the Suma headquarters there, the body in charge of managing and collecting municipal taxes from municipalities in the province, among which Alicante is not included. The historic property has already been appraised and valued at around 10.5 million, according to what this newspaper has learned.
The bathroom itself which has the support of the House committee to rescue the Palashas commented to nearby businessmen about the operation of the sale of the old hotel to the Provincial Council, as well as the intention to install the Suma headquarters there.
Regarding this issue, Pérez has assured that Suma is “an autonomous body of the Provincial Council“, despite the fact that sources from the tax entity indicate that the last word on the location of the future headquarters is in the hands of the presidency of the provincial institution. Asked about this aspect, the president of the Provincial Council affirms that “when there is a proposal it will be decided with the corporation, the legal services and the secretariat.”
Winning proposal for the future congress palace where the Suma Tower appeared, on the right. / INFORMATION
He has also detailed that Suma “has been looking for headquarters since 2014“, a fact that “is public”, although it is planned to be installed in the location currently contemplated: in the future Congress Palace which will be built in the Port of Alicante and where the project known as Sum Tower. “The Provincial Council not only awards the project, but also advances it within the established deadlines,” said Pérez, who assures that as of today “there is no change” regarding the forecast for the future headquarters of the tax organization.
In this regard, in turn, the president of the Provincial Council emphasizes that “Suma will indicate the steps and if Suma goes to Torre Suma”, the provincial institution “has nothing to object.” “And if Suma has a different opinion at some point she will have to convey it to her council.not to the president of the Provincial Council”, he concluded.
Plenary in the Provincial Council
This issue has also been discussed in the ordinary October plenary session of the Alicante Provincial Council. Already in the final stretch of the meeting, in the questions and requests section, the PSOE spokesperson, Vicente Arqueshas echoed the 23 questions posed in writing by its formation to the provincial government about the possible sale and expressing “its concern” about this possible operation.
Arques has defined this possibility as “surreal“, given that the Provincial Council “has reduced 80% of the +Close plan” and “has not assumed this year the consumption bonusFinally, the socialist spokesperson questioned whether, given the situation that the Provincial Council has described, it can “assume the purchase of a building for 11 million euros,” and he asked himself “if we are the Town Council or a real estate agency”.
The president of the Provincial Council, Toni Pérez, of the PP, wanted to answer two of the 23 questions, arguing that in those two “the answer is summarized.” In this sense, after defending himself against the criticism of the socialist spokesperson, he spoke about whether “the Provincial Council has received a formal offer of sale of the building of the old Palas hotel by the Chamber of Commerce”, and the answer has been no. In an identical way, it has answered the other chosen question, about whether “there is some type of commitment or political pre-agreement with the Chamber of Commerce regarding this operation.”
Long-standing controversy
The possible operation was made public through INFORMACIÓN in a context conducive to controversy. Months before the possible sale of the Chamber of Commerce headquarters located in the old Palas hotel began to be explored, in April, this medium published that the entity had carried out the works on its intended future headquarters, located in the Panoramis building at the port, without the relevant license. In this recently renovated space, an extra plant was built without permission, the elimination of which is the only way to restore legality.
A condition to which the entity chaired by Carlos Bano does not seem to be willing to accept, based on the allegations presented. The license, which depends on the Alicante City Council, is currently blocked, and the movement is interpreted as an increase in pressure on the mayor to grant the license, the legality of which has not yet been resolved. Despite the lack of a license, the Generalitat granted a subsidy of 1.5 million euros to the new headquarters. It is worth remembering that the regional president, Carlos Mazónserved as manager of the Chamber of Commerce between 2009 and 2019 and maintains this position on leave. And that Baño has publicly expressed his affinity with the head of the Consell, whom he has come to define as his “brother.”
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