Alicante's Centro 14 No Longer Exclusively for Youth, Will Host Displaced City Departments

The newly expanded Centro 14 in Alicante, now comprising two buildings after renovation and adaptation works, will no longer exclusively host the Youth Department and its resource centre. The building, owned by the Housing Board, is being prepared to accommodate other municipal departments displaced from the Palas.

The decision by the Chamber of Commerce, the owner of the Cervantes Street property leased to the City Council until the end of the year, to return to its former headquarters has forced the municipal government to relocate various departments, including Tourism, Human Resources, Commerce, and Hospitality.

Mayor Luis Barcala and the Councillor for Housing and Youth, Carlos de Juan, met on Wednesday to explore relocation alternatives for staff and services currently housed in the former Hotel Palas. They concluded to move them to the new Centro 14 on Labradores Street and certain facilities at the Casa de la Festa.

Regarding the reopening of Centro 14, the City Council has indicated that the works are nearing completion. The activation of this essential facility is "necessary," Barcala detailed, to facilitate the logistical move that will allow the relocation of departments and offices across its various floors.

The municipal plan thus has several objectives: "to provide City Council staff with dignified spaces to perform their work well, to serve all citizens, and to offer more specialised attention." "We are confident that the working conditions and service provision will maintain their current high standards of efficiency and quality in their future locations," they stated.

Additionally, the relocation of staff and municipal services will save the City Council €616,000 annually, which it currently pays to the Chamber of Commerce as rent for the old Palas.

Mayor Luis Barcala also highlighted the upcoming opening of a new SAIC at the Felicidad Sánchez Community Centre in Babel-La Florida to "continue improving citizen services."