Benidorm to Transform Former Courthouses into New Municipal Offices

Benidorm City Council will transform the former courthouses on Beniardà Avenue into new municipal offices following the transfer of these spaces by the Generalitat Valenciana. This announcement was made on Monday by the Mayor, Toni Pérez, during a visit to the premises accompanied by the Minister of Finance and Economy, Ruth Merino, the Director General of Heritage, Antonio Woodward, the Councillor for Administrative Extensions, Mónica Gómez, and other members of the Corporation.

These eleven premises, closed for over a decade and covering a total area of 1,250 square meters, were officially transferred to the municipality on April 15th by agreement of the Consell, and the transfer was ratified by the municipal plenary on May 30th. "Benidorm has been requesting this transfer for more than ten years," the Mayor recalled, highlighting that even in 2016, the Compromís municipal group presented a motion asking the then Botànic government to make these spaces available to the public.

The arrival of the new regional government in 2023 reactivated negotiations between the City Council and the Generalitat, allowing the transfer to be made effective for a period of 30 years. According to Toni Pérez, the goal is clear: "to improve many services we already provide, which will now have better facilities."

The City Council plans to start the refurbishment works imminently so that "before the end of the year, the relocation of offices can take place," especially the Municipal Administrative Extension of Foietes-Colonia Madrid and the Generalitat's PROP service, which currently operates in "very limited" facilities. Both services, the Mayor emphasized, "have been waiting for a more suitable space for decades" and will finally be able to improve their service thanks "to a job well done, a Ministry that listens, and a regional government that does not turn its back on municipalities."

In addition to these two key services, the new spaces will also host other municipal uses, citizen service offices, and the presence of local associations and entities.

Meanwhile, Minister Ruth Merino stated that this transfer "is a matter of common sense" and argued that "when there are closed premises and an evident need for space to provide public services, it is logical to make them available to those who need them." Merino insisted that this decision is part of a strategy for efficient management of Valencian public heritage, focused on "operability, utility, and proximity."

The Ministry also highlighted the economic benefit of the transfer: by transferring the premises to municipal ownership, the Generalitat will save more than 101,000 euros in property tax for a building that remained unused.

Both the Mayor and the Minister agreed on the value of this action as an example of "loyal collaboration between the Generalitat and the City Council," which will transform a space closed for years into a useful, vibrant resource open to all the citizens of Benidorm and the region.