EL CORTE INGLÉS TO FINALLY GET GO AHEAD?

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The wording of the General Urban Plan (PGOU), is now fully completed after more than five years of work, and is to be approved by the City of Almería next month.

It will be the starting signal for the development of El Corte Inglés, with the consent of the regional government, which must give its approval to the new General Plan, which has several planning agreements of great importance for the development of the capital.

The arrival of the commercial firm in the city centre has been on the waiting list since December 2005, when the Mayor of Almería, the brothers of La Salle and the commercial infrastructure director of El Corte Inglés Carlos Gustari, signed the agreement which then saw a long delay of finding different locations that has placed the department stores in different parts of the city for two decades.

The parties anticipated at the time of opening the store to the public in 2008 on the site of the Rambla, which is still at the core of teaching. The dates have been delayed as planning regulations have been changing, forcing the council to make revisions on revisions to the General Plan and Planning has been corrected as aspects of the General Plan after torrential rain led to twenty negative sectoral reports.

Seven years after the signing of the tripartite agreement of El Corte Ingles, the sky seems to be cleared. Municipal sources say the business group’s interest in the capital Almeria is still alive despite the time elapsed and the economic crisis, so PGOU approval next month marks the opening of doors to the implementation of department stores.

After its elevation to the plenary, the General Plan will be submitted to the Board who must authorise it. There is a commitment not to delay too much so that El Corte Inglés should have the relevant licenses to build and open.

While it sounds distant times, the delay of the General Plan has not been in vain and there is work ahead. As reported by the previous Town Planning, Juan Megino, in August 2009, the business group and the project was drafted and even a traffic study carried out at the two entrances to the department stores in Avenida Federico Garcia Lorca and Calle Altamira. Construction work will, on the other hand, be fast and once started it will take shape within a year.

The current head of the Planning Department, Pablo Venzal (PP), announced that “the General Plan has been completed from the technical point of view on the part of officials of the house, who have worked primarily on introducing those changes in land use plans that condition undoubtedly the ultimate resolution of this document and all ordinances and policy changes at the local and regional levels have occurred.”

Venzal has rejected the latest arguments heard from the opposition groups. PP Mayor says “share the Psoe and Iu sensitivity regarding participation and consensus, two elements that will determine the approval of the new document.”

He consider, however, that the manifestations of the political spokesmen Psoe and Iu are “beyond logical and carried out from utter ignorance of the work we have done around the drafting and completion of the General Plan. Speaking of lack of consensus and participation is, at least, distorted reality” he said.

The council has also flatly rejected the claims “concerned” that, where appropriate, the socialist party makes regarding the conclusion of the document and approval delays accumulate, pointing to the Psoe and the Regional Government as “the real perpetrators of delays to the General Plan, both in substance and in form. Just remember how from the regional government has been pursuing an opposition to ideas and projects included in the document.

Forget Mr. Jiménez, for example, the 28 sectoral reports required by the General Plan and that were answered in the negative, ignoring statutory deadlines and broadcasted in most cases later.” He also pointed out, in this line, recent legal changes that is subject to any General Plan approval is pending, “the latter makes just months LOUA referred to, by requesting further documentation.”

Venzal has reiterated the commitment of the government team to achieve the maximum consensus on the final document. “We want the General Plan to record the sensibilities of those who are claiming their participation in the preparation.

This government team has held meetings with groups, associations, neighbours … and that participation will culminate when the administrative process submits the plans to public discussion of political groups…..the document has been prepared by the technical assistance contracted at the time, and was the basis of municipal technicians work who have worked in his conclusion and know the basic guidelines they have set for the future development of this city: revitalising the town’s historical provision of new green spaces and new public facilities, with improved road infrastructure that enable smoother accessibility to the city centre.”