The spokesperson for Con Málaga, Nico Sguiglia, has voted against paying €3.4 million for the Soliva Este homes and demands an investigation into alleged breaches of the terms.
The spokesperson for Con Málaga in the Málaga City Council, Nico Sguiglia, has voted against the acquisition of the Soliva Este homes for €3.4 million. The councillor of the Municipal Housing Institute believes that the governing team is acting hastily by closing the deal without clarifying whether the owning entity, InmoCaixa, breached the conditions of the municipal land transfer.
An agreement pending since March
Last March, the Social Rights Commission approved a motion urging the municipal legal services to conduct a thorough study on possible breaches of the award terms for the Soliva development. The agreement, which included an amendment from Con Málaga, established that if irregularities were confirmed, administrative and judicial actions would be initiated to recover the homes without compensation to the developer.
“It is incomprehensible that the governing team is now pushing for a purchase of €3.4 million when the City Council itself has yet to determine if there are breaches that could allow the recovery of these homes without compensation,” Sguiglia stated. The spokesperson insists that it was responsible to wait for those reports before committing public money.
Neighbourhood complaints and €6 million in rents
The residents of Soliva have reported for years the lack of maintenance of the buildings, the deterioration of common areas, the abandonment of solar squares, modifications to rental contracts, and the existence of vacant homes. Sguiglia estimates that InmoCaixa has collected around €6 million in rents since 2009, which, in his opinion, contradicts the social spirit with which the land was ceded.
“When the development was presented, La Caixa's Social Work made it clear that the goal was not to make profits, but to facilitate access to decent housing. However, over the years, that social vocation has given way to a management that has strayed from the initial commitment,” he pointed out.
Defence of public heritage
Sguiglia has also questioned why the City Council continues to engage in urban operations with La Caixa, such as the recent land transfer for the future CaixaForum, while the situation in Soliva remains unresolved. “Before opening new agreements regarding public land with an entity, the minimum requirement is to clarify whether it fulfilled the obligations arising from previous operations,” he concluded.
For the spokesperson of Con Málaga, paying €3.4 million for homes built on municipal land ceded for free is an affront to public finances. The final decision on the purchase will correspond to the full City Council, where the governing team holds a majority.
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