The Andalusian Socialist Group will present an initiative for the Junta to hand over the former youth centre of Isdabe, closed since 2016, to the Estepona Town Hall, converting it into affordable rental housing for young people.
The Secretary General of the PSOE of Málaga and Andalusian parliamentarian, Josele Aguilar, has announced that the Socialist Group will take an initiative to the Andalusian Parliament to demand that the Junta hand over the former youth centre of Isdabe to the Estepona Town Hall and rehabilitate it to create public housing for affordable rental.
Aguilar made this announcement alongside the PSOE spokesperson in the Estepona Town Hall, Emma Molina, after the PP rejected the socialist proposal in the municipal plenary to give residential use to this property, owned by the Junta de Andalucía and closed since 2016.
A demand revived after years of neglect
The socialist parliamentarian recalled that the mayor, José María García Urbano, requested the Junta de Andalucía in 2018 to hand over and put the former youth centre into use, a demand he abandoned after Juanma Moreno came to power in Andalusia. "García Urbano demanded a solution when the PSOE was in power in the Junta, but forgot about it when Moreno Bonilla arrived. In this matter, he once again demonstrates his double standards and lack of commitment to the real problems of the residents of Estepona," Aguilar pointed out.
The PSOE has also proposed that the land adjacent to the public residence for the elderly in Isdabe be handed over to the Town Hall to plan new affordable housing developments. "It is a shame that, while Estepona suffers from a serious housing crisis, there are facilities and public land lying unused," Aguilar assured.
The local PP under scrutiny
For her part, Emma Molina lamented that García Urbano voted against requesting the Junta to make use of the former youth centre. "We asked him to demand that his colleague and friend Juanma Moreno ensure this property had a public use, but the PP rejected the proposal," she explained. Molina accused the mayor of "having no interest in addressing the housing emergency that Estepona is suffering" and highlighted that the parliamentary initiative will allow for a direct demand to the Andalusian Government for "a clear response and a concrete commitment."
The PSOE of Estepona has emphasised that it will continue to work to ensure that this property and the public land in Isdabe are allocated for affordable housing for the young people and families of the municipality. The initiative will be debated in the Andalusian Parliament in the coming weeks, and the socialists hope that Juanma Moreno's Government will respond to a demand that has been on the table for years.
"We are going to take an initiative to Parliament for these facilities to be handed over to the Estepona Town Hall, rehabilitated, and allocated for affordable rental housing for the young people of the municipality," said Josele Aguilar.
Meanwhile, the residents of Estepona continue to suffer the consequences of the lack of affordable housing, with prices skyrocketing in recent years. The conversion of the former youth centre of Isdabe could be a partial solution, but the political path still seems long.
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