The Rehabita office offers technical and administrative advice and assistance to facilitate construction in historic Lorca
The «Resurgence of the Old City» plan is moving forward with new buildings on the streets of Selgas and Leonés, where 16 houses with spaces and parking spaces will be built, as part of the municipal strategy to attract new residents to the historic center
María Hernández, Mayor of the Historic Center: «We offer all possible facilities, but if the owners do not fulfill their obligation, the council will take the necessary measures for the reconstruction of these spaces»
On March 17, 2025, the Local Council of Lorca approved individualized notification to landowners in Axa Cava and the adjacent street, granting a three-month period to express their willingness to build and submit a basic construction project.
This was announced on Monday by the urban planning councilor, María Hernández Benítez, who emphasized that this measure is «another step in the resurrection of the ambitious municipal plan in the Old City», with which we seek not only the recovery of the historic site by rebuilding empty lots, but also the rehabilitation and revitalization.
María Hernández stated, «We are working intensively from the town hall to expedite the procedures and support landowners in this process.» In fact, last week we held a meeting with the owners of seven plots in Zone C, in Axa Cava and the adjacent street, to assess the situation of each property and progress in their construction.»
And she emphasized that the commitment of the Lorca government to the rehabilitation of the historic center is clear and firm, aiming to facilitate and support landowners in the reconstruction of their plots, while also ensuring respect for legality. «We cannot allow the historic center to continue deteriorating due to the inaction of some. If the projects are not submitted by the deadline, we will apply the mechanisms stipulated in the law on territorial and urban planning in the region of Murcia (Loturm) to ensure forced construction,» explained the mayor.
Hernández Benítez recalled that this process began at the end of 2023 on the axis of Alamo Street and Adiapa and «is a success.» Five plots have submitted projects in urban planning and are in the licensing process, while one has already requested the grant available in Lorca and the autonomous community for landowners and developers to conduct archaeological studies, with the aim of accelerating developments without uncertainty about what may be found underground.
Furthermore, two others are in negotiations with their owners. In three plots where there has been no progress, the breach of the obligation to build will commence, unless there are last-minute changes or alterations, triggering the bidding process, which must be approved in the municipal plenary session, as established by the territorial and urban planning law of the region of Murcia. «We offer all possible facilities, but if the owners do not fulfill their obligation, the Municipal Council will take the necessary measures to ensure that these spaces once again become part of the urban and social fabric,» said the historic district councilor.
To facilitate this process, the facilities of the urban planning department, through the planning and management service, located in the Merced complex, have been made available to landowners, to receive technical and administrative advice, as well as information available in the Rehabita office for building in the historic site. «We know it is not an easy process for many landowners, but we are here to help them as much as possible. We want life to return to the historic center and reclaim its heritage, halting the abandonment and degradation that were prevalent just before the earthquake,» said María Hernández.
The mayor emphasized, «We cannot allow the heart of our city to be marked by vacant and protected land facades. From the Lorca government, we provide landowners with all possible resources to take the step and start building. We want to see cranes in the historic center, we want to see the «Old City» reappear.» In this regard, she also announced that «progress on the projects in Selgas and Leonese streets will allow us to see these first cranes in the historic site. In Selgas, five houses will be built on the ground floor, while in Leon there will be eleven houses with appropriate parking spaces. All intended for affordable rentals for young people between 18 and 35 years old, which is a key step to attract young residents to the historic center.»
It should be noted, finally, that the «resurrection of the old city» plan establishes three priority areas including Zone A with the Alamo Axis and the adjacent street, where there is already significant progress in the reconstruction of buildings; Zone B with the cava axis and the adjacent street, where procedures are now starting with plot owners; and Area C with the Axes of Selgas, Fernando El Santo, and Alfonso X El Sabio streets, where public housing projects have already been developed.
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