The Junta de Andalucía has begun the construction of the new administrative building in Málaga that will allow 460 public employees from up to five territorial delegations to be unified in the same space, and will result in «a saving of 1.7 million euros annually by practically eliminating the investment in rental of buildings in the province,» as highlighted by the Minister of Economy, Finance, and European Funds, Carolina España. The minister emphasized that this project «responds to a historical demand from the residents of the Cruz de Humilladero neighborhood.» Furthermore, she emphasized that «it is ultimately the Government of Juanma Moreno that fulfills a promise made by previous governments over fifteen years ago.»
The Andalusian Minister of Economy participated in the laying of the cornerstone of the building, located on Avenida Ortega y Gasset in the city of Málaga, where she highlighted the symbolism of the project as an example of public heritage management by the Andalusian Government. «It is a good example of a model that seeks efficiency, saving unnecessary costs, better utilization of our heritage, and improving the way we provide public services.»
«Today we launch an infrastructure that will serve Málaga for many years, and we do it with a very clear idea: that every decision, every euro, every project should serve to improve the lives of the Andalusians,» reiterated the minister.
Carolina España detailed that the project, with an estimated duration of 30 months, is part of the Public Heritage Management Plan of the Junta, whose goal is to enhance the heritage of the Andalusians always with the benefit of the citizens in mind. «We are adding a significant asset for Málaga, while saving resources that come out of everyone’s pocket,» she noted.
The new building will allow the consolidation of around 460 public employees — who currently work in scattered rented buildings — from the Territorial Delegation of Agriculture, the Public Agency of Agriculture and Fisheries (AGAPA), the Land Use Service of the Territorial Directorate of Development, the Territorial Directorate of Sustainable Development, and the Cultural Assets Service of the Territorial Directorate of Culture. «And it will save more than 1.7 million euros each year in rentals, so we can affirm that in a relatively short time this headquarters will have paid for itself,» she emphasized.
The project will be built on a plot of 2,871 square meters, which previously housed the old building quality control laboratory, and will have two distinct spaces. The first will be a newly constructed building, with a photovoltaic facade to ensure maximum energy efficiency and eight floors, intended for administrative offices and parking, and a second focused on multi-purpose spaces and rooms that will adapt to the existing building.
For the minister, the new building represents the excellence that the Junta seeks in its management. «We want to make everything work better, our professionals to work in better conditions, citizens to receive more agile and simple attention, and public money to be managed responsibly.»
Savings equivalent to the salary of 1,300 doctors
In this regard, Carolina España provided an overview of the Public Heritage Management Plan developed by the Ministry of Economy, which has allowed, among other things, to accurately identify the catalog of properties owned by the Junta and that the expense on rental of administrative headquarters amounted to no less than 60 million euros annually. «When we took office, we found that there wasn’t even an updated inventory, and we identified plots and buildings mostly abandoned or underutilized, whose maintenance cost the public coffers, all Andalusians, millions of euros every year.»
Faced with this scenario, she recalled, efforts were focused on inventorying assets «whose owners are none other than all Andalusian citizens» and enhancing all those buildings and plots that were not being utilized. Thus, the Junta has already received 138 million euros from the five auctions of these properties conducted. «Do you know what can be paid with 138 million euros? For example, the salary of 1,380 doctors, 2,555 teachers, 2,875 educators, or 51,000 daycare spots. In addition, these operations save one million euros each year in building maintenance,» she pointed out.
Similarly, the Junta undertook the consolidation of administrative spaces to curb waste in rentals. Thus, 70 properties that previous administrations sold to an investment fund were recovered to then be rented until 2034 (Operation Holmes), «condemning all Andalusians to pay for occupying buildings that had been public property.» That operation allowed a saving of 35.6 million euros in annual rentals, and around 100 million until 2034.
In the case of Málaga, properties were acquired for a value of 32 million euros and each year 2.5 million euros will be saved in rentals with this operation, in addition to the 1.7 million now recovered in terms of rent.