Despite being declared a ruin in 2006 it is only now that the town hall has got around to demolishing the five story accommodation block ‘La Ballena’ which is situated in the centre of Torrevieja. The demolition comes over a decade after the controversial eviction of over 40 families was ordered with nothing more than they could carry, after municipal authorities warned of its “imminent collapse”.
The council has awarded the contract to the specialised Murcia Company Derribos Paredes for 225,000 euros despite the company initially asking for 140,000 euros more with the demolition likely to start before the end of the month
Councillor Fanny Serrano said that the award was approved by an extraordinary meeting of the governing body on Tuesday with the company now having five days to provide the documentation and another 15 days to sign the contract.
She said that the initial bid price for the work was €369,000, however the municipal architects have agreed with Derribos Paredes that it can be carried out for only 255,000, which means a saving of more than 140,000 euros.
The work has a period of execution of four months, although the City Council wants the demolition to be carried out as soon as possible.
Situated on la calle Pedro Lorca in the middle of the town centre, between the Centro cultural Virgen del Carmen and la Plaza de Oriente, there is certain to some disruption, both the traffic and to the movement of pedestrians during the period of demolition and as such, because of the additional dangers that will also be involved, the council are asking that members of the public avoid the area whilst the work is going on.
