The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations has put out to tender the contract to draw up a rehabilitation project for the old Aitana military base, located in the municipality of Alcoleja, in the hills inland from Benidorm, and turn it into a future reception centre for immigrants.
The ministry justifies the need to transform the old facilities -currently disused- due to the lack of places and facilities of this type and is financed with European Next Generation funds. In this way, when the works are finished, the military base will become a first arrivals centre (CPLL) for immigrants, refugees and applicants for international protection with 600 places.
The contract to design the reform of the old military base is put out to tender with the objective of preparing the basic project, complementary documentation and obtaining a licence for the rehabilitation of the buildings. The significant total of the contract amounts to 278,362 euro (plus IVA).
The future centre for first arrivals will occupy the total area of the two plots that make up the military complex, measuring 53,278 square metres. They have 7,990 square metres for building, and 45,288 metres for outdoor areas. The land, which used to be an old barracks, has been abandoned for more than eight years. The complex is made up of eight residential buildings, and other auxiliary buildings such as automobiles, armoury, and kennels.
The buildings, once rehabilitated, would offer the 600 resident places, as well as the general common areas to cover the needs of the maximum occupancy foreseen for the CPLL. On the other side of the road, on a plot of 5,431 metres, there are no buildings, although the Ministry of Inclusion warns that it will be necessary to analyse the free spaces and design an area for emergency deployment that will enable another 500 additional spaces.
According to the report of the tender project, the new CPLL will become part of the national public network of Migration Centres and will be attached to the Secretary of State for Migration through the General Directorate of Humanitarian Attention and Social Inclusion of Immigration. Its main functions are humanitarian care, reception, temporary accommodation for migrants who lack economic resources to meet their needs and those of their families and who are in a situation of psychosocial vulnerability.
The Aitana military base is one of the 13 air surveillance squadrons (EVA) spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Its construction began in 1957 as a result of an agreement between Spain and the US to counteract the power of the former Soviet Union. Its activity ceased in December 2007.
