The Alicante municipal commission held a new session to scrutinize the public housing (VPO) units built in the city, with particular attention to the sale process of the plot where the 140 apartments of Residencial Les Naus were erected. The "abnormal haste" in the registration of the offer by the purchasing cooperative is being investigated, concerning the municipal plot located in the Playa de San Juan district.
Jesualdo Ros, general secretary of the Association of Real Estate Developers of the Province of Alicante (Provia), pointed out that he did not see it as "normal" for the cooperative to register its proposal the day after the deadline opened, given the complexity of the submission. He assured that any bidder had to provide bank guarantees and insurance, elements that cannot be obtained within 24 hours. Ros explained that drafting an architectural project requires "a lot of administrative documentation" and that, under "normal" conditions, it would take "a month" to draft, unlike the 24 hours in this case.
Ros also explained the appeal filed by Provia against the inclusion of the anticipation clause as a tie-breaker formula. In his opinion, this formula "violated or did not guarantee the principle of equal opportunities for all companies," adding that it "smelled bad," as "most tenders opt for a draw in case of a tie." This appeal was shared by the company Block Arquitectura.
As a consequence of these challenges, the governing team of the Popular Party (PP) halted the process and annulled the tender. However, Residencial Les Naus filed a lawsuit, and the Superior Court of Justice of Valencia (TSJCV) ruled in its favor, obliging the City Council to reinstate the original tender. Ultimately, Residencial Les Naus was awarded the land, although the anticipation clause was not applied, as its proposal surpassed that of Grupo Bonmatí in points for having offered more electric charging spaces.
Jesualdo Ros also held meetings with the former councilor of Ciudadanos (Cs) Adrián Santos Pérez, then urban planning councilor, to ask why an appeal for cassation was not filed before the Supreme Court (TS). Santos Pérez replied that the construction of protected housing was prioritized. Ros indicated that he "surely" also contacted the previous councilor, Mari Carmen de España (PP), to communicate the intention to file an appeal.
To improve controls and prevent similar controversies, Provia proposes to carefully manage the adjudication, not to impose "more criteria than are exigible," to externalize feasibility studies with independent consultant reports, to use a "draw" as the tie-breaker criterion, and to provide monthly or quarterly information to the council on sales contracts. Likewise, it requested "proportionate" and "agile" controls from the Generalitat Valenciana, highlighting the "duplication of controls" between city councils and the Generalitat and the need to improve "processing".
Ros emphasized the importance of "traceability" in adjudications and an "action protocol" to ensure publicity and transparency. Regarding the adjudication of VPO to developers and executives, he indicated that he has "nothing to object" if they "meet the requirements," although he added that "besides being honest, one must prove it" and that "it doesn't look aesthetically good".
The municipal comptroller, Francisco Guardiola, appeared briefly, limiting himself to stating that he only participated in the fiscalization of the land sale and did not recall if he had raised any objections, given the large number of files his department oversees (over 5,000 annually). He indicated that the profit from the sale of municipal patrimonial land should revert to the purchase of more land or public housing, and could not explain why the more than 6 million obtained were not used to pay compensation to Hansa Urbana.
The sole administrator of Fraorgi, Francisco Ordiñana, one of the 15 individuals under judicial investigation, communicated his intention not to attend the commission, as appearances are voluntary. Two officials from the Housing Board, summoned to explain the sale of six more plots, including the one on Ceuta street, also declined to attend.
The spokesperson for the PSOE, Ana Barceló, criticized that the government team "could have established controls" and that the mayor "remains silent." The spokesperson for Vox, Carmen Robledillo, regretted that the developer did not appear to clarify whether any awardee had previously acquired housing in the Viride development. The spokesperson for Compromís, Rafa Mas, insisted on the request for Mari Carmen de España to appear. Manolo Copé (EU-Podem) urged to go beyond "political statements" and know "what controls there were" and "why all alarms did not sound earlier".
The commission will finalize the list of attendees for the next session on July 6, with requests for participation from Deputy Mayor Manuel Villar, Housing Councilor Carlos de Juan, Finance Councilor Nayma Beldjilali, and Urban Planning Councilor Toño Peral. For July 20, the appearance of former councilor Toni Gallego, Santos Pérez, and former urban planning councilor Rocío Gómez, also under investigation, is proposed. PSOE councilor Silvia Castell requested information on available plots and Human Resources reports regarding the role of architects such as Francisco Nieto and Elsa Lloret, and former general director María Pérez-Hickman, who also purchased housing. Manuel Villar responded regarding the notification to Heritage technicians that the municipal email was no longer operational.
