On August 23, the mayor of Toledo, Carlos Velázquez, sent a letter to the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, as well as to the General Directorate of the Civil Guard and Management of Infrastructure and Equipment of Toledo, in which he insists once again that a final decision be made as soon as possible regarding the location of the construction of the new Civil Guard barracks in Toledo.
The question is whether to finally opt for the plot already allocated for this purpose on the La Peraleda land, on which A report from the infrastructure management itself raised the objection that they are located in a flood zone. and this also implies a change in the landscape, or another of the proposed lands is chosen, including a land jointly proposed months ago by the City Council and the Community Council of the Polígono de Santa María de Benquerencia neighborhood. In addition, the letter requests, in order to comply with the agreement reached at the plenary session of the City Council on May 24, that if the area of La Peraleda is excluded, the Civil Guard reverse the land where the barracks were planned by the municipal corporation.
The spokesman for the municipal team, Juanjo Alcalde, reported this letter and insisted on the need for the decision to be taken as quickly as possible, also guaranteeing the full collaboration of the City Council.
The mayor’s letter, which describes this long and currently unsuccessful file that should result in the construction of the new barracks, states that: “On June 15, 2022, the document was signed for the delivery to the Agency. Autonomous management of infrastructure and equipment of the State Security by the City Council of Toledo of the land with an area of 37,000 m² in the Peraleda of Toledo, donated free of charge to establish the new headquarters of the Castilla-La Mancha area, Command and Traffic Sector of the Civil Guard in Toledo.
In mid-October 2023, the Civil Guard of Castilla-La Mancha informed the City Council of Toledo of the need to hold a meeting to communicate the conclusions of the preliminary project of the new Civil Guard complex in our city, commissioned by the General Subdirectorate of Planning and Management of Infrastructures and Security Means (SGPGIMS), drawn up by the company Code Arquitectura, in which “Disadvantages” are reflected in the land transferred and may be a cause of non-viability for the development of the project of the new Civil Guard complex on said land.
In response to this request, a meeting was held on October 20, 2023 at the Toledo City Hall with the heads of the Civil Guard. The meeting was attended by the Brigadier General for the Command of the Support Services Staff, Mr. Leonardo Sánchez Peláez and a colonel from his team, the Chief General of the Civil Guard Area of Castilla-La Mancha, as well as the Lieutenant Colonel, number two of the Toledo Command, as well as an architect in the service of the Civil Guard. At this meeting, the technical problems of the land transferred to “La Peraleda” were transferred to us.referring to the risk of flooding of these lands according to the National Flood Mapping System, as well as the impact that affects the visual protection cone of the Historic Center of the city of Toledo, two issues that required the search for other locations. . Taking into account this information, the City Council placed all existing municipal resources at the disposal of the Civil Guard in order to find a solution.
After this circumstance, Technicians from different administrations met on numerous occasions to find the best location. Thus, different meetings were recorded, both in person and by telephone, of the City Council of Toledo with officials and technicians of the Civil Guard on October 23, October 26, November 3, November 10, November 18 and November 20, 2023, all of them at the request of the Civil Guard in order to find a new location for this project.
During these meetings, several sites were analyzed jointly, such as the plots belonging to the municipality in the area of La Legua, C/Denmark, Valparaíso, as well as other plots belonging to the SEPES, in the contact area; or even private plots of rustic character in the surroundings of the Three Cultures. Finally, after visiting the different options, the technical conclusion was reached, that it was the best possible location, due to the urgency expressed on several occasions by the Civil Guard to establish. a location for the project, it was the union of two plots of land in the Santa María de Benquerencia neighborhood, one belonging to the Toledo City Council and the other to the Junta of the Communities of Castile-La Mancha, in front of the University Hospital of Toledo.
At the end of November, a new visit to the Toledo City Hall by the lieutenant colonel, number two of the Toledo command, as well as the on-site visit of the officials of the Civil Guard and the administrations involved in the proposed new land, were made. The Civil Guard officials concluded that the best solution was to approach the project in the neighborhood of Santa María de Benquerencia.
In such an agreement situation, the On December 1, 2023, the Development Department of the Community Council of Castilla-La Mancha called a meeting of the three parties involved in finalizing the details of the draft agreement. Without any explanation, on November 30, the presence of the Civil Guard was canceled and the meeting was therefore suspended.
Since then, beyond statements in the media, there has been no official contact on the matter, which is why, in the Ordinary plenary session, held at the Toledo City Hall on May 24, 2024 The following agreement will be adopted:
To approve the above-mentioned motion, the literal proposition of which is as follows:
FIRST.- The Administration corresponding to the City Hall of Toledo is informed of the current status of the project of the construction of the Civil Guard Barracks with the expected execution deadlines.
SECOND.- If, finally, the transferred land will not be used for the purposes established in the transfer, this matter must be clarified by the transferee before July 31, it is considered resolved and plot reversion file begins to the local society.»
After this deadline, and having received no response to date, we ask you to respond to the requirement established in the plenary agreement and express whether they will build the new Civil Guard complex in said space or, otherwise, they proceed to initiate land reversion procedures in accordance with the criteria of responsibility and institutional collaboration that must govern between the different public administrations.
You will surely understand that, for the good of the Civil Guard and the city of Toledo, It is advisable to specify as soon as possible which location is chosen for the construction of the new complex.
Silence and uncertainty, not having information about the institution’s plans, represent an obstacle which paralyzes urban planning in this area and constitutes a serious obstacle to the development of public and private activities which until now were located in this space.
In conclusion, let me reiterate, even if you are aware of it, the absolute will of this municipal council to do everything possible so that the Civil Guard has a decent barracks as soon as possible, after so many years of waiting, we therefore ask you to set up a next meeting to seek a solution to the problem in question.
Pending your prompt response, please accept my cordial greetings.
