ARCHIVED - Residents outraged over green light for demolition work at San Anton prison in Cartagena
ARCHIVED ARTICLE -
The Region of Murcia's Superior Court of Justice (TSJ) has given the building's owner the green light to pull down the prison pavillion despite protests
The ongoing San Anton prison saga in Cartagena has reached a pivotal point with the Region of Murcia's Superior Court of Justice (TSJ) dismissing an appeal against demolishing part of the old prison and giving the owners the go-ahead.
The fate of the jail has been mired in controversy due to its history as the scene of torture and abuses during Spain's civil war; neighbourhood associations want to save the prison from being knocked down due to its protected status as a historical building of cultural interest.
At the time Cartagena Council said it would "not allow anything that is protected to be demolished" and pledged to do "everything in our power to ensure that this is the case".
A municipal appeal was lodged to the Superior Court of Justice (TSJ) of the Region of Murcia against the decision of the regional government to exclude the pavillion from the 'protected elements of the enclosure'.
However, the appeal has now been dismissed, giving the owner, Hospital Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro, the green light to proceed with the demolition.
The neighbourhood platform 'La Cárcel No Se Vende' (The Prison is not for Sale) is "totally against this ruling" and has denounced "the neglect of the various municipal governments that have allowed the building to fall down, with the consequent joy of the owner".
According to residents, this "neglect" goes back to a previous local government "that let two auctions for the sale of the building go by" and "allowed them to be sold irresponsibly".
"Local administrations have been incapable of providing a reasonable solution for the purchase of the building, regardless of the judicial process which, as we have seen, is doing almost nothing.
The platform has also recalled that since 2010 – when the remaining inmates were transferred to other prisons – the Cartagena Civil Society, the Federation of Neighbourhood Associations (Favcac) and other groups have been demanding the building be used for training workshops and social activities.
Resident associations are now urging the City Council, in addition to appealing to higher authorities and requesting precautionary measures to prevent the demolition of the prison block, to "buy the building" or, "if they do not listen to reason, to expropriate it for the good of the community".
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