Por Redaccion 
The Junta de Andalucía has begun the construction of the new administrative building in Málaga that will allow 460 public employees from up to five territorial delegations to be unified in the same space, and will practically result in «a saving of 1.7 million euros annually by eliminating the investment in rental of buildings in the province,» as highlighted by the Minister of Economy, Finance, and European Funds, Carolina España. The minister emphasized that this project «addresses a historical demand of the residents of the Cruz de Humilladero neighborhood.» Furthermore, she pointed out that «it is ultimately the Government of Juanma Moreno that fulfills a promise made by previous governments over fifteen years ago.»
The Andalusian Minister of Economy participated in the laying of the first stone of the building, located on the Ortega y Gasset avenue in the city of Málaga, where she highlighted the symbolic nature of the project as an example of public heritage management by the Andalusian Government. «It is a good example of a model that seeks efficiency, saving unnecessary costs, making better use of our heritage, and improving how we deliver public services.»
«Today we launch an infrastructure that will serve Málaga for many years, and we do it with a very clear idea: that every decision, every euro, every project serves to improve the lives of Andalusians,» reiterated the minister.
Carolina España detailed that the project, with an estimated duration of 30 months, is part of the Junta’s Public Heritage Management Plan, whose goal is to enhance the heritage of Andalusians always with the benefit of citizens in mind. «We are adding a significant asset to Málaga, while saving resources that come out of everyone’s pocket,» she noted.
The new building will allow the concentration of about 460 public employees —who currently work scattered in various rented properties— from the Territorial Delegation of Agriculture, the Public Agency of Agriculture and Fisheries (AGAPA), the Territorial Planning Service of the Territorial Directorate of Development, the Territorial Directorate of Sustainable Development, and the Cultural Property Service of the Territorial Directorate of Culture. «And it will save more than 1.7 million euros each year in rentals, so we can affirm that in a relatively short time this headquarters will have paid for itself,» she emphasized.
The project will be built on a plot of 2,871 square meters, which previously housed the old building quality control laboratory, and will have two distinct spaces. The first will be a newly constructed building, with a photovoltaic facade to ensure maximum energy efficiency and eight stories high, intended for administrative offices and parking, and a second focused on multi-purpose spaces and rooms that will adapt to the existing building.
For the minister, the new building represents the excellence that the Junta seeks in its management. «We want to make everything work better, have our professionals work in better conditions, provide citizens with more agile and simple service, and manage public funds responsibly.»
Savings equivalent to the salary of 1,300 doctors
In this regard, Carolina España provided an overview of the Public Heritage Management Plan developed by the Ministry of Economy, which has allowed, among other things, to accurately identify the catalog of properties owned by the Junta and that the expense on rental of administrative premises amounted to a whopping 60 million euros annually. «When we took office, we found that there wasn’t even an updated inventory, and we identified plots and buildings mostly abandoned or underutilized, whose maintenance cost the public coffers, all Andalusians, millions of euros every year.»
Faced with this scenario, she recalled that efforts focused on inventorying assets «whose owners are none other than all Andalusian citizens» and valorizing all buildings and plots that were not being used. Thus, the Junta has already earned 138 million euros with the five auctions of these properties. «Do you know what can be paid with 138 million euros? For example, the salary of 1,380 doctors, 2,555 teachers, 2,875 professors, or 51,000 daycare spots. In addition, these operations save a million euros each year in building maintenance,» she pointed out.
Similarly, the Junta tackled the consolidation of administrative spaces to curb waste in rentals. Thus, 70 properties that previous administrations sold to an investment fund were recovered to then be rented until 2034 (Operation Holmes), «condemning all Andalusians to pay for occupying buildings that had been publicly owned.» That operation allowed a saving of 35.6 million euros in annual rentals, and about 100 million until 2034.
In the case of Málaga, properties were acquired for 32 million euros, and each year a saving of 2.5 million euros in rentals will be achieved with this operation, in addition to the 1.7 million now recovered in terms of rent.