Last week, we received confirmation from the President of the Provincial Council, Salvador Esteve, of the grant of 1 million Euros allocated by this government body to four projects administered by our City Council: refurbishment of the Santiago Rusiñol Library, restoration works in the building of Casino Prado, review and implementation of the Special Plan for Architectural Protection and tourist promotion of Sitges.
As you can see, all four projects are part of the lines of the Governance Plan, announced almost two years ago when we formed the new Municipal Government of Sitges. Out of those four projects, three are directly related to the restoration and protection of the architectural heritage of our town. This point has a particular importance to this Government, as was highlighted in the document of commitments we signed in June 2011.
In recent decades, Sitges suffered too many urban developments that altered, well over what was reasonable and advisable, the traditional image that has distinguished this town for generations. There were things that were not well done, wrong planning, wrong criteria and a wrong attitude by certain sectors that applied an overly expansive development lacking any concern for the environment and history. There are buildings that should have not disappeared and urban developments that were launched at the wrong time.
And that should change. For this reason, I am particularly happy that thanks to the financial support of the Provincial Council, we can review the Special Plan for Architectural Protection, which we already have initiated. This review will be the tool that will ensure that no historical buildings will be tore down, since such constructions form an urban landscape that we want to maintain, preserve and protect.
In this connection, there are two projects that will also have supplemental funding from the Provincial Government, thanks to the agreement reached with President Esteve: the refurbishment of the Santiago Rusiñol library and the building of Casino Prado. Both projects are under the umbrella of the Governance Plan and are of considerable value, both for their own execution and for their significance for a City Hall firmly committed to the protection of our architectural heritage. In this direction, we could also include the refurbishment of museums performed according to protection and conservation principles, as agreed by the City Hall and the Provincial Council in October 2011, halting the previous project that was an insult to aesthetics and history.
The fourth project that counts with the collaboration of the Provincial Council is linked, albeit indirectly, to the other three: it is boosting tourism in Sitges. If we want Sitges to keep the strength, charm and the added value that sets the town apart from other coastal tourist towns, we need to commit ourselves with the protection and safeguard of our architectural, historical and natural heritage.
Sustainable tourism, which generates economic movement and includes active cultural attractions and responsible entertainment, is bread today ... and for tomorrow. And for this reason, we are entirely committed to different projects in which we have been working from the Sitges Tourist Office.
Public hearing
Finally, friends, I'll take advantage of these lines to invite you next Wednesday 29 at 19.30 am to the Miramar Building, where I will hold a Public Hearing to evaluate the first two years of municipal legislature. You will be able to ask and share your opinion about municipal management.
