Xàbia Town Hall presents the project for the restoration of the Central Cinema in the Old Town to the Consell Municipal de Cultura (Municipal Committee for Culture)
Report by Alma Dorndorf - Citizen Participation representative
The Municipal Committee for Culture met on Thursday 6th February 2014 in order to discuss the renovation project for the Central Cinema – this municipally owned building will now be converted into a multi-purpose space to accommodate a wide variety of cultural activities. The Mayor, José Chulvi, opened the meeting and emphasised that the project was centred around adapting this existing iconic building to meet our 21st century standards and requirements. The Town Planning Councillor, Pere Sapena, presented an informative outline about the characteristics of the Central Cinema, a building of 360 sq.m. in size, situated right in the centre of Xàbia Old Town, and with a seating capacity for 350 people. The renovation work will involve renewing the dressing rooms and toilets situated below the stage, and extending the depth of the stage itself to 7 metres, by means of a module. The auditorium seating will be removable so that the whole space can be utilised when required; a large audiovisual projection screen will be installed, and the original projection room will be retained.
The Mayor told the meeting that the cost of this project would be 930,000 euros, of which 40% (390,000 euros) would be financed by a grant from the Alicante Provincial government, who would be managing the construction tenders and contract. It was estimated that the project would take 9 months to complete.
Both the Mayor and the Town Planning Councillor stressed the importance that the project should not encounter any delays from the proposed time scale, and for this reason they wished to finalise all the details relating to the usage and management of the renovated building as quickly as possible. It was agreed that full information relating to the project would be circulated to all members of the Committee to enable them to present their suggestions and recommendations and that a further meeting would then be convened to discuss and finalise the planning.
However, the main point which the Mayor aimed to convey was that he now wanted the members of the Committee for Culture to discuss and decide on the cultural management model for the Central Cinema. A system would need to be established for managing its use and prioritising the town’s principal cultural requirements, in order to ensure that this project would soon provide a new vibrant social and cultural centre for Xàbia.
