Begoña Carrasco Ensures Progress and Quality of Life for Castellonenses

The Castellón City Council has submitted its candidacy for two calls for European funds to finance projects that will transform the city and improve the quality of life for its residents. The mayor, Begoña Carrasco, has announced that the council will apply for a 20 million euro grant within the Integrated Action Plan for sustainable urban development, which includes the comprehensive reform of the Central Market, the rehabilitation of La Pérgola, the regeneration of the surroundings of the Municipal Skyfi Castalia Stadium with the creation of the Albinegra Block, a large park in the Sensal area, green corridors in the main commercial axes, the renaturalization of emblematic squares, and a new tool to modernize municipal tax management and collection.

The projects, which will be presented on February 28, have a maximum execution deadline of December 31, 2029. Carrasco has argued that securing European funding is key to undertaking major urban transformations without compromising municipal resources and has highlighted the capability of the technical team of the Office of Planning and Economic Projection, which has made Castellón a benchmark in the management of these funds.

The reform of the Central Market aims to modernize a building constructed in 1949 and open it to commercial and tourist uses to make it a gastronomic and revitalizing reference for the urban center. The recovery of the La Pérgola building aims to improve its energy efficiency and restore its role as a multipurpose space in a privileged environment like Ribalta Park. The Albinegra Block plans the regeneration of the Castalia surroundings to improve the area's image and well-being.

The Sensal large park project proposes the creation of an urban forest of 1,292,000 sq. ft. (120,000 square meters) to expand the city's green areas. The intervention in the commercial axes, with the renaturalization of streets like Enmedio, Mayor, Rey, and Zaragoza, seeks to generate green corridors that provide sustainability and commercial appeal. Similarly, the recovery of Hermanos Vilafañe Square and the Telecommunications Square in the West Park aims to reinforce their civic use.

The last of the projects focuses on the digitalization of the City Council with a new tax management and collection tool that will modernize administrative processes and streamline procedures.

In addition to this call, the mayor has announced that the City Council will apply for another line of ERDF funds to promote urban renaturalization through the "Castellón Nature in Network" project.