The Generalitat Valenciana has formalised the purchase of the old asylum in order to refurbish it and house the Oriol occupational centre and residence. The amount of the transaction is 4 million euros.
In addition, the vice-president of the Consell and councillor for Equality and Inclusive Policies, Aitana Mas, announced that the Generalitat will allocate another 1.7 million to the rehabilitation of the acquired building to convert part of it into a residence for the users who are now in Torrevieja.
The signing took place in the Orihuela Town Hall, with the presence of the mayoress, Carolina Gracia; the head of the general direction, Isa Castelló; the nuns of the Sisters of the Elderly Forsaken, owners of the building until now, and representatives of the AMPA of the Oriol Residence and Occupational Centre.
Thus, Gracia said that "today we have lived a historic moment", since the signing of the acquisition of the old asylum "will allow, in a year, residents who are still in Torrevieja to return to Orihuela, which is what they want". The mayoress wanted to thank the Directorate General of Heritage and Public Sector, as well as the Consell, for the work done in recent months, which has culminated in the purchase of the property. "Yesterday, the vice-president of the Consell, Aitana Mas, said that this space will be used to expand the number of places for the care of people and that they have a project ready", she recalled, adding that "an immediate reform will be carried out to relocate the residents", while the Town Hall will recover the old building that housed the residence and the Oriol occupational centre, located in the palm grove, to install the occupational centre and the CRIS there.
