Unicaja Banco S A : strengthens its commitment to Salamanca and it transfers to the City Hall the use of the Centro Sociocultural at Plaza de Trujillo

Unicaja Banco potencia su compromiso con Salamanca y cede al Ayuntamiento el uso del Centro Sociocultural de la Plaza de Trujillo

• The Mayor of Salamanca and the Director General of Operations and Technology at Unicaja Banco sign the collaboration agreement under which the bank transfers to the city the use for free of a 3,600 sqm building

10 JUN 2021

4 Min reading

Unicaja Banco has resolved to transfer the free use of the Centro Sociocultural at Plaza de Trujillo to Salamanca City Hall, which will assign it to the planning, promotion and development of social and cultural activities, as well as to the provision of other municipal services. This transfer reflects Unicaja Banco's commitment to the city, as well as the City Hall's comprehensive commitment to its neighbourhoods.

The Mayor, Carlos García Carbayo, and the bank's Director General of Operations and Technology, José María de la Vega, signed today the collaboration agreement to transfer the use for a term of 7 years, with the possibility to be extended.

The signing was also attended by the following City Hall members: the third Deputy Mayor, Fernando Rodríguez, and the Councillor for Social Participation, Almudena Parres. Unicaja Banco's Head of Institutional Relations and Relations with Stakeholders, Fernando Ríos, and the Regional Manager for Salamanca, Manuel Rubio, were also present.

Both the City Hall and Unicaja Banco are aware of the importance of the Centro Sociocultural at Plaza de Trujillo for the city of Salamanca, and especially for the residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods, as it is an ideal location to carry out social and cultural activities that result in the enrichment of the community and in an increased social cohesion.

The parties are convinced that the present agreement will enhance the services offered to the city's neighbourhoods. It also seeks to ensure the appropriate management of the centre, located in the heart of the neighbourhood of Prosperidad, developed by the former Caja Salamanca in the 1960' and where 348 apartments, a church, a school and health facilities were built.

According to the Mayor, Carlos García Carbayo, 'thanks to the public and private collaboration, Salamanca gets new resources for its neighbourhoods, to bring local services closer to residents, promoting social participation and boosting the cultural activity to consolidate Salamanca's social leadership'. As he remarked, this new space, integrated in the city's network of Local Centres, will be a reference for the residents of the neighbourhoods of Prosperidad, Santo Tomás, Delicias, San Isidro, El Rollo, Alamedilla, Puente Ladrillo and Fontana.

The Director General of Operations at Unicaja Banco, José María de la Vega, highlighted that 'the bank is fully committed to Salamanca's social and economic development', and he considers that 'the collaboration with institutions is an appropriate mean to contribute to said development'. De la Vega added that the bank will continue supporting the City Hall and the city with other initiatives, and reiterated the commitment to institutions, businesses and residents in Castilla y León.

New services

The new centre will start its activities tomorrow Friday with the launch of a Citizen Service and Taxpayer Assistance Service. The Citizen Participation section, currently located at Calle Peña Primera, will also be operational at Plaza Trujillo starting tomorrow, as well as the Local Agency for Volunteering.

From 21 June, the Social Action Centre of Centro Municipal de Miraltormes will move to this new building.

Furthermore, in September, the children play area of Centro Luis Vives will be transferred to this space, and the Santa Cecilia Music School will start its activities in October, as reinforcement to those it carries out at its current location.

Additionally, during July, this centre will be equipped with a library with several services and space enough to cover the residents' needs and demands.

Description of Centro Sociocultural at Plaza de Trujillo

The building was developed by the former Caja Duero, with an avant-garde design by the Salamanca architects Agustín and Luis Ferreira. It came into operation, as premises of the said institution's Obra Social (Welfare Project), in December 2011, following a 9 million euros investment.

The building has a surface of 3,594 sqm, divided into three floors. The ground floor includes a library, distributed into reading area and children area, and with a service of book and audio-visual media lending. The Social Action Centre (CEAS) will be installed in this floor, which also has several offices, meeting rooms, training room and IT room.

In the semi-basement, the Centro Sociocultural at Plaza de Trujillo has a cafeteria, a children play area and a conference hall. Finally, in the basement there are an exhibition room and four cultural or multi-purpose rooms, where activities will be developed as allowed by the health authorities' measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All these services are integrated in the Salamanca City Hall Network of Participation Centres, currently composed by 10 local centres and by 15 local participation spaces, located in different city areas.