The separate Gerencia Municipal de Urbanismo (Municipal Town Planning Management Agency) in Vélez-Málaga is set to become a department of the past as from April 27th as part of the adjustment plan to enable the municipality to pay over €30 million of outstanding debts to service providers.
The Gerencia Municipal de Urbanismo was set up in 2000 with the aim of launching a review of the PGOU (General Plan), streamlining bureaucratic procedures related to planning, inspection and ensuring the legality of licenses.
The agency employs 44 staff (it was 35 in 2000), with 25 of these being architects, engineers, technical architects, surveyors etc and 19 being administrative staff, with a budget approaching €4 million per year.
The change will involve transferring all these staff to the municipal Town hall payroll. This means the almost €4 million budget for the agency will go to the municipal coffers, although the Council will now have to pay the salaries of these employees.