The Pumarego Neighbourhood Centre demands an extension from the City Council of Seville

The Casa del Pumarejo Association claims that the City Council of Seville has not responded to their requests for an extension of the Pumarego Neighbourhood Centre, which expired over a month ago.

The Casa del Pumarejo Association reported this Wednesday that the City Council of Seville has not responded to their repeated requests for an extension of the public concession of the Pumarego Neighbourhood Centre “Felisa García”, a community-managed space that has been serving the neighbourhood for 22 years. The concession, signed on May 20, 2011, for a period of 15 years, expired last May without a new extension being formalised.

A decade of unanswered requests

Since May 22, 2025, the association has made ten formal requests for the monitoring committee to be convened, the body provided for in the 2011 agreement for dialogue between the City Council and the entity. “After the first five requests, a meeting finally took place last December, but no progress was made regarding the extension. Since then, we have requested another five times for a new meeting and we are still without a response,” explains a spokesperson for the association.

The association expresses its “astonishment and concern” at the lack of communication and respect towards the citizens by the council. “Due to the municipal neglect, the concession expired over a month ago without the extension we have been requesting being formalised,” they lament.

The rehabilitation is already 10 months behind schedule

Another key point is the delay in the rehabilitation works of the palace house, whose first phase, focused on the rear half of the building, began in January 2025 with a planned duration of 18 months, that is, until the end of June 2026. However, the association claims that the works are already 10 months delayed. “In December, representatives from the Urban Planning Management indicated a delay of three or four months; a few weeks ago, the mayor stated they expect to finish in spring 2027. This means a delay of about 10 months,” they detail.

The second phase of the work will directly affect the spaces occupied by the neighbourhood centre, as well as the popular Camacho winery. The association fears that without an extension of the concession, the future of the centre will be uncertain. “The space has not only been the headquarters of the association but has also been open to the entire neighbourhood and to over a hundred groups that have used it as a regular place for work and social, cultural, educational, and recreational activities,” they remind.

A community reference asking for a response

The Pumarego Neighbourhood Centre has become a reference for dynamism and citizen cohesion in the San Gil neighbourhood, in the historic centre of Seville. Since 2003, it has hosted activities of all kinds and has been a meeting space for associations and residents. “The mayor boasts about unlocking many projects. We hope he does the same and as soon as possible with this long-standing issue,” concludes the entity.

The association urges the City Council to urgently convene the monitoring committee and to formalise the extension of the concession to ensure the continuity of the neighbourhood centre. Meanwhile, residents continue to wait for a response that has not arrived for over a year.