Exactly on the day that marks the third anniversary of the municipal elections, the mayor of Toledo, Milagros Tolón, has been the protagonist of the informative breakfast ‘Espacio Reservado’, organized by the newspaper ‘encastillalamancha.es’ at the hotel Beatriz de la town. Before more than 400 guests, such as the former regional president José Bono or the general director of the Police, Francisco Pardo, the mayor took stock of her management, marked by the difficulties of the pandemic and natural disasters such as Filomena or the floods of the past September, but, above all, he spoke about the future of the city. Milagros Tolón has announced that on June 2 the Advance of the Municipal Planning Plan (POM) will be presented to the Urban Planning Commission
which contemplates an expansion of the industrial land by 3.6 million square meters and the forecast of building between 12,000 and 18,000 homes. The objective of this document is to set the population and attract those who had to move to other nearby towns due to the lack of housing and reach more than 100,000 inhabitants.
In her speech, the mayor highlighted the favorable situation of the city, with a drop in unemployment of 30 percent in the last year (2,582 unemployed); with a population that already exceeds 86,000 people according to the latest register and a Social Security affiliation of 70,000, which means that there are many people who work in Toledo but do not live here. This is the objective of the Municipal Planning Plan: to attract that population that had to leave the city due to the lack of housing.
At the event, led by the director of ‘encastillalamancha.es’, the journalist Mar G. Illán, the mayor announced that the POM, which will be subject to a process of citizen and social participation, will set the guidelines for a city model based on five axes: sustainable, healthy, safe, social and smart city. In addition to industrial land and housing, the document will also address the urban regeneration of the neighborhoods of Palomarejos and Santa Bárbara -mainly in the area of Calle de las Vírgenes- with sustainability criteria.
As for the Old Town, Milagros Tolón has highlighted that it sets the criteria to make residential and tourist use compatible and balanced and, in this sense, has announced that it is going to propose the necessary modification to regulate housing for tourist use.
In Vega Baja, it has guaranteed that there will be no homes and has highlighted the agreement signed in November 2021 for its landscape and archaeological protection between the City Council, the Castilla-La Mancha Community Board and the Government of Spain. Milagros Tolón has advanced that the initial project for Vega Baja includes pedestrian paths to get to know the archaeological remains up close, a recreational space for the use and enjoyment of citizens with an integrated soccer field, a parking area to facilitate access to the park archeology and also provide service to the University and a program to enhance the value of the Roman Circus, with the academic collaboration of the university institution.
And, finally, the POM also contemplates the renaturalization of the banks of the Tagus, which is configured as a backbone and meeting area, thanks to the projects and funds committed by the Government of Spain throughout Europe to open the river citizens, making a municipality more sustainable and respectful of the environment.
