The Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, led by Isabel Rodríguez, has responded to the request from Eibar's mayor, Jon Iraola, by earmarking up to €3 million for building rehabilitation, as well as urban and rural regeneration and renewal in the Murrategi neighborhood.
This funding is already included in the draft Royal Decree that will regulate the direct granting of subsidies by this department for the 2026 budgetary year. The final text of the Royal Decree, following the conclusion of the public consultation period on June 24th, is expected to be published in the coming weeks.
The efforts undertaken by Mayor Jon Iraola and his council members with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda have yielded results. The mayor expressed gratitude to Minister Isabel Rodríguez and the Basque Government's Housing Counselor, Denis Itxaso, for their commitment and sensitivity to the neighborhood's needs.
Mayor Iraola also acknowledged the patience of the neighborhood's residents, noting that the process took longer than anticipated. "We have not stopped working until we secured this financial aid, which we consider vital for the improvement of the neighborhood," he stated.
The subsidy, stemming from an amendment by EH Bildu accepted by the Spanish Government into the 2022 general state budgets, had not previously been included in the Ministry's annual subsidy programs.
The mayor highlighted the significance of this news, demonstrating the municipal government's "management capacity" to secure funds for strategic city projects, similar to previous successes with the Museum of the Arms Industry and other initiatives.
The funding will be used, among other things, to improve the neighborhood's infrastructure, existing spaces, building ensemble, and access points, guided by the Murrategi Neighborhood Integrated Rehabilitation Special Plan.
Mayor Iraola concluded that specific actions for Murrategi will be agreed upon with EH Bildu and the neighborhood's residents.
The Murrategi Neighborhood Integrated Rehabilitation Special Plan was approved by the City Council in February 2021, based on a 2016 socio-urban study identifying the neighborhood's regeneration needs. Its aim is to restore, protect, conserve, and enhance the existing urban fabric, while proposing measures to improve residents' quality of life.
The plan consolidates the neighborhood's six residential buildings and 28 homes. The regeneration also includes land acquisition for parks and parking, improved access roads, sidewalk rehabilitation, enhanced lighting, and the provision of urban furniture.
Since the Special Plan's approval, the City Council has been working on its implementation. In 2022, it acquired two affected plots to begin rehabilitation. Additionally, the Council is collaborating with the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa on the regeneration of the Ego River and its banks as they pass through the neighborhood.
