Pilar de la Horadada will inaugurate a new public plaza on Saturday, six December, to coincide with Constitution Day. The surface area, which the council says covers about 6,400 square metres, sits above a recently completed underground car park and includes shaded children’s play zones, two petanque courts, a football X-TRESS pitch, biosaludable exercise equipment and seating. A twenty-metre flagpole with a seven-by-five metre Spanish flag has been installed and space is reserved for a future chiringuito.

The underground car park occupies about 7,600 square metres and has 279 spaces: 250 for cars, 14 for motorcycles, eight accessible bays and seven for electric vehicles, two of which are accessible. Access is from Avenida de la Constitución with exit on Calle Cabo Pedro Gracia. The council says the car park itself will not open on Saturday; its operation is pending a tender to appoint a company to manage pay-and-rotate and subscriber bays, including annual rentals requested by residents.

The scheme has cost the municipality €2.3 million and has taken two and a half years, after phased demolition of the long-abandoned “La Paloma” building. Mayor José María Pérez Sánchez has said he is proud that the town has finally resolved the site, which he described as having been stalled for decades, and that the new plaza and car park are designed to allow future construction of municipal buildings if needed. On Saturday a parade and flag-raising will mark the opening and local schoolchildren will read articles of the Constitution.