Vitoria Moves to Seize Crumbling Palace Owned by Tangier Amid Safety Concerns

The Alava-Esquivel palace has been the property of the municipality of Tangier for 13 years. The Moroccan city has accumulated a debt of 310,581 euros for not having taken charge of the maintenance or rehabilitation of the building and paid the taxes related to garbage collection. The Elkarrekin company has warned of "new risks of collapse in the dilapidated building". Risks confirmed by a February 2023 report from the municipality of Vitoria which looked into the deterioration of the protective elements on the facade and at the rear of the building.

According to Elkarrekin, the deterioration of these protective elements "increases the risk of collapse". According to the technical report of the company, these elements are located in the garden of Herrería street and in Zapatería street. Towards Herrería street, the grilles of four windows of the building are completely torn and filled with garbage. Since last year, the palace has been on the red list for "risk of collapse", it is recalled.

"In the event of the fall of any element of the building, the safety and physical integrity of pedestrians and the neighborhood are threatened," Elkarrekin warned, calling on the municipal authorities to authorize, at the next session of their council, the launch, "as soon as possible", of the rehabilitation work on the palace. Because according to the party, Morocco, "owner" of the palace, "will not undertake" this work.