The mayor of Porto assured this Monday that, with the concession of the Coliseum to private parties, the Balleteatro do Porto “will not be left without a home”, maintaining the forecast of its transfer to a building in the historic center.
“It is our intention and that of Ballet Teatro to transfer it to the rehabilitated building. Balleteatro will not be left without a home”, guaranteed the mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, during the executive meeting.
The independent mayor, who responded to the question from the councilor of BE Maria Manuel Rola (replacing Sérgio Aires), about what would happen to that company with the concession of the Coliseu do Porto to individuals, guaranteed that the construction project for the building, located on Rua Nova da Alfândega, “it is already done”.
Rui Moreira said, however, that the “demands” of the Ministry of Education “are making the project unaffordable.”
“The demands of the Ministry of Education are making the project unaffordable. The building exists in the historic center and is subject to the supervision of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage (DGPC), which does not allow anything to be done. We may reach a situation where it is not possible and, if not, we will have to think of something else, “he clarified, although he said that” the negotiations are ongoing “.
“The Balleteatro will not be without a roof. We have schools and other spaces available if both schedules [o da reabilitação do edifício e da concessão do Coliseu do Porto a privados] They don’t match,” he said.
The transfer of the Balleteatro to the new facilities in the historic center, scheduled for 2020, was postponed due to the need to carry out works in the building acquired by the municipality for this purpose.
In February 2019, when the company resident in the Coliseu do Porto since 2015 celebrated its 30 years, the vocational school said that during the next school year (2019/2020) it would move to a new space, in the old São Nicolau parish. ., after the Porto City Council acquired it from the Parish Union of the Historic Center of Porto.
The acquisition of the property in question, located between Rua Nova da Alfândega and Rua de São Francisco, was approved at the extraordinary Municipal Assembly on December 4, 2018.
At the time, the PS accused the Porto City Council of “providing” the City Council with the historic center with one million euros by acquiring a building “to solve a problem” of the City Council itself.
In response, the mayor of Porto guaranteed that the purchase of the property was a good deal for the municipality, “more than comparing the income [paga atualmente] with the price”.
The mayor explained that the building was rented to the city council to try to solve, first of all, the problem of the Miragaia Social Center, and then the situation of the Balleteatro that has been carrying out its activity in the Coliseum arose.
Source: Observadora
