Territorial cohesion will renovate the former municipal slaughterhouse of sangüesa to host the Territorial Innovation Centre

The Sangüesa / Zangoza City Council approved at the plenary session on 29 January, unanimously by all groups, the transfer of the former municipal slaughterhouse to the Government of Navarra with the aim of housing the future Territorial Innovation Center (CIT) for the Sangüesa area in this space.

Regarding this transfer, the Director General of Local Administration and Depopulation of the Department of Territorial Cohesion, Jesús María Rodríguez, stated that “the commitment of town councils is key to advancing effective policy to combat depopulation.” “The involvement of the Sangüesa City Council shows that the Depopulation Strategy is a shared project, in which local entities are protagonists alongside the Government of Navarra,” he noted.

The renovation works for the former Sangüesa slaughterhouse are now expected to be put out to tender shortly, with an estimated budget of 350,000 euros, to be financed by the Directorate General of Local Administration and Depopulation. The Sangüesa City Council will also contribute to the works, in this case with the refurbishment of the building’s courtyards. Funding will be completed with a contribution from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).

This space has an interior area of 206 square meters and an exterior area of 68 square metres, divided into two courtyards. The facilities will be renovated using sustainable materials and adapted so that their use minimizes energy consumption. The Sangüesa CIT will include a coworking area; open‑plan spaces for other possible uses such as exhibitions, a showroom or working sessions; and two offices.

During the period of the works, CIT staff will be located provisionally in municipal offices, in an area provided by the City Council itself, to respond to the needs of local stakeholders in the district in a personalized way.

The Tierra Estella CIT Is Provisionally Installed at the LASEME Headquarters

For its part, the Territorial Innovation Center (CIT) of Estella‑Lizarra has started up, on a provisional basis, at the headquarters of the Asociación de Empresas de la Merindad de Estella (LASEME), following the signing of a collaboration agreement between both entities that will allow the CIT’s activity in the Tierra Estella district to continue, strengthening a service close to its economic and social stakeholders.

This agreement strengthens public‑private collaboration and guarantees a workspace from which the CIT can continue to provide support services for territorial innovation, economic development, the retention and attraction of talent and the improvement of quality of life in rural areas, within the framework of the Government of Navarra’s Strategy to Combat Depopulation.

In this regard, the Director General of Local Administration and Depopulation stated that “the CITs are one of the Government of Navarra’s main tools to tackle depopulation from an integrated approach, through innovation and the creation of opportunities in the territory.” He highlighted that “the provisional installation of the Estella CIT at the LASEME headquarters guarantees full collaboration and participation of the local socioeconomic ecosystem and connection with the district’s economic and social reality.”

Rodríguez also stressed that “the tackle depopulation cannot be addressed through homogeneous solutions, but through projects adapted to each territory, built with the involvement of local stakeholders.” “The CITs precisely make it possible to activate this local ecosystem and turn the territory’s ideas and needs into concrete projects with real impact,” he added.

The location at the LASEME headquarters will enable the Estella CIT to maintain its proximity to Tierra Estella’s local business and social stakeholders, fostering collaborative work and support for initiatives that help retain and attract population and generate economic activity in rural areas. The CIT’s permanent headquarters, to be located in the town’s former ORVE, is expected to be operational at the beginning of October this year, after refurbishment works with a budget of around 150,000 euros.

A Key Project

The CIT of Navarra, led and coordinated by the Government of Navarra, aims to promote territorial equity in the Comunidad Foral and combat depopulation. The CIT is conceived as a joint workspace bringing together key stakeholders from the business sector, innovation and technological development entities, local entities and the regional government to propose and develop innovative collaborative projects that improve the competitiveness of the socio-economic fabric, helping to reactivate rural territories, especially those with a high rate of depopulation. It is also a point of access to innovative technologies and processes, and to training and advisory services in social and technological innovation.

Likewise, CIT Navarra also has a technical office, made up of the centre’s own staff and managed by the public companies NASERTIC and NASUVINSA‑Lursarea, which is responsible for the operational management of the centre, maintaining continuous contact and dialogue with territorial stakeholders, evaluating and scoring proposals, or defining and implementing projects. 

Source: navarra.es