The provincial councils of Almería and Granada are working on the ‘Connected-Alpujarra’ project, which will have a multi-million budget.

Now, before we go on, when they say, Las Alpujarras, they are referring to the whole Alpujarra region that spreads across the provincial border between Granada and Almería, so when we use, La Alpujarra we are referring to only the Granada side. However, this project title obviously intends upon connecting both into one Alpujarra region.

Getting back to the budget, of the €5.26 million allocated to this project, 85% (€4.47 million) comes from ERDF funding (European Regional Development Funds), whilst the remaining 15% is covered by local administrations. 

What’s unsual is that two provincial councils are working together, along the same lines as the Granada/Jaén cooperation over Granada Airport (which has just gone pear-shaped). 

So, as explained above, Connected Alpujarra addresses this region as a shared geographical area through an integrated strategy.

The Plan will affect 51 municipalities in the combined Alpujarra region, directly benefiting more than 38,000 people who live there. 

These are towns and villages that, for the most part, are affected by rural exodus and are experiencing situations such as declining population and increasing ageing. Alpujarra Conectada is being launched to reverse this trend, improve and create new infrastructure and services, and ultimately encourage people to remain in the area and to foster entrepreneurship.

In this regard, Granada Provincial Council will be able to carry out projects in both Ugíjar and Cádiar, hoping to revitalise businesses and, above all, do up disused dwellings and public spaces to make them available to the locals.

For their part, Almería Provincial Council hopes to transform their villages with this influx of funds – Almería gets the lion’s share of the funding.

The project also creates of a network of Territorial Innovation Centres (CITs), which will be hubs to boost rural entrepreneurship, innovation, and digitalisation, as well as a Regional Housing Office to combat depopulation, aimed at mobilising vacant housing.

(News: Las Alpujarras, Granada, Almería, Andalucia)

Keywords: EU Funding, Connecting the Alpujarras, Provincial Councils, Collaboration, 5m Budget, Ugíjar, Cádiar

news, andalucia, almeria, granada, las alpujarras, eu funding, connecting the alpujarras, provincial councils, collaboration, 5m budget, ugíjar, cádiar