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València Council Initiates Expropriation of Four Covetes in Santos Juanes Restoration

The move follows an agreement with most owners to restore the 18th-century stalls as a hub for local artisans

Las "covetes" de Sant Joan, frente a la Lonja
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Overview

  • València City Council has launched expropriation proceedings under the Ley de Expropiación Forzosa for four covetes whose owners declined to join the restoration project
  • The covetes are 19 barrel-vaulted commercial units built in 1700 beneath the Santos Juanes church that have stood vacant since the late 1980s and are part of a Bien de Interés Cultural site
  • A restoration plan approved by the Dirección General de Patrimonio Cultural in 2022 aligns with the Plan Especial de Protección de Ciutat Vella
  • Most property owners represented by the Asociación Recuperem Les Covetes de Sant Joan are collaborating with the council to rehabilitate the stalls as a marketplace for artisanal and cultural products
  • The expropriation follows an April declaration of social interest by the local government and will allow the council to assume ownership and oversee restoration of the holdout units