The Valencia Community High Court of Justice (TSJCV) has, in its annual report this year, pressed for a new building for the Alicante Audience. The judicial facilities are outdated and cramped, struggling to provide adequate working spaces. While construction is underway for the City of Justice complex, completion is not expected before 2026, and a relocation to the new complex is not currently planned. At most, there could be a move to one of the vacated courthouses after they are refurbished, a scenario not anticipated in the near term. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]
In the annual report signed by the TSJ president, Pilar de la Oliva, a review is offered of the state of court buildings across the Valencian Community. The tone highlights a contrast between areas with modern, bright, spacious, well-equipped facilities and other districts stuck with antiquated, impractical venues that constantly require fixes and patches. The document notes that the Villena court is described as being in a “deplorable” state, according to the report from the decana de court for that jurisdiction. In Elda, there are no holding cells for detainees, and in Torrevieja the duty court lacks proper facilities. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]
The TSJ’s report recalls that the Alicante City of Justice has been on the drawing board for nearly two decades. “In January last year, the replanning act was signed, enabling the project to start, though its completion remains distant,” De la Oliva notes. The document emphasizes that the building is essential for serving more than 400,000 residents and is intended to end the current dispersion of up to eight separate venues in Alicante. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]
The president of the TSJ argues that dispersing judicial functions across multiple sites within a single judicial district, a pattern repeated across several judicial jurisdictions in the autonomous community, is a critical problem. It is not operational, incurs ongoing rental expenses, and hinders the deployment of new organizational models such as the Judicial Office or shared services. The conclusion: this arrangement is highly detrimental for everyone involved. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]
The review then shifts to the state of the Alicante Audiencia building, stressing the need for a new sede that would end the current space and service limitations. Space is so tight that case files and related materials pile up in multipurpose rooms, secretariats, and hallways. Desks for supporting magistrates cannot be allocated, and there is no dedicated courtroom for macro trials, forcing moves to the assembly hall of the main courthouse. These deficiencies are reflected in the comments from the head of Alicante’s Audiencia, Juan Carlos Cerón. By contrast, the Elche displaced sections enjoy a fully functional headquarters at the Elche City of Justice complex, a facility dating from 2010. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]
Regarding the Benalúa offices in Alicante, ongoing climate control improvements have been carried out, yet the lack of adequate courtroom space persists. The existing venue on Aguilera Avenue must house multiple courts, which means judges and staff must share the available facilities. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]
Province
In the rest of the province, the report paints a stark picture of two contrasting models for court facilities. Some sites remain deeply outdated with multiple issues, as seen in Elda and Villena, while others boast dignified, functional spaces in cities like Benidorm, Ibi, and Elche. Elda, in particular, is cited for continuing to lack a holding cell, a basic safeguard for safeguarding the liberty of detainees. The plan also calls for a dedicated space that meets safety and health standards to support videoconferencing for the General Procedure Service. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]
Villena’s decana describes the building as deplorable, but credits the justice department for notable improvements over the past year, including new furniture, a third courtroom, and an elevator for accessibility. A nearby plot has also been acquired to house the archive and the Civil Registry. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]
Torrevieja is highlighted for requesting facilities of its own for the duty court to protect detainees’ privacy and ensure proper conditions for statements from suspects and witnesses. A Gesell chamber is considered essential and is currently in process. Alcoy’s courts also seek this infrastructure to enable statements from minor victims in cases of abuse or sexual crimes. The TSJ calls for a prompt expansion of Orihuela’s courts to reintegrate two First Instance bodies that were moved to an annex location. The expansion awaits a city allotment of adjacent land. In Denia, an expansion at a site already approved in basic project terms would create a new Instruction Court and dedicated facilities for the duty court. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]
The annual memory reiterates the push for more courts, totaling 29 across the province, to alleviate the strain in civil and social jurisdictions. It also calls for the creation of three magistrate positions for the Audiencia. [citation: TSJCV annual report 2024]