The PSC, the CUP and the Cs agree to regret that Amazon does not settle in Reus, but they do not understand that the industrial space continues to expand
The city of Reus woke up this Wednesday to the news that the multinational Amazon will not set up a logistics center in the city, after finding that its growth prospects did not correspond to reality – it also canceled the opening facilities in three other municipalities. The surprise was not only for the outcome of the project, but also for the beginning: the negotiations had remained discreet and even the opposition parties were not aware of it. This is explained by Andreu Martín (PSC), Mònica Pàmies (CUP) and Débora García (Cs). The three agree to deplore the fact that a giant like Amazon does not end up setting up in the capital of Baix Camp, but they also criticize the lack of transparency of the government.
“They tend to play occultism,” explains the orange leader. Pamies goes further. During the approval of the subdivision of the Mas Sunyer area, he asked if there was already a proposal on the table. “They told us no, no, that there was nothing going on,” he recriminates.
All in all, the three politicians recognize that they would not have opposed the arrival of Amazon and underline that we must now find alternatives to fill the void left, but not only that of the e-business. commerce: they agree that the current polygons are underused.
Martín assures that the government’s priority should be to “fill” the supply of industrial spaces available to the municipality. However, he cautions that what we need must be scaled.” He thinks that the installation of large companies would have a positive effect on the economy, as long as they do not opt for a single economic model. “Reus, at the moment, has to find its place and have a diversified offer. Our space is in the element of commerce, of proximity”, he analyzes. The socialist adds that more investment should be made in the areas of information and communication technologies, health and nutrition, and launches a project proposal for 2023: Tecnoredessa 2.
For his part, García believes that big and small businesses should be helped equally, but never one at the expense of the other. He considers that the current vacancies should be filled before thinking of creating more polygons and pushes his criticism further: “If those you have already done you do not have any in the conditions, how can you venture to do more and older”? he is asking himself. “You have to take care of what you have first,” he says.
Pàmies believes that the size of companies is not the most important thing to consider, but “the quality” of the jobs they offer. At the same time, he does not understand that industrial zones expand when cities are “under-occupied” and regrets that this implies the destruction of rural space. “People will drive miles between the polygons to reach our city. I don’t know if it’s a model city that people like,” he says.
Adapt to needs
On the other hand, on the part of the Chamber of Commerce, it is recognized that the arrival of Amazon would have been “welcome” because it would mean investment and job creation. Either way, it’s also emphasized that it’s time to “highlight the city’s available industrial land”, but it’s also encouraged to “recreate”. “It is obvious that we lack industrial land to meet the growing needs -in particular- of the logistics sector, which, given its constant development, is a reality to which an effective response must be made”, concludes the Chamber .