Cagliari, the “Civil Protection Citadel” in the former military depot of Monte Urpinu

Former Air Force fuel depot of Monte Urpinu, changes again. And maybe this time it's the right one. The Regional Council, with a resolution approved last November 29 but published only in the last few hours, has decided to create the "Cittadella della Protezione Civile": at the foot of the hill overlooking Molentargius, in that former military area with an extension of 150 thousand square meters (5 thousand covered), with entrance in via Is Guadazzonis, a single center will be created that will host offices, a logistics base (as an alternative to the one in Macchiareddu), an operations room and a headquarters to be used as a Command and Control Directorate in case of emergencies, as well as spaces for volunteering. To start, there are 5 million euros available.

Over the years that area has been many things, but only on paper. Decommissioned in 2007, on the basis of an agreement between the State and the Region, it was assigned to the Diocese and Caritas, then the idea of making it the beating heart of the activities of third sector associations arose. In 2020, the Solinas Council had focused on the transfer to Forestas, with the planned transfer of the offices and the creation of a green park. Nothing came of it.

The Council led by Alessandra Todde has other plans. Having revoked the decision of the previous executive, it wants to assign everything to the Civil Protection, which now operates scattered between via Vittorio Veneto, via Roma and Macchiareddu, where there is a vehicle depot. The Councilor for the Environment, Rosanna Laconi, explains that «the real estate complex called “ex 68° Deposito Carburanti”, with a gross covered surface area of the premises of approximately 5,000 square meters, would be adequate from a logistical point of view and would be configured as a “Civil Protection Citadel”, very similar to that of Friuli Venezia Giulia, which could house the offices of the General Directorate of Civil Protection, the operations rooms and the relevant logistics, the representative bodies of volunteering, the classrooms of the Regional School, as well as the Dicomac, on which the National Department of Civil Protection has already informally expressed a positive opinion».

Laconi added that "the new headquarters of the General Directorate of Civil Protection, in addition to hosting the four central services, the territorial service of Cagliari, the CFD, SORI, SOUP, CCT rooms and the canteen, will have to have suitable rooms for the Function Room, the Decision Room, the Crisis Unit and the press room, for a total surface area of an additional 400 square meters".

The resolution specifies that, as foreseen by the previous Board, the sports area will remain at the disposal of the Cra Regione Sardegna: numerous fields over an area of approximately 25 thousand square meters.

The spaces are there, the decision has been made. Now we need to get to work to ensure that it is not yet another failure in the process of transforming a former military easement in Cagliari.

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The decision does not please Forza Italia. The city secretary Alessandro Serra: «A new servitude, a choice not shared with the city».

Cagliari

Cittadella della Protezione civile a Monte Urpinu, FI: «Nuova servitù, scelta non condivisa con la città»