If the neighborhoods talked to each other, they would say to Palomarejos, “Who saw you, who saw you?” An area full of commerce and movement fueled by the Virgen de la Salud Hospital today suffers from surviving. It is the feeling that the neighborhood conveys with a simple morning walk. X-ray is much more serious if you are already hearing statements from neighbors or traders who have survived a hospital transplant.

Ten months after the Virgen de la Salud’s official closure for the corresponding opening of the University Hospital of Toledo in the Polígono district, La Tribuna conducted a sampling of the streets surrounding the building, which still belongs to the General State Treasury. The result of this count is illuminating. Out of a sample of 20 businesses with a ratio of less than 100 meters located around the Virgen de la Salud, only 10 of these businesses remain open today.

The sector that has suffered the most is the florists sector, because when it was a much-requested resource for visiting family or friends who applied to the hospital, it was almost never left open in the neighborhood. Closing a cafe like ‘Triplex’ is also strange for Toledo, but with the takeover of the Hospital in December 2021, the owners of this establishment confirmed to this newspaper that they will be closing in less than a month because they cannot open. keep the job.

Closed facilities, empty streets and parking lots next to the Virgen de la Salud. – Photograph: Yolanda LanchaOther recognizable establishments that remain open for the entire neighborhood and city are some such as ‘La Rueda’, ‘La Boutique del Pan’ or ‘Grys’ cafeteria. From this last location, they reported that the success of it still being up and running was “we’re out of competition”. All the bars next to us are gone, which means we keep getting customers. Despite this, they note from the cafeteria that they noticed a significant drop in their boxes, “because not only is the Hospital leaving, but many businesses in the area are moving a large number of customers.”

An environment that has become “too gray” in the neighborhood, completely empty streets, and a profile of a neighbor or passerby is “poorer” than before. It is emphasized by businesses that are still open as their activities are not dependent on the flow of the streets, such as a real estate agent or an optician, who admit to receiving a Hospital client from a passer-by, but it was unusual as “they” work by other means such as telephone, online or “word of mouth” “.

The same is true for shops known as “shops of life”, such as grocery stores or food stores, which continue to exist thanks to the residents. However, it is noteworthy that during the preparation of this example there were some establishments that recently chose Palomarejos for its opening.

Closed facilities, empty streets and parking lots next to the Virgen de la Salud. – Photograph: Yolanda LanchaOne of them is a bakery located on Barber Street that has decided to expand its online business to a physical location. In this case, as the managers themselves put it, the choice of this location “has a trick” and that is that the property is theirs and they think it’s reason enough to save an investment “although it’s not the best neighborhood now”. open a business ». Despite this, they were satisfied with their activities in these early days.

Another case is a hearing center located on the same street. In this place, the location was chosen with all intent, by directing its business to an elderly audience, its presence in the housing area for the elderly, which corresponds to the average age of the neighborhood, and consultations. He is still working in the Expertise Center.

These are some examples of Palomarejos continuing to live on, but not including traders and neighbors demanding immediate solutions to stop businesses from continually shutting down. The Toledo City Council has repeatedly suggested that it has a plan to revitalize the neighborhood. It remains only to hope that it is not too late.