The Calp Town Council plenary session yesterday decided to cancel two municipal agreements; firstly, the Marina de Ifac subplan because of technical questions raised by the Consellería de Territorio of the Regional Government concerning the condition of the roads by the construction of roundabouts in the northern access road.
In this case, the Regional Ministry for the Territory considers that the construction of the roundabouts involves structural changes to the perimeter of the area in the plan and changes to the roads and the boundaries of the N332 road, as well as changes to the green areas envisaged in the "Marina de Ifach" plan. As the structural changes are considered structural, the Regional Ministry is responsible for them and, precisely in order to avoid a dispute that would slow down the development process of the industrial estate, the City Council has decided to cancel the agreement and draw up a new document.
This point was approved with the government's yes votes and the abstention of all opposition groups. The spokesman for Defendamos Calpe, Paco Quiles, stated that "although we are in favour of the project, we believe that a detailed study of the viability of this industrial estate is lacking in order to find out how many companies would be willing to locate there, whether there is any economic capacity, the price of buildings and land, etc.".
The spokesman for Compromís, Ximo Perles, said that "we abstained because we share the technical criteria of the regional ministry, but it would not be wrong to reconsider the redistribution of green areas to protect the Casa de la Soliva, as well as dry construction or the medieval road".
For his part, the PSPV-PSOE spokesman, Santos Pastor, added that "it is an opportunity to rethink the plan with the reorganisation of the sector, to protect the remains, but we are left with a bitter taste because we are not making progress with the industrial estate.
The Councillor for Territory, Juan Manuel del Pino, announced that "there is an intention to protect the Casa de la Soliva, although it is located in a strategic area, but negotiations are underway both with the owner and with the Camino Real. For her part, Mayor Ana Sala concluded: "We all agree that the industrial park is necessary to diversify Calp's productive sector".
The agreement on the exchange of a private plot of land in La Manzanera for other municipal plots in Concentari will also be cancelled. In the latter case, the Directorate-General for Local Government considers that the need for this urban exchange was not sufficiently justified, nor was its usefulness and the lack of equivalence of the properties.
The Ministry of Urban Planning justifies the expediency of the private land having been abandoned for decades and also points out that the purchase of the land includes the economic feasibility study. It also considers that the differences in value between the plots managed by the Directorate-General - the private land in La Manzanera is valued at EUR 1 200 000 and the three urban plots in Cosentari at EUR 360 000 - do not correspond to reality.
The Town Council for the Territory pointed out that "given the purely technical requirements, we have cancelled the authorisation granted by the plenary session and will consider other ways of obtaining this land".
The spokesman for Defendamos Calpe explained that "something is not quite right: the seat of the landowner coincides with the developers of the Calalga and Casita Blanca; these are the last green plots of land on the coast. We have already questioned how the valuation was made". Ximo Perles justified his vote against, stating that "at the time when we thought the agreement was positive, it is the first time that an exchange favours the Town Council, we do not feel comfortable with this refusal".
The Socialist spokesman, Santos Pastor, "once in a lifetime, the city council benefits from an exchange, it benefits the public interest, something is not clear when we are made aware of it by the Directorate General of Local Government, and we are also unfamiliar with the figure of the 'dotacional privado'.
The Town Council for Territory, in reference to the statements of Defendamos Calpe, said that "when several companies are united in one company in Jávea, it is something that does not concern us. If someone wants to spread suspicion in the plenary session, they should also present evidence". He also said: "We want to act quickly. That is why we are taking the item off the agenda and starting work to find quick alternatives.
REVISION OF THE OVERALL PLAN
Another point which triggered a debate was the proposal by Defendamos Calpe to revise the 1998 master plan for urban development. In this context, Mr Paco Quiles stated: "We are proposing this revision because we have been in the process for 20 years since the last plan and it is necessary to reconsider it. We think that the current model enriches us, but it is not, this development does not have a positive effect on the income of the citizens of Calpe".
Both Compromis and the PSPV-PSOE supported the proposal, taking the view that "the 1998 plan is exhausted and there are the successive selective changes". The spokesman for Ciudadanos, Juan Manuel del Pino, said that "we voted against because we believe that it does not seem appropriate to take part now in a modification of the General Plan which could take between 7 and 14 years of work. The PP spokesperson, Paco Avargues, said that "we will vote against because we believe that this is not the right time".
The Mayor, Ana Sala, also replied in this sense, saying that it was "foolish to propose a revision of the plan in the current situation in which so many citizens of Calpe are in difficulty".
SUPPORT FOR NIGHTLIFE BUSINESSES
In addition, outside the agenda, a new line of economic aid to local nightlife businesses was approved under the Plan Resiste. The purpose of this aid for clubs, dance halls, karaoke or bars, is to promote the recovery of commercial activity in Calpe following the cessation of activity by the Ministry last August 17. This aid for nightlife is a new line in the Plan Resiste, which already provides for aid for firms which had to close down during the alarm, for refuse collection and for women entrepreneurs.
The amount of the grant varies between 1,000 and 2,000 euros, depending on the people employed in the interrupted activity, and thus amounts to 1,000 euros in the case of non-employment, 1,500 euros for one to three employees, 1,800 euros for 4 to 8 employees and 2,000 euros for more than 8 employees.