Town Council Meeting - 25.11.2008

At the full monthly meeting of the Orihuela Town Council (Pleno) held on Tuesday 25th November the following points which affect Orihuela Costa were discussed.

The ruling Partido Popular finally adopted the partial plan for the development land within the PAU 7 area of Villa Martin for the building of 2570 new homes including 650 social housing properties. The 14 PP Councillors of course voted in favour of the proposition whereas the 11 Opposition (PSOE, Los Verdes and Centro Liberal Renovador) Councillors voted against it. The contra arguments put forward by the Opposition were that there is no market demand for the additional houses and that there is insufficient water supply available to service them. Los Verdes put forward the additional argument that this is not the correct location to put this number of homes for social housing. It will create a ghetto style environment.

There was an unanimous approval by all Councillors of the Territorial Emergency Plan for Orihuela.This is to cover the procedures and services to be adopted within the Municipality in the case of major emergency situations including natural disasters and the like. With such a large population in Orihuela Costa it is important that there is a clearly defined proceed of coordination of emergency services and contact points to help the citizens at such a time. Los Verdes will ask that an information leaflet is published in Spanish and English for public distribution.

Los Verdes presented a written question to the Council meeting in respect of the possible felling of approximately 42 mediterranean pine trees and 20 palms in the Punta Prima urbanisation adjacent to the Cala Mosca development. The PP Councillor for Urbanisation, Sr. Barberá confirmed to the Council that the existing trees will be respected and that the proposed road system will be adapted to accommodate them. The pressure of the residents and the action of Los Verdes has resulted in the saving of the 40 year old pine trees and the palms.

Los Verdes asked during the verbal question time of the meeting, about the continued delay in the publication of the public information leaflets about the two new Bye-laws in respect of the 'Ownership and Protection of Animals' and the 'Regulation for the cleaning of the Municipality and the Management of Urban Services and Waste' It was pointed out that the PP governing team agreed several months ago that these leaflets would be produced in three languages, Spanish, English and German, but that they have not honoured their words as the leaflets are still not available.

Change of Surgery Date - 3rd December 2008

Due to a change in Council meeting commitments Councillor Monserrate Guillén will not be able to hold the surgery planned for the 26th November 2008.

The next surgery has therefore been rescheduled to take place on the 3rd December 2008 at the Celtic Isle in Playa Flamenca from 10.00 am until 12.30 pm.

Cala Mosca Pines Threatened

Los Verdes of Orihuela have registered a question for the next regular Town Council meeting (Pleno), with regard to the likely felling of trees that, once again, and in an indiscriminate way, is wanted to be carried out in the urbanization of Punta Prima, in Orihuela Costa.

The Municipal Group of Los Verdes has known that in the urbanization of Punta Prima is an area of pine trees, some of which are more than forty years old, which will affect the proceedings of the construction company that is developing La Cala Mosca and limit it. In fact, some pine trees have been felled, according to information from residents of the urbanisation. It is not the first time this has happened. There was an attempt to remove the trees toward the end of last summer. Los Verdes brought this fact to the attention of the Councillor for Urban Planning. The response at that time was that he was not going to let the existing pines be affected by the development action.

Los Verdes did not mistrust the response of the Councillor for Urbanism at the time, but it seems that the construction company has recently registered a document with the City Council to seek authorization for the cutting down of all the pines.

At the moment 42 tall pines and about 20 small palms remain. It is clear that the developer wants to take advantage of the width of the existing street of Punta Prima to make a single avenue of 15 to 20 meters, including pavements, and the trees are a problem.

Understanding this fact, if it is correct and it happens, it would violate the rights of the neighbours to respect the environment in which they have lived for many years and that it would destroy the unique vegetation that remains in this area following the barbarity that is leading to end of Cala Mosca, with the blessing of the City Council.

Los Verdes believe that it (the council) should not allow the announced tree felling, and to the contrary, to replant trees to replace those that have already been cut, with a call for the punishment for the developer as set out in the rules of the General Building Plan of Orihuela.

Therefore the Municipal Group of Los Verdes will ask at the Town Council meeting what action the governing PP Council intends to take to prevent the felling of this area of pines. Moreover, it has been asked by the neighbours affected whether at this point in time the Council has carried out an environmental report that would justify some sort of action on this matter, so that there is no doubt in this regard

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Los Verdes Surgery - 26th November

The next surgery by Councillor Monserrate Guillén, Los Verdes Councillor for the Coast, will be held on the 26th November 2008 at the Celtic Isle in Playa Flamenca. He will be available from 10.00 am to 12.30 pm to discuss residents individual problems.

As all the previous surgeries have been very busy, if someone wants to ask for a specific time, to reduce waiting, they should contact us by email at either losverdesinorihuelacosta@gmail.com, or telephone 965319660 to request a time if it's available.

We provide translation facilties for English, French, German and Swedish into Spanish during the surgery.

The FREE Starter Kits, available for the People's 'Litter Pick-up' as part of the 'Clean up the Costa' campaign, will be available for collection during the surgery times from any of the Los Verdes members present.

CITIZEN CARD

Los Verdes of Orihuela have put forward the proposal to the ruling PP Council that it introduces the system of a 'Citizen Card' similar to that adopted by other Spanish Municipalities such as Gijon, San Sebastian, La Coruña, Palma de Mallorca, Leon, Carmona, and others.

The value of the card is that it has the opportunity to offer two distinct beneficial uses to the citizens of the Orihuela Municipality.

In the first place the card could be used as the key to access council information and services via the internet or customer service point facilities within Council premises. This would work in two directions, with information being available for viewing and downloading, and conversely for uploading information to enable updating of personal details including application forms where needed. The only limitations would be dependant on the level of service offered by the Council in relation to the necessary modernization of the administrative services it is prepared to offer it's citizens.

The second major area of use is in relation to the access of public facilities and services such as municipal library, swimming pool, museums, car parking, and public transport. The card would offer both a method of identification and payment where required. There would be the facility to charge the card with a monetary value at Council ATM machines, situated at various locations throughout the municipality, and then the credit balance used for the payment of any fees, charges, or fares that may be due.

It would be a card for personal use and not transferable, with a magnetic stripe, which would replace other existing identification systems, such as library card or the subscriber to the municipal swimming pools or civic centres. The card would be essential to use these services and to access all the others. In some towns there is an additional benefit of discount being offered by some retailers to shoppers who are holders of the card.

The Citizen Card would be supplied to permanent and temporary residents free of charge by the Council, and there would be no annual or commission charges associated with it. The Scheme is provided and controlled solely by the Ayuntamiento with no involvement of banks.

Los Verdes urge the governing PP Council to introduce the Citizen Card as a step forward in the modernization of the municipal government, so as to offer the citizens an open and transparent system of government, something that they have a right to but have not seen up to this time.