The leader of the Izquierda Unida in San Miguel de Salinas, Bienvenida Campillo, has denounced the council for failing to implement a municipal project to revitalize one of the most iconic attractions in the town, the site of the cave houses which have been in situ since time immemorial.
She said that the work “remains stalled because of a lack of interest by the government team to put it in hand” stating that it has been ready to go “since 2011 when it first obtained the approval of the Generalitat, but since which time nothing has been done”
The plan to update the small settlement of about 20 houses was first muted back in 2003 with the approval of a whole series of local actions that would both improve the standing of the cave house dwellers, of the houses themselves and of the surrounding area.
It was suggested that they could be promoted as a great attraction drawing many thousands of additional visitors to the town and thereby ensuring a much needed boost to the local economy.
Unfortunately, though, the council have not accredited the site with the importance that it deserves, with the plan suffering all sorts of variations since it was first introduced.
But in 2008 the departments of Urbanism and Culture eventually announced that they considered it’s improvement necessary for the preservation of this symbolic settlement and that it should be subject to a special plan for which they obtained the approval in 2011, however, since that announcement there appears to have been no progress whatsoever, despite the fact that the matter is raised at regular plenary meetings.
Campillo says that there are about twenty cave houses that are grouped together in a small community “but in an environment that is suffering from decline”. She adds that the public lighting of a small green area has not worked for some time nor are the gardens cared for or the area cleaned.”
“The blueprint is important because the area can become a tourist attraction where the town can hold cultural events, exhibitions or workshops by artisans and where children can get to learn about traditional trades.”
She hopes that at some point Sanmigueleras caves can resemble those of the Rodeo in Rojales with their regular attractions and activities.
