If coastal residents had to choose where to invest the 12.6 million euro that will be allocated through the municipal budget, the priorities would be to tackle the poor state of the roads and the development of the depot for those employed in road cleaning and urban waste, according to a survey by the Cabo Roig and Lomas Association (AVCRL).
The Association collected 356 responses to a survey it launched last week to set priorities for the investments that the council anticipates on the coast. “Arranging tender documents and contracts will take time, and we have serious doubts that many will all be executed in 2024. That is why we want to ask our residents for their opinion,” was the purpose of the association with the aim of conveying to the City Council the most urgent needs, as perceived by the voters.
The budget will be in force just six months before the end of the year to tender, award and execute contracts, therefore, priorities will have to be set for their implementation, depending on the neighbourhood demands and the capacity of the Contracting Department, so that they can be brought to fruition.
According to residents, with 263 votes, the priority investment should be repairing many dangerous roads and streets, an action listed in the new budgets with a sum of one million euros. There are numerous complaints about potholes and the poor condition of the roads.
It was followed, with 188 votes, by the work centre for staff belonging to Road Cleaning and RSU, which opened about a month ago, and for which further investments of 30,000 euros are allocated for the installation of security cameras and another 120,000 for solar plates.
In third position, with 172 votes, is the pedestrian bridge over the AP-7 in Lomas de Cabo Roig, for which 1.3 million has been allocated, a long term project by this and by previous governments that PP and Vox has cited as a priority along with the drinking water reservoir in Orihuela Costa, but which the residents have placed at number 10 out of a total of 16 undertakings, receiving only 77 votes. This infrastructure has been outstanding for more than 20 years concentrating the largest amount of investment throughout the municipality, with 2.8 million euros.
In the fourth place in the investment ranking, are the toilet modules on promenades and areas attached to the beaches recording (137 votes), for which 440,000 euros has been awarded.
These are followed by the replacement of trees and palm trees (129 votes), for which 1 million euros are planned; the renovation of public lighting (123), with 500,000 euros; the second phase of the construction of the Emergency Centre (123), with 1.1 million; the adaptation of plots for clean points (122), with 100,000 euros; the expropriation to reopen the promenade between Cabo Roig and Aguamarina (98), with 600,000; the urban furniture on beaches (62), with 1 million; the Civic Centre and Auditorium (57), with 1.1; maintenance of sports facilities (40), with 75,000; lifts on the beaches of Barranco Rubio and Punta Prima (19), with 250,000 euros; acquisition of jet ski’s for the Local Police (10), with 30,000; and extension of the skate park in the city centre and on the Costa (9), with 50,000.
Attention is drawn to the allocation of 600,000 euros to expropriate the land in the Bellavista urbanisation to reopen the pedestrian walkway between Cabo Roig and Aguamarina, where the Council has offered the urb residents 70,000 euros, although they are asking for 1.2 million. It will be the Provincial Expropriation Jury that determines the actual price. There is also an allocation of 1.1 million euros for the second phase of the Emergency Centre, even though the first phase has not yet taken off, with the current building still only partially operating.
Of the 84,000 registered in the municipality, 30,000 are shown to reside on the coast representing 37 per cent of the population, although figures produced in a recent water survey suggest that the average is closer to 45,000, peaking at around 150,000 at certain times of the year, which further results in a lack of services and historical investment. With these numbers, residents still think it’s too little, arguing that they should match the percentage that goes to villages and pedanias.
Although the survey only puts in priority the investments already envisaged, some residents say they would change the civic centre or the second phase of the Emergency centre to a day centre, given the age of the population living on the coast.
The cemetery, a rain-storm plan, the Aguamarina storm tank, the motorhome parking and the reorganisation of bus stops were not shown as priorities, despite being included in the electoral program of the PP.
