- The Orihuela Council said that if it corrects it’s deficiencies, the fairground will be reopened
Just two weeks after this newspaper wrote to the Councillor for Urban Planning, José Aix, requesting information on the legality of the fairground siting in Cabo Roig, on public land adjacent to the Centro Salud, it has been closed by the Orihuela Council. It was subsequently revealed in the Spanish newspaper, Diario Informacion, that the facility had been operating since the beginning of July without an opening license.
José Aix, Councillor for Urban Planning, which is part of the Activities area, the department responsible for granting permits, said that after verifying that much of the documentation required had not been presented, the activity was ceased, although he added that if the operators correct the deficiencies it will automatically reopen.
When visiting the site in recent days, according to users, there were numerous safety problems requiring action, including the deterioration of cables strewn across the floor as well as inflatables that were not anchored to the ground, a situation that had caused the death of two children at a fairground in Valencia in January when a bouncy castle was thrown into the air by a strong gust of wind.
On 29 July it is understood that a letter was received by the City Council registry stating that many other businesses in the area wonder why the fairground was receiving preferential treatment, as it is a health and safety hazard, it does not have “any type of security, inflatables are not anchored to the ground.” Attached to the letter were a number of photographs backing up the author’s claims.
In addition, the letter added, “the Police and the Orihuela Council are aware of numerous complaints”, and even three years ago many signatures were collected from among the local residents objecting it it’s operation. The letter goes on to request that the Council reviews the installation and opening permits, the occupancy rates, the civil liability insurance and the responsible declaration (a procedure required by the regulations).
The same letter also stated that these vendors were not paying for water or electricity. “Until a few days ago they were connected to public lighting, although now they have installed a diesel generator,” they say.
The Cabo Roig and Lomas Neighborhood Association has said that the “attractions are obsolete, old-fashioned and deteriorated.” In addition, they add that the fences are of rusty iron, there are loose cables in the path of pedestrians and deficiencies in the access areas.
Based on these shortcomings, the neighborhood organization says that is going to request access to the file from José Aix to check whether the appropriate technical requirements are being met, as well as whether the site is in an acceptable condition, taking into account that its users are mainly young children.
About 200 meters away, there is another fair, in this case on a private plot, which has all the correct permits, according to Aix.
