As residents of Orihuela Costa, the majority of us had little or no idea the surrounding villages are suffering the same neglect as are in the coastal areas.
We have 78 children’s play parks, half of the total of all Orihuela, to accommodate 6000 children under 18 years of age. The lack of maintenance is beyond comprehension, and is completely unacceptable.
All children, adults, young and the elderly have the right to enjoy parks and green areas, wherever they live.
We imagine that the residents of the villages and Orihuela city are told by the Orihuela council, that their taxes are spent on the coast, for the foreigners moving into the area to enjoy the seaside and sunny holidays, not live there permanently, which, as we all know, is not true.
33,000 plus residents live permanently on the coast, 117 different nationalities, all contributing to the local economy, paying their taxes, for what?
There is absolutely no infrastructure in place to accommodate all these people. There are no Libraries, no Cultural centre, no Youth centres, no mother and toddler centres, just the one Centre for the Elderly and one Medical Health Centre.
Poor maintenance of parks and schools is a massive concern to all of us both here on the coast and surrounding villages and the city.
But the lack of water should be the main concern for every one of us, without which we cannot survive.
We need more wastewater plants built to provide more water, especially now more than ever as the Orihuela government have agreed to even more development on the coast. 3000 plus more properties, means 6000 plus more people within 2 years,
resulting in more cars causing air pollution on the worst stretch of the N332 in all Spain and less water, with the Pedrera reservoir is at its lowest level ever!
Our environment is badly affected, being destroyed by over-development, why? Greed and power as always.
The residents on the coast support you, residents of the city and villages, in all that you do to campaign for your rights, equality and fairness.
We residents of Orihuela Costa will continue to campaign for our rights, together we can fight for improvements for our right to live in Orihuela.
And P.I.O.C will continue to campaign for our independence, fight for equality, fairness, our rights!
You, residents in the surrounding villages of Orihuela can also do the same, why not?
Together, we can, one step at a time!