Orihuela’s Socialist Party will submit a motion calling for urban trees to be formally recognised as essential infrastructure and given greater protection as the municipality faces increasingly extreme temperatures.
Socialist councillor Luis Quesada said rising temperatures, tropical nights and more frequent heatwaves were having the greatest effect on neighbourhoods with limited vegetation and shade. Older people, children and those who work outdoors are considered particularly vulnerable.
“Urban trees can no longer be regarded as merely decorative,” Quesada said. “They are essential infrastructure for protecting public health, reducing street temperatures and making Orihuela more liveable and sustainable.”
The PSOE argues that adapting the municipality to extreme heat must become a council priority. It claims Orihuela has lost part of its tree stock in recent years without sufficient measures to protect, replace and expand it.
The situation is said to be particularly concerning on Orihuela Costa, where intense development pressure and increasingly high temperatures have increased the need for more green infrastructure.
The motion proposes creating a Municipal Green Infrastructure and Urban Tree Ordinance, together with a Shade and Climate Refuge Plan. This would identify the areas most vulnerable to extreme heat and establish priorities for action in Orihuela city, the outlying villages and the coast.
The Socialists also want the council to adopt a “no net loss” policy, ensuring that trees removed when absolutely necessary are replaced and that preserving existing specimens is prioritised in municipal projects and urban developments.
The party is also proposing the gradual adoption of the international 3-30-300 standard. This aims for residents to be able to see at least three trees from their home, live in a neighbourhood with 30 per cent tree-canopy cover and have access to a quality green space within 300 metres.
Quesada said tackling extreme heat required a permanent and ambitious strategy rather than measures introduced only when heatwaves arrive.
“Every tree matters, and every tree we lose is one fewer opportunity to confront one of the greatest challenges facing us,” he added.
Concerns Over Sports-Facility Maintenance
The PSOE will also question Orihuela’s PP-Vox government about the maintenance of municipal sports facilities after a tender to supply construction materials attracted no bids.
The procurement process was declared unsuccessful on July 8, leaving the council without a standard contract for materials needed to repair and maintain sports centres, football grounds, courts and other facilities.
The Socialists warned that the absence of a supplier could delay repairs, allow damage to accumulate and reduce the quality of facilities used daily by clubs, sports schools, families and residents.
They want the government to explain whether it intends to launch a new tender, use alternative legal arrangements to secure materials immediately and establish a timetable to prevent maintenance work from being disrupted.
Quesada said Orihuela needed a council capable of anticipating problems rather than reacting after they had already affected public services.
The PSOE said the protection of trees and the maintenance of sports facilities reflected the same basic responsibility: properly caring for the public spaces used by Orihuela’s residents.
