The Leader Newspaper joined with the Asociación de vecinos Cabo Roig y Lomas-Orihuela Costa (AVCRL) and invited guests, on Wednesday, at a meeting with the PP candidate for mayor of Orihuela, Pepe Vegara. The gathering was held at La Galería de la Mirada restaurant and was attended by approximately 20 members of the local community.
A number of questions were put to the PP leader, answers to which are summarised below:
- Municipal budget: Approval of the budget is matter of the utmost urgency and following the approval of a transition budget for 2023, the PP will immediately start work on the 2024 budget.
If the municipality is to climb out of the hole it is currently in, the 2018 income figure of 80 million euros is insufficient so he will increase income by a relevant amount and provide better management of subsidies and remainders, which he believes is a figure much higher than the 15 million euros that the mayoress expressed in a recent plenary session.
- Councillor for the Coast: The coast will receive it’s own budget and will have and the freedom to make it’s own decisions. Two dedicated representatives will be appointed, Raúl Fernández, who is on the PP list at No 11, and who will have the collaboration of Antonio Cerdán (CLARO party, listed at No 14).
- Local Waste Management Plan: A municipal public company will be established, promoting selective collection, the control of illegal dumping, the collection of garden wastes, the establishment of an eco-park on the coast and other improvements.
- Maintenance of the roads: A study will be carried out to establishthe needs, an economic valuation and a master plan for at least 8 years, which will be managed by the department of the coast. At the same time, the PP will improve management of the road maintenance contract so that it has the necessary materials to repair existing potholes.
- Pedestrian widening of the bridge over the AP7: if the amount of the guarantee (1.2 million euros) continues to be blocked, Vegara made a commitment to include it in the first budgets. He announced that, in the coming days, he will confirm in writing, completion before the end of the next term (May 2027).
- Expropriations: the Aguamarina promenade: It cannot be opened this summer due to lack of time. A PP council will continue processing the expropriation file, currently in progress, and will make the necessary budget allocation in the first budgets to be approved for full payment of the agreed price.
The expropriation of the access road to the IES Playa Flamenca is more complex, as the expropriation file has not yet been opened and requires full approval in the General Urban Plan (PGOU).
- Beaches: He expressed his utmost concern about the urgent tender for the beach bar service and the installation of toilets, the lack of which is jeopardising the award of the blue flags. He believes that a wooden ramp accessible for people with reduced mobility can be installed on the beach of La Caleta (Cabo Roig) instead of an elevator. The recovery of the Aguamarina beach cliff is not a municipal responsibility, but they will urge the appropriate agency to carry out the work. The PP will turn La Caleta into a “beach for the whole year”, with activities such as the “Winter beach”.
- Rambla Río Nacimiento-Playa de La Glea: he recognises that the isolation of Dehesa de Campoamor due to the state of the Avenida de las Adelfas road is a serious problem, to which a definitive solution must be found. The option of channeling the boulevard, as in Pilar de la Horadada, is more complex in our case, as it is an action that involves other agencies (Coasts and the Confederation), outside the municipal powers. However, he undertakes to carry out a serious study with all the possible options and to urge the affected administrations to carry it out, providing the corresponding financing.
- Markets: the need was raised for the Orihuela markets to evolve into benchmark markets in the area, improving quality, variety, cleanliness, etc., to which Vegara confirmed that the Department of Markets will work in close contact with trader representatives to get the best results.
- Asked about the council options with regard to future coalitions (Ciudadanos and Vox), Vegara said that he does not foresee any other scenario than obtaining 13 or more councillors and governing in an absolute majority.
Finally, Pepe Vegara stated that he wants to turn Orihuela Costa into a place where people want to come, and not where they want to leave. And that he wants to do so by presiding over a strong, stable government with management capacity, drawing up a future management plan for 4, 8 and 12 years.
