CalpeNoticias EN

The group Carpe Diem Teatro from Tomelloso won yesterday the prize for the best show of the XII Certamen Nacional de Teatro Amateur ‘Antonio Ferrer, el cartero’ (XII National Amateur Theatre Contest ‘Antonio Ferrer, the postman’) with the play ‘La habitación del niño’ by Josep M. Benet i Jornet. This play was the big winner of the gala, winning three prizes.

The award for best leading actress went to Mercedes González of Carpe Diem Tatro, while the award for best supporting actor went to the young Saúl Berzosa for his role in ‘La habitación del niño’ by Carpe Diem Teatro. The award for best direction went to Hernán Brave of the association Twister Teatro for the play ‘Cuando no ves la luz’.

The finalist companies were the association Twister Tetro with the play ‘Cuando no ves la luz’ and the association Amigos del Teatro de Castellón with ‘El trastero’. The prize for the best show is endowed with a prize of 3500€ and a sculpture valued at 242€, while the prize for the finalist companies is endowed with 2000€.

Since the beginning of November, the Casa de Cultura of Calpe has hosted the performance of the three finalist plays. Yesterday was the reading of the jury's decision and award ceremony of this edition that culminated with the performance of Emilio Gutiérrez Cava with ‘Coplas del Alma’ accompanied by the baritone Luis Santana and the pianist José Manuel Cuenca.

The contest was created in 2012 with the aim of paying tribute to the theatre, an artistic discipline that has been a tradition in Calpe for over a hundred years, and to the deceased local actor Antonio Ferrer.

The Town Council, through AEMCO, is once again launching a campaign aimed at stimulating purchases in local shops and boosting the commercial fabric, the Bono Consumo, which has a budget of 290,845€ financed entirely by the Alicante Provincial Council.

The difference between this campaign and the two previous editions of the Bono Comercio is that not only shops and restaurants can participate in this programme, but also service companies such as gyms, car repair shops, electrical and plumbing installation services, legal and technical services, and a wide range of companies that were not present in the Bono Comercio campaigns.

With this campaign, citizens registered in Calpe can apply through a platform for vouchers worth 20, 50 and 100 euros that can be redeemed in the establishments participating in the campaign. The vouchers are 50% subsidised for residents of Calpe and can be exchanged in local businesses. With this campaign, consumers double the value of their purchase.

These vouchers can be purchased by citizens registered in Calpe over 18 years old. Vouchers can be purchased on the https://www.bonoconsumoCalpe.es platform from 26 to 14 December or until stocks last.

This campaign joins the two that have already been developed in the municipality under the name of ‘Bono Comercio’ to reactivate consumption in local commerce and that have had an investment of 540,830 € in the case of the first one and 230,935 € in the second campaign.

The government team of Calpe Town Council has agreed to allocate €120,000 from the 2023 municipal budget to the victims of the recent storm and flood in Valencia. These are items belonging to Protocol and Publicity of the current budget.

The necessary budget amendment has already been initiated to allocate the amount of €120,000 to help the affected populations and the amendment file will be transferred to the Local Government Board to start its processing.

This economic aid is in addition to the solidarity campaign of collection of products and food carried out by the Calpe Town Council, thanks to which 40 trucks of urgent humanitarian aid were sent to Valencia. In addition, the Town Council has sent personnel, vehicles, machinery and security and emergency material to the affected areas.

The municipalities affected by the recent storm and flood in Valencia. have been visited by members of the Calpe Civil Protection, Local Police officers, municipal General Services workers who have participated in the cleaning tasks, as well as vehicles and workers from Acciona, the company concessionary for the local cleaning service, and Aguas de Calpe.

The City Hall also provided two free buses to transport volunteers to the affected areas in Valencia.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, pointed out that ‘as a municipality we do not forget the towns affected by the recent storm and flood. This contribution demonstrates our commitment to the recovery of their infrastructures and services and our willingness to collaborate in the return to normality as soon as possible’.

The decree for the granting of subsidies for the promotion of sport 2023-2024 aimed at local sports entities has been published. These grants have two lines: line 1 with aid for participation in official sporting competitions and promotion of local grassroots sport and line 2 with aid for the organisation of sporting events.

A total of 10 sports clubs have benefited from the first line of these subsidies, while in the second line, three sports organisations have received aid. A total of €224,039 has been allocated to aid for the promotion of sport, which is the largest amount allocated so far to sports organisations in the municipality.

One of the objectives of these aids is to promote associations and therefore to obtain 100% of a subsidy of more than 12,000 euros, the sports organisation must have a minimum of 100 members, otherwise the subsidy drops to 75%. For grants of up to 12,000 euros, a minimum of 50 members is required; if this figure is lower, the grant is 75%.

Other assessment criteria are the number of sportspeople with a federation licence or participants in the Jocs Esportius de la Comunidad Valenciana, the number of categories of the club, the type of competition or the qualifications of the coaches and medical-health staff, as well as the ownership of the sports facilities.

On the other hand, travel expenses for attending national competitions or those derived from the competition itself, such as refereeing, sports equipment, monitors' expenses, etc., have been included as eligible expenses. All expenses derived from the organisation of the sporting event that is the object of the subsidy will also be considered eligible expenses. The promotion of local sports will also be taken into account.

Calpe will bring the centenary celebrations of the Fishermen's Guild to a close this Saturday with the 1st Calpe White Prawn Gastronomic Day organised by the Guild and the Town Hall. This event will also serve to present the ‘Calpe White Prawn’ brand with which the Guild and the Town Council want to raise awareness of this product, which is undoubtedly the king of the town's gastronomy.

On 6 April 1924, the regulations of the Calpe Fishermen's Warehouse were presented to the Provincial Civil Government with a social and protective purpose for the seafaring class. For this reason, the Town Council agreed to dedicate 2024 to the celebration of the centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild to vindicate its seafaring roots and the work of its fishermen. Throughout the year, numerous cultural, gastronomic and recreational activities have been organised by the Centenary Commission to celebrate the event.

One of the initiatives launched was the participation in Madrid Fusion of the three Michelin-starred chefs in Calpe (Rafa Soler, from Audrey's, José Manuel Miguel, from Beat, and Andrea Drago, from Orobianco) to cook the ‘Peix de Calpe’ on loan from the Fishermen's Guild, which included the white prawn, emblem of the local gastronomy. White prawns also played a special role at Fitur with the distribution of white prawn fried cones.

For all these reasons, before the end of the centenary, the Brotherhood and the Town Council wanted to pay tribute to this product, of which a thousand kilos arrive at the port of Calpe every day.

On Saturday 23rd November, the main square will be the setting for the event, starting at 12 noon, and throughout the day there will be tastings of boiled, fried or fried prawns with rice. The gastronomic aspect will be combined with parallel activities: from theatre for children to the performance of the Muixeranga de la Marina Alta, activities for children or musical performances by Mala Manera Tarifa and Mina Ritz DJ.

Throughout the day there will be a bar service for the benefit of the Costaleros de la Mare de Dèu del Carme who will donate 50% of the proceeds to those affected by the DANA in Valencia.

The ‘Gamba Blanca de Calpe’ brand joins the already recognised ‘Peix de Calpe’ brand launched by the Town Council, Creama and the Cofradia years ago to promote the fish marketed by the town's Cofradia. The ‘Peix de Calpe’ campaign consisted of the creation of a quality label, so that those establishments with the ‘Peix de Calpe’ symbol could guarantee that their fish was landed and marketed in the Calpe fish market.

The brand emphasises the excellence of this gastronomic product as well as its great variety and versatility, which makes it an ideal delicacy both for haute cuisine and in the kitchen of any home.

Last Saturday the Local Police of Calpe received a call from a citizen reporting that a swimmer was in difficulty in Cala del Mallorquín. A patrol of the Local Police went to the scene and once there, the officers found that a middle-aged man was sheltered on the rocks of the cliff of the cove, unable to get out of it due to the force of the waves.

The officers immediately alerted the fire brigade and Maritime Rescue to rescue the swimmer, but during the wait the Calpe Local Police officers made use of one of the recently acquired resources: a state-of-the-art drone.

The UMAC (the Calpe Local Police Aerial Resources Unit) flew the drone over the bather and, thanks to the built-in loudspeaker, reassured the bather and gave him instructions on how to find a way out of the cliff. Finally, the bather came out on his own, helped by the instructions of the officers and thanks to the invaluable help of the drone.

Last August, the Calpe Local Police set up a specific aerial resources unit called UMAC (Calpe Aerial Resources Unit) made up of four officers trained in the use of security drones.

This unit was created with the acquisition by the City Council of 2 latest generation security drones’ model DJI Pack Mavic 3 PRO, one of which has an infrared camera for night vision to locate people or animals. The drones have cameras with different zoom, loudspeaker and spotlight and have a range of 10 kilometres.

The new unit of the Local Police is already beginning to demonstrate the multiple possibilities of use, from traffic control or pursuit of vehicles and people to surveillance of boats, assistance in health services, search for missing persons, surveillance at rallies and events, pursuit of illegal dumping and environmental crimes or surveillance of promenades and pursuit of illegal sales.

The cleaning of the seabed in the port of Calpe on Saturday resulted in the collection of nearly 1000 kilos of waste. IMEDMAR, the Catholic University of Valencia, the Fishermen's Guild, the Royal Yacht Club, Costaleros de la Mare de Déu del Carme, Calpe Blau, Gravity Wave and the Town Hall, among other entities and associations, participated in the day.

The day was attended by volunteers on land and divers from clubs all over the Valencian Community. The cleaning of the seabed in the port of Calpe was carried out by volunteer divers supported by the fishermen of Calpe and the volunteers carried out the extraction on land.

Among the debris extracted was a large quantity of large wheels, glass, nets, boats and plastics. The waste was separated and deposited in different containers. In addition to the cleaning of the harbour bottoms, waste was also collected in Las Salinas.

José Rafael García, director of IMEDMAR, said that ‘the assessment of the day is very positive because this initiative has brought together diving people, fishermen, volunteers, university, sports people, all together for the same goal: to work for the environment and raise awareness.

The Plenary Hall of Calpe Town Hall yesterday hosted the first meeting of the Animal Welfare Working Committee, made up of members of the government, Pere Moll, Itziar Doval and Mireia Ripoll, municipal technicians, local police officers, animal associations and local veterinarians in order to establish a municipal basis to work for the benefit of respect, care and protection of animals.

This working group was set up after the City Council joined the Network of Cities for the Welfare of Pets last year, as agreed in the municipal plenary session. The first meeting dealt with the drafting of a protocol for injured, sick, abandoned and deceased animals.

It was also agreed to start drawing up a draft ordinance to regulate the keeping, taxation and coexistence of pets and potentially dangerous animals in public spaces, in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act, as well as to process complaints about animal mistreatment.

The adhesion of the City Council to the Network of Cities for the Welfare of Pets implies taking on a series of commitments and the first steps are already being taken in this direction.

On the other hand, the Animal Welfare Department, in collaboration with the Tourism and Commerce Departments, has launched a campaign aimed at those establishments and businesses where pets are welcome.

An identification badge has been created for those shops that allow pets to enter and stay. The identification stickers are being distributed to businesses that request them, identifying them as ‘Pet Friendly’ and making it easier for customers to know where their pets are welcome.

Interested Calpe businesses can go to the citizen participation offices to pick up the ‘Calpe Pet Friendly’ stickers. In addition, the name of the participating establishments will be included in a list that will be made public.

Friday, 15th:

• 20 h- Extraordinary concert by ADDA Simfónica Alicante on occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Unión Musical Calpe-Ifach, in the Auditorium of the Casa de Cultura. Free entrance until full capacity is reached.

• Expo 28th R.C.N.C. Children's / Youth Drawing Contest: ‘The Calpe Royal Yacht Club and the Fishermen's Guild’. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until the 19th of November.

• Exhibition ‘10 years committed’ by the Association of Women for Equality Calpe. Women for Equality Association of Calpe. Old Town Hall.

• Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón square, Plaza Constitución square, Plaza Beato Sendra square, Plaza Manuel Miró square and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 16th:

• 10 h-VIII Waste Collection Day. Underwater waste will be collected in the Port of Calpe and on land in the salt marshes, organised by Calpe Town Council, Calpe Fishermen's Guild and IMEDMAR-UCV. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 10 a.m.-World Children's Day. A day full of activities for the whole family to enjoy with games, workshops, dances, theatre and music, from 10:00h to 14:00h in Calpe's Parc de la Creativitat. Free admission.

• 18 h-Calpe Gaming Festival. Come and enjoy tournaments, games, console area, virtual reality, simulators....From 18:00h to 00h at Punt Jove Calpe. Free activity.

• 8 p.m. - Tribute concert to the great sopranos by Jovita Gómez Couto, soprano, Agatha Martínez Soria, soprano, and Shlomo Rodríguez, pianist, in the Saló Blau, free entrance until full capacity is reached.

• Expo 28th R.C.N.C. Children's and Young People's Drawing Contest: ‘The Calpe Royal Yacht Club and the Fishermen's Guild’. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until the 19th of November.

• Exhibition ‘10 years committed’ by the Association of Women for Equality Calpe. Women for Equality Association of Calpe. Old Town Hall.

• Photographic exhibition on the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón square, Plaza Constitución square, Plaza Beato Sendra square, Plaza Manuel Miró square and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 17th:

• 18.30 h - Certamen Nacional de Teatro Amateur Antonio Ferrer ‘El Cartero’: ‘El trastero “, by ”Amigos del Teatro de Castellón’. Auditorium. Free admission.

• Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Calpe (13-11-2024) - The plenary session of the Calp Town Council has approved with the only votes in favour of the government team (Somos Calpe - PSOE - Compromís) to start the process to declassify the Garduix I and II, Pla Feliu I and II and Ràfol I sectors and II to reclassify them as endowment land. Defendamos Calpe voted against and the PP abstained.

The aim of the government team is to preserve the last green lung that exists in the municipality of Calpe, an area of 300,000 m² contemplated in the PGOU of 1998 as developable to use it as a sports, educational, recreational or cultural endowment. To this end, the council intends to acquire the land by compensating the owners through expropriation.

The proposal has been the subject of intense debate between the different municipal groups.

Defendamos Calpe councillor Toni Tur explained that his party is in favour of declassifying the land at zero cost, i.e. to rustic land and not for use as a public use site, and that there was a report supporting this option. And he has accused the councillor for Territorial Planning, Juan Manuel del Pino, of changing his opinion on this matter. ‘He understands that in a case where the budgets and the economy of our municipality are going to be compromised, we have reticence in the face of these changes of opinion’, he said.

For his part, the spokesman for the PP municipal group Miguel Crespo said that this proposal, which he described as ‘populist’, ‘reckless’ and ‘utopian’, ‘has no legal guarantee for our municipality’ and that ‘it could compromise our council as has happened in neighbouring municipalities such as Benidorm with the Serra Gelada land’. And he added that: ‘we consider it necessary to develop these six sectors with the preservation of green areas and the cultural heritage they contain as well as obtaining land for our municipality but always through urban development agreements with the owners to safeguard their rights’.

The spokesman for Somos Calpe and Territory councillor, Juan Manuel del Pino, pointed out that this proposal is the result of reflection by both the political powers and the citizens, who participated massively in the prior consultation process, and assured that it is backed by jurisprudence and, therefore, with legal certainty to carry it out. ‘We wanted to take advantage of the power of the public to act in the urban planning of our municipality, to give a design to our urban planning that serves the general good of our citizens and our environment’ and added that “the people of Calp will thank us for it”.

Guillermo Sendra, spokesman for the socialist municipal group, said: ‘We have taken a historic and courageous decision, and the best proof is that none of the previous councils have taken it’ and that it is ‘based on the necessary legal reports’. ‘It is a step forward in sustainable development, the biggest ever taken in Calp, with this measure we are going to safeguard this green lung. And he explained that if they were to remain as rustic land, they would remain in private hands and could not be enjoyed by the citizens of Calpe.

Compromís spokesman Ximo Perles explained that in the public consultation, this municipal group presented an environmental report commissioned to a private company so that it could objectively propose different options to protect this space and assess which was the most protectionist of them all. The report determined that ‘the greatest degree of protection was achieved by expropriation’, which is the option that was finally chosen. ‘It is the fairest option and the one that best protects the public interest. She added that she would like to think that future generations will come to believe that ‘politics is useful and that there was a corporation at the time that was not motivated by economic interests and that assumed the responsibility of making decisions with future generations in mind’.

The mayoress Ana Sala stressed that ‘the urban planning that we have in Calpe was decided 30 years ago, today after 30 years and seeing what we have, we have to make other decisions; we need sports and educational infrastructures, we have no land for infrastructure; we have the responsibility to make decisions that are best for the general interest’. In addition, he pointed out that ‘there is nothing at zero cost’ and that to date there are 14 million euros in land use units in Calp pending materialisation.

Cemetery Commission

The plenary session also approved the creation of a special commission to investigate exhumations carried out in the municipal cemetery without the consent of the legal heirs, following a new case detected recently. The agreement was adopted with the votes in favour of the government team and Defend Calpe and the abstention of the PP.

The commission will be made up of one councillor from each municipal group and chaired by the councillor responsible for the Eternal Rest Park, Marco Bittner, who has been delegated by the mayoress.

Quisi Ravine

Likewise, it was unanimously approved to request the Hydrographic Confederation of Júcar, the body responsible for the cleaning and naturalisation of public watercourses in the municipality of Calpe, especially the Quisi ravine. It is intended that the CHJ remove the Arundo Donax reeds, invasive species through the technique of solarisation - with black tarpaulins that reach a high temperature that kills the root of the plant - and then planting native species.

Following the recent storm that has affected several Valencian municipalities with catastrophic consequences, Calpe's Environment Department has begun work to clean up the Quisi ravine, specifically in the area of the Casanova bridge, despite the fact that it is the responsibility of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation.

Two bulldozers are working on the ground in this preventive emergency action. The aim is to remove the Arundo Donax reed that proliferates in the bed of this ravine and thus avoid possible obstructions that could lead to the river overflowing. The Environment Councilor, Pere Moll, stressed that: ‘we cannot remain impassive in the face of the threat posed by this situation; if we do nothing, a catastrophe could happen and we want to avoid a repeat of the disasters we have suffered and guarantee the safety of our neighbours’ and indicated that ‘the CHJ's inaction cannot be an excuse’.

A measure that takes on greater importance in view of the weather forecast of a new storm for the middle of this week.

On the other hand, the Environment Department has placed Posidonia meadows in the southern area of La Fossa beach - the closest to Penyal d'Ifac - in order to prevent sand loss during the next storm.

Friday, 8th:

• 12 h - Collaborative shoe-painting action to make visible the fatal victims of male violence in 2024. Plaza Mayor. As part of the programme of events for 25N.
• 19 h - 8th Innovadodra Communication Meeting: with Anne Igartiburu and Teresa Perales. Diamante Beach Hotel. Registration.
• Expo 28th R.C.N.C. Children's and Young People's Drawing Cobtestn: ‘The Calpe Royal Yacht Club and the Fishermen's Guild’. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until the 19th of November.
• Exhibition ‘10 years committed’ by the Association of Women for Equality Calpe. Women for Equality Association of Calpe.
• Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 9th:

• 18 h - Concert by the Rondalla de Calpe with the participation of ‘La Miliaria’ from the Centro de Mayores de la Roda (Albacete). Auditorium. Free entrance.
• Expo 28th R.C.N.C. Children's / Youth Drawing Contest: ‘The Calpe Royal Yacht Club and the Fishermen's Guild’. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until the 19th of November.
• Exhibition ‘10 years committed’ by the Association of Women for Equality Calpe. Women for Equality Association of Calpe.
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 10th:

• 18.30 h - Antonio Ferrer ‘El Cartero’ National Amateur Theatre Contest:  ‘Cuando no ves la luz’, by the company ‘Twister Teatro’. Auditorium. Free admission.

• Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

The Councillor for Registration, Paqui Solivelles, and the Councillor for Residents, Marco Bittner, held a meeting a few days ago with the Chief Commissioner Manuel La Fuente at the Provincial Police Station in Alicante, with the aim of exploring improvements in the services related to their departments.

Among the highlights of the meeting was the confirmation of the continuity of the itinerant campaigns for the renewal of the ID card in Calpe, which will be significantly improved next year with the addition of a mobile office, which will significantly speed up the procedures.

In addition, Calpe Town Council has begun the procedures for the installation of a virtual kiosk that will allow citizens to update their DNI details without having to travel to the nearest police stations, located in Benidorm or Denia.

In consideration of the significant foreign population residing in the municipality, Calpe Town Council has made itself available to the Police Station to implement technological solutions to facilitate the management of procedures related to the NIE and TIE.

The Chief Commissioner showed a special sensitivity towards the social reality of Calpe, leaving the doors open for future collaborations to further improve services to citizens.

Calpe Town Council, through AEMCO, is launching the second call for the Bono Comercio campaign with the aim of continuing to encourage shopping in local shops. The Town Hall will allocate 230,935 euros to this initiative after having distributed a total of 8,135 vouchers worth 540,830 euros in the first call.

Individuals over 18 years of age, registered in the municipality, will be able to benefit from this campaign and will be able to purchase the vouchers through a consumer platform (bonocomercioCalpe.es). The vouchers will have a value of 20 €, 50 €, 100 € and 150 € each, which can be redeemed in the establishments participating in the campaign.

The vouchers are 50% subsidised so consumers double the value of their purchase. Each citizen can apply for a maximum of €150 in vouchers and each voucher purchased can be redeemed on a single purchase which must be equal to or greater than the value of the voucher.

Vouchers can only be redeemed at participating establishments. People who have been beneficiaries of the purchase of vouchers in the first call, may opt to purchase vouchers and obtain a new corresponding subsidy, with the maximum limit that a beneficiary can acquire for the whole campaign, namely: three hundred euros (300 €) in vouchers.

Before the end of the year, the Bono Consumo Campaign is planned, financed by the Provincial Council, which will include other economic sectors such as the hotel and catering industry, gyms, beauty centres, etc.

On Friday 8th November, Calpe will be holding the 8th Innovative Communication Meeting, which will feature the well-known television presenter Anne Igartiburu and the Paralympic sportswoman Teresa Perales.

Apart from her work in the world of television and acting, Anne Igartiburu has been a Certified Professional Coach by the International Coach Federation (ICF) for 12 years, as well as a trainer and lecturer. As a coach she focuses on working on identity from the perspective of values and emotions. At this Innovative Communication Meeting she will give a conference entitled ‘Living in coherence with your values’.

For her part, swimmer Teresa Perales is the winner of 28 Paralympic medals, making her the Spanish Paralympic athlete with the most medals, winner of the 2021 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, lecturer and personal and sports coach. Her conference is entitled ‘The power of a dream’.

The VIII Innovative Communication Meeting will be held at the Diamante Beach Hotel from 19:00. It is a free event and all those interested should register here.

This meeting aims to be a platform to share experiences, motivate and disseminate tools to improve communication in the business sector. The initiative is organised by Calpe Town Council together with CREAMA.

The local government will bring to the November plenary session the declassification of the sectors called Garduix I and II, Pla Feliu I and II and Ráfol I and II as developable to reclassify them as endowment land.

The sectors of Rafol I and II, Feliu I and II and Garduix I and II form a large green lung of 300,000 m² in an area of residential developments, these sectors already appear in the PGOU of 1998 as land for development, however in recent years there have been numerous voices that have opted for the environmental preservation of the area.

The aim of the Town Hall is to alleviate the urban pressure and preserve this green lung by using it for sports, educational, recreational or cultural purposes. The City Council intends to acquire the land by financially compensating the owners for expropriation and compensation.

This is a historic decision as it modifies the urban dynamics of the municipality and also proposes a different way of compensating the owners as it will not be done by means of units of use or by increasing the volume in other areas as has been done until now. This decision opens the way to a new way of managing urban planning in the municipality.

The process to reach the declassification of the land has been long and costly, in 2018 it was agreed to approve the proposal to the plenary of Compromís Calp for the technical services to prepare an environmental and economic impact study regarding the declassification of these sectors.

In 2019, a report by the Urban Planning Technician points out that according to jurisprudence, the fact that the sectors have not been developed in the last 20 years means that at the time of compensating the owners, the land is valued as it is and not for the urban development rights that have not materialised.

In June 2020, a public consultation was held on whether to maintain these sectors as land for development or to declassify them. A total of 214 people participated in this process of public participation with very different solutions, however, according to the document, the citizens understood the object of the consultation as a problem that should be addressed by the City Council.

Already then, the Council and the Municipal Technical Services indicated that the alternative to be studied was to try to conserve these sectors as they are. The Technical Services drew up an initial strategic document to propose the declassification of these areas and their conversion into green zones or land not for development.

Finally, the local government will take to the November plenary session the request to modify the General Plan to declassify the sectors Garduix I and II, Pla Feliu I and II and Ráfol I and II as developable and to reclassify them as endowment land for different uses, whether cultural, recreational or sporting, and to begin processing them.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, added that ‘the General Plan of Calp dates back to 1989, in recent years we have tried to improve it within the limited room for manoeuvre we have and adapt to social sensitivity, after so many years the sensitivity of citizens in this regard has changed, today citizens choose to preserve these spaces and also give them a public use for the enjoyment of all’.

All the members of the government team were satisfied with both the initiative itself, protecting the sectors, and the procedure for carrying it out, expropriation and compensation.

Over the last few days, Calpe Town Council has carried out a series of actions in the municipal cemetery to ensure that these facilities are in the best conditions for the celebration of All Saints' Day next Friday.

The municipal workers have carried out painting work in various areas and have repaired tombstones, carried out gardening work and planted chrysanthemums.

On the other hand, the municipal cemetery will be open from 8am to 7pm on Wednesday 30th and from 8am to 9pm on Thursday 31st so that citizens can decorate the niches and visit these facilities without any time limit. Also on Friday 1st November, All Saints' Day, the Municipal Cemetery will be open from 8am to 8pm.

In addition, Calpe's Culture, Old Town, Cemetery and Commerce departments have prepared various cultural and leisure activities to celebrate All Saints' Day.

This afternoon, the Department of Culture is organising the talk ‘Ars moriendi: preparació per a una bona mort’ at the Saló Blau, given by Francesc Monjo and Joaquim Blas Pastor.

On Thursday 31 October, Calpe's shops will also be celebrating Halloween with a parade of terror that will start in the Plaza Mayor square and go around the different shops in the town centre. This will be followed by a mini-disco with photocall in the Plaza Manuel Miró.

On Friday 1 November, All Saints' Day, the municipal cemetery will host concerts by the string trio Camerata Amicitia at 11am and 5pm, organised by the Culture and Cemetery Departments.

 And the Revitalisation of the Old Town Department for the is organising ‘A la llum dels ciris’ on Saturday 2 November. The initiative consists of lighting up the Plaza de la Villa and the Plaza del Beato Sendra with candles (either wax or batteries) from 6 p.m. onwards and switching off the street lighting in the adjacent streets to create a magical and unique atmosphere in the historic centre of Calpe.

In this beautiful and unusual setting there will be guided tours and several concerts, such as a touring concert by Clau de Fa or the renowned pianist David Gómez at the door of the church of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves.

Citizens (both neighbourhoods and businesses) are asked to collaborate by placing candles, torches or warm lights in the doors and windows of their homes or restaurants. These can be of any type, size or colour, wax or battery operated, as long as they are warm light.

The local government of Calpe has expressed its indignation at the delay on the part of the Directorate General of Coasts, Ports and Airports in authorising the installation of the sculpture of the Mare de Dèu del Carmen in the port area.

This sculpture designed by the artist Arturo Serra Gómez is intended as a tribute from Calpe to the seafaring family during the celebration of the centenary of the Brotherhood, but with three months to go before the end of the year and the end of the celebrations, there has still been no response from the Directorate General for Coasts, Ports and Airports regarding the authorisation to install the sculpture in the port area.

In 2022, permission was already requested from the Directorate General of Ports of the Department of Public Works for the installation of the sculpture of the Mare de Déu del Carme in the area of the port where a group of containers are now located.

In January and March 2024, authorisation was requested again to install the sculpture in the year of the centenary of the Confraternity. In April the response from the Directorate General was that it was not possible to cede land but it was possible to authorise its occupation, so in June the City Council again sent the definitive project and the awarded sculpture, requesting authorisation again for the installation of a sculpture of the Virgen del Carmen at the access to the port area.

Since then, the City Council has not received any communication on the matter despite continuous calls requesting information on the status of the file. In August it was unofficially communicated by the assigned technician that his opinion was favourable in the absence of the director's signature.

The sculpture was created by the sculptor Arturo Serra at a cost of 155,000€. The work represents the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of sailors, according to the traditional iconography, that is, with the child in her arms and the scapular in one hand, on the base of the offering of flowers, and accompanied by three costaleros/carriers (anonymous) and a child, representing three generations (grandfather, father, young man and child).

The mayoress said that ‘we regret to inform that the installation of the sculpture in commemoration of the centenary of the Fishermen's Guild of Calpe cannot be installed during the centenary year as we have not obtained authorisation from the Directorate General of Coasts. And this was initiated just after the declaration by the plenary session of 2024 as the commemorative year of the centenary. We understand that there have been different situations that may have delayed the concession of the installation, but this time, these delays lead us to an irreparable situation’.

The Mayoress of Calp, Ana Sala, together with the Councillor for Culture, Guillermo Sendra, and the Councillor for Tourism Planning, Mireia Ripoll, visited Bays de la Reina this morning after the completion of the adaptation works that have been carried out in recent months and which involve the implementation of the museumisation of the site. In fact, these works will allow this enclave, one of the most important archaeological sites in its category in Roman Hispania, to be opened to the public on a regular basis.

The works carried out represent the initial actions foreseen in phase A of the Master Plan for this archaeological area, drawn up by the Diputación de Alicante, which has financed the works with 439,388.69 euros.

The company awarded the contract for the works, the joint venture formed by Alebus Patrimonio Histórico and Signia Soluciones Técnicas, has installed wooden walkways that set two itineraries that will allow visitors to see the main archaeological sites: on the one hand, the Domus rotunda with its baths and circular mosaic (4th century) and on the other, the hydraulic complex with the waterwheel and a series of villas (2nd century A.D.).

In addition, remains of the site have been re-excavated and consolidated, which for the first time will be included in public visits and which are thought to correspond to a possible industrial structure due to their rustic construction and their proximity to the waterwheel and hydraulic complex.

In addition, safety measures have been implemented at the site, such as the installation of a horizontal sliding roof over the area of descent to the hydraulic complex, which until now was unprotected, and a wooden structure with nets covering the turning area of the waterwheel to prevent possible falls. The damaged walls and structures have also been consolidated and gravel of different shades has been laid to allow visual identification of the areas intervened, which will facilitate their interpretation.

The works have also consisted of the installation of a new fence on Avenida de Europa, with an access more in keeping with an enclave such as Banys de la Reina, and the repair and replacement of the existing damaged fence on the rest of the boundaries and on the façade to the Paseo Marítimo.

This first phase has also included the creation of an archaeology and restoration work area with prefabricated modules that has an office, storeroom and bathroom.

In addition, updated graphic documentation has been produced with the use of new technologies linked to archaeological documentation.

‘These works will allow, for the first time, that Banys de la Reina can be open to the public, as it should be, with all the protection measures, a first step to put in value as it deserves this treasure that we have in Calp’, said the councillor of Culture, Guillermo Sendra.

‘We plan to inaugurate soon this site for which we want to have the presence of the Conselleria de Cultura and the Diputación de Alicante. Banys de la Reina is, without doubt, a tourist attraction of international value, and deserves to be known and admired by all,’ said the mayoress Ana Sala.

The Local Government Board approved in its last session to initiate the corresponding administrative file for the creation of a working team called ‘High Commissioner of Fiestas of Calpe’ in order to address organizational aspects of the local festivities. This commission arises after the last plenary debate about the date of the patron saint's festivity.

This High Commission will be made up of the person in charge of the Department of Festivities and the person who holds the presidency (or a member of the entity to whom he/she delegates) of the following associations and entities:

- Asociación de Moros y Cristianos Santíssim Crist de la Suor

- Patron saint's festival committee for the year in progress at any given time

- La Merced Festivities Committee

- Costaleros de la Mare de Déu del Carme (bearers of the Mare de Déu del Carme)

- Calpe Ifach Musical Union

- Fishermen's Guild

- Bous al carrer (Bulls in the streets)

- AEMCO

The following people will also form part of the Commission: Rafael García Cabrera, linked to the Calpe Holy Week and the patron saint fiestas, Francesc Monjo Dalmau, Calpe historian, Antonia Mª Avargues Pastor, linked to the Moors and Christians fiestas and councillor for fiestas during several terms of office, Josefa Boronat Ivars, municipal fiestas technician, and Esther Asperilla, the Town Council's citizen participation technician, will act as secretary.

The purpose of this commission is to involve all sectors related to the local fiestas in the organisation and decision making of the key aspects of each fiesta.

The Governing Board also agreed to initiate the process for the creation of the special commission of investigation of the Municipal Cemetery to clarify exhumations carried out in the Cemetery without the consent of the direct relatives of the deceased.

This commission was created with the aim of studying all possible cases of illegal exhumation of niches in the municipal cemetery, probably carried out to bury other people's relatives in them. The council has taken this decision after detecting a new case of illegal exhumation, following a complaint from the relatives of a French girl buried in Calpe in the 1970s.