CalpeNoticias EN

One of the items on this week's plenary agenda was the amendment of the ordinance regulating non-sedentary sales to introduce a series of innovations.

The main change is the creation of a new Sunday market in the Calalga area, in the car park next to Rosa de los Vientos Avenue and next to the Fossa promenade. This market will be held every Sunday from November to June.

This market will offer textiles, footwear, handicrafts, etc., as well as fruit and vegetables, cold meats, preserves, etc. Up to 16 stalls will be authorised, distributed among 6 stalls reserved for food products and 10 stalls reserved for other products.

The creation of this market responds to the need to revitalise this area during the winter months and to requests from traders and residents of Calalga.

The amendment to the by-law will also allow the relocation of the textile market on Avenida Rumanía on Saturdays. With the opening of Vial J and its link to Avenida Rumanía, it is considered advisable to change the location of the Saturday market so as not to hinder traffic between the access to the municipality and the beaches. The market on Avenida Rumanía is expected to be moved to the school zone between the Gabriel Miró and Azorín schools. The possibility of adding a truck-bar stall is also being considered, given the absence of such facilities at its current location.

The ordinance also states that the initial temporary nature of the food market in the Petit car park has become permanent, but it contemplates the possibility that in the future the food and textile markets may be reunited in the same place, when appropriate, and if so determined by the competent body, in the vicinity of the school zone.

Other aspects of the amendment to this ordinance refer to administrative simplification, with the aim of regulating a more efficient process for the annual accreditation of compliance with obligations; separating the planning and taxation aspects of the regulation, bringing it into line with the current situation of the non-permanent markets in Calpe and taking the opportunity to simplify the forms associated with the Ordinance.

There are currently 200 stalls in Calpe between the weekly markets on Avenida Rumanía and Calle Petit. In addition, on Wednesdays there is a weekly flea market on Avenida País Valencià and in summer two craft markets are authorised in Plaza Mediterráneo and Calle Alemania, next to the seafront promenades.

Friday, 11th:

• Exhibition ‘Baños de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30th December. Museum of Collecting.
• Exhibition Almendras Amargas (Bitter Almonds) by Andrea Chessa until 30 July in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.
•  9:00 am - 9:00 pm. Exhibition ‘Llúria, Lords and Ladies of the Land’. Casa de Cultura
•  6:00 pm to 1:00 am. Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa beach).
• 8:00 pm. Concert by the Societat Recreativa Musical d'Altea la Vella and the Agrupació Musical Clau de Fa d Calpe. Casa de Cultura Auditorium.

Saturday, 12th:

•  Exhibition ‘Baños de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30th December. Museum of Collecting.
•  Exhibition Almendras Amargas (Bitter Almonds) by Andrea Chessa until 30th July in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.
•  9:00 a.m. – Free Zumba class. Plaza Colón (Arenal-Bol beach).
• 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Exhibition ‘Llúria, Lords and Ladies of the Land’. Casa de Cultura
• 6:00 pm to 1:00 am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa beach).
• 9:00 pm - 6th Lluna 'Oltà Night Trail. Plaza Colón (Arenal beach).

Sunday, 13:

• 6:00 pm to 1:00 am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).

At yesterday's Calpe Town Council meeting, with the votes in favour of Somos Calpee, Pspv-Psoe and Compromís, the abstention of the Partido Popular and the votes against Defendamos Calpee, the start of the process to modify the areas known as Garduix I and II, Pla Feliu I and II and Ráfol I and II as developable land with the aim of reclassifying them as green space and public land.

The sectors of Ráfol I and II, Feliu I and II and Garduix I and II make up a large green space of more than 300,000 m² in an area of residential developments. These sectors already appear in the 1998 General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) as developable land, However, they are rural land that has not been developed for 27 years and therefore the regulations allow the administration to declassify them.

Once the start of the process has been approved in plenary session, the procedure is transferred to the Territorial Planning Commission of the Valencian Regional Government, which is responsible for continuing with the process.

The City Council intends to acquire the land by compensating the owners for expropriation in accordance with the nature of the land as rural, i.e. when compensating the owners, the land will be valued as it stands and not for the urban rights that have not been realised. Technical reports value the square metre at €5.37.

The councillor for Defendamos Calpee, Toni Tur, stated that ‘we have many doubts about this point due to the changes in criteria. We are in favour of reclassifying the land as rural. I have looked at case law on similar cases and this seems to me to be an experiment or a photo opportunity that could end up harming the residents of Calpe in the future’.

For his part, the spokesperson for the Popular Party, Miguel Crespo, questioned the procedure, pointing out that "it is proposed to pay €5.37 per square metre, this action has no legal guarantee for the Town Council and could legally compromise the municipality. There are different options for obtaining land for public use and respecting the rights of the owners, and we are not aware of any meetings or negotiations with the owners. We do not know if a compulsory purchase has been made by this council in the past. The PP considers it necessary to obtain land for public use and protect green areas, but also to safeguard the rights of the owners".

The spokesperson for the socialist group, Guillermo Sendra, indicated that ‘the opposition is using different arguments that have already been refuted. The thing is, it is going to be difficult for them to back down in front of the public. This is not an ecological battle, it is a battle for social justice. We are facing a unique and courageous proposal that benefits the entire city. They have the opportunity to show that we are not here to follow political slogans but to think about the people.’

Sendra explained the three options on this point: ‘Declassification through expropriation to obtain land for schools, hospitals or sports areas; keeping the land as rural in the hands of the owners so that they can build villas on 10,000 m2 plots and lose public land; or allowing the owners to do whatever they want’.

Ximo Perles, spokesperson for the government and Compromís, intervened, pointing out that ‘rarely have the legitimate representatives of popular sovereignty taken a decision so faithful to the mandate of the citizens as today’. He also explained that ‘much of this land was acquired by the owners in 1997, just one year before the 1998 General Plan was approved, that is, one year before it was reclassified from rustic to developable’. Perles also recalled that ‘the land of the former fairgrounds was already paid for at rustic prices, even though there were access roads, drainage channels and fencing’.

The Councillor for Land Use, Juan Manuel del Pino, stressed that ‘we have no desire to go against anyone, this is land that has been unplanned for 30 years, during which time Calpe and the world have changed, and today there is a different sensibility. There are already important plans that need to be developed, such as Benicolada, El Saladar and Buenavista, and Calpe has not stopped growing’. The councillor explained that attempts to reach agreements between the owners have been unsuccessful and announced that a process is now beginning that could take years.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, closed the debate by stating that ‘this is a courageous decision. I have no baggage or mortgages, I do not have to follow instructions from others like you who follow the voice of your master. The owners will appeal to discuss the price per square metre. We have nothing against the owners, but after six years of meetings and negotiations, this is the best measure’.

AEMCO subsidy

Outside the agenda, a credit modification was approved to grant a subsidy of €18,900 to AEMCO so that the traders' association can manage parking tickets for its customers or launch promotions or campaigns to alleviate the lack of parking spaces.

The opposition groups abstained, as they had not had prior access to the file and considered that the government's lack of foresight would cost the taxpayer money.

This morning in Calpe, the MARQ presented an exhibition that recovers the figure of Roger de Llúria and his second wife, Saurina d'Entença, 720 years after the death of the nobleman, whose career left a deep historical and heritage mark on the Pobla de Ifach archaeological site.

The Deputy for Culture of the Alicante Provincial Council, Juan de Dios Navarro, and the Mayor of Calpe, Ana Sala, inaugurated the exhibition at the Casa de Cultura ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà’. The exhibition has also been organised in collaboration with the CV MARQ Foundation and the Banco Sabadell Foundation, as well as the Town Council of Cocentaina, which will also host the travelling exhibition due to its links with the medieval figure.

Under the title “Llúria, Lords and Ladies of the Land”, two of the most important pieces discovered in the excavations at La Pobla de Ifach are on display for the first time: part of the vault of the church of Santa María de Ifach and a window from the stately residence that preserves a spectacular capital. In addition, the exhibition includes a graphic narrative, in the form of a comic strip, which traces the main milestones in the lives of these two nobles with historical scenes inspired by medieval illustrations from the Morgan Bible.

The exhibition is curated by José Luis Menéndez, MARQ technician and director of the excavations at La Pobla de Ifach, who is a specialist in medieval archaeology. Each of the travelling exhibitions is coordinated by Amparo González Martínez, Culture Coordinator at Calpe Town Council, and Elisa Domenech Faus, technician at the Palau Comtal Municipal Museum in Cocentaina. Menéndez highlighted the research and work carried out at the Calpe archaeological site which, among many other conclusions, has promoted the figure of Roger de Llúria and Saurina d'Entença, ‘as both had a significant impact on the development of Calpe and Cocentaina and exerted a profound influence on the evolution of this region’. In fact, the travelling exhibition, designed by Ángel Rocamora Arquitectos, will be hosted by both towns.

The event was also attended by the mayor of Cocentaina, Jordi Pla, the councillor for Culture of the Calpe Town Council, Guillermo Sendra, the director of the MARQ, Manuel Olcina, the manager of the CV MARQ Foundation, Josep Albert Cortés, and the representative of the Banco Sabadell Foundation, Gordon Steinecke.

The exhibition at the Casa de Cultura ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà’ will remain open during July and August. Opening hours will be Monday to Friday from 9 am to 9 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm, with free admission. In Cocentaina, the exhibition will be open for a whole year from October 2025 in the Exhibition Hall of the Palau Comtal.

Calpe will hold a special plenary session this afternoon to approve the agreement to award, at the proposal of the advisory council on decorations, the “Jaume Pastor i Fluixà, 9 d'octubre” award to CREAMA (Consortium for the Economic Recovery and Activity of the Marina Alta) in recognition of its three decades of work as a driving force for the regional economy and its role as the backbone of the Marina Alta.
In addition, the municipal plenary session will also agree to honor several entities and personalities from the municipality in different categories. It is proposed to award the citizen merit award to Remedios Tomás Soler, a recently retired municipal official assigned to the Protocol Department who has been dedicated for years to organizing the Jaume Pastor i Fluixà-9 d'Octubre awards.
The Sports Merit Award has been awarded to Calpe swimmers Miguel Ferrer Roselló and Manuel Farrona Clavero for their sporting careers as open water swimmers and the promotion of this sport in the municipality. The Tourism Merit Award was also presented to Oltasuch Plus Holidays, a company founded in the 1970s as a construction and real estate management company that has become a leading vacation rental agency in Spain in recent years.
The Medal for Cultural Merit was awarded to Pere Tur i Sala, columnist, writer, cultural promoter, and member of the Institute of Calpe Studies (IEC). The Medal for Business Merit is awarded to the Tango group, a company dedicated to the operation of restaurants, bars, and cafes with its origins in Calpe, which has promoted the local hospitality industry in recent years.
This year's Youth Award goes to Calpe resident Marco Carrión, a professional Spanish and flamenco dancer, and the Corbata de la Villa (Tie of the Town) award goes to the Calpe Fibromyalgia Association.
These awards are presented during the official ceremony commemorating the Valencian Community Day, and the main prize is named after the late Calpe historian Jaume Pastor i Fluixà.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 8 July, marks the start of a new edition of ‘Cinema a la Mar’, the open-air summer film festival organised by Calpe Town Council, which will once again transform the beaches of La Fossa and Arenal-Bol into outdoor cinemas under the stars.

The programme, scheduled for the entire month of July, offers six free sessions for all audiences, combining animated films and family comedies. The opening event will be this Tuesday, 8 July, at 10 pm on La Fossa beach with the film ‘Amigos Imaginarios’, a comedy suitable for all audiences.

The screenings will continue every Tuesday at La Fossa beach and every Thursday at Arenal-Bol beach. Among the titles scheduled are Kung Fu Panda 4, Campeonex, Trolls 3 Todos Juntos, El Arca de Noé and Menudas Piezas. The sessions will always start at 10 pm.

This initiative is part of the summer cultural programme and aims to offer a free leisure alternative for residents and visitors, bringing the beaches of Calpe to life during the summer season.

The Town Council encourages everyone to enjoy this experience, reminding them of the importance of respecting the natural environment and keeping the beaches clean.
This is the complete programme for ‘Cinema a la Mar’:
•    Tuesday 8 July, ‘Amigos Imaginarios’, La Fossa Beach
•    Thursday 10 July, ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’, Arenal-Bol Beach
•    Tuesday 15 July, ‘Campeonex’, La Fossa Beach
•    Thursday 17 July, ‘Trolls 3 Todos Juntos´, Arenal-Bol Beach
•    Tuesday 22 July, ‘El Arca de Noé”, La Fossa Beach
•    Thursday 24 July, ‘Menudas Piezas’, Arenal-Bol Beach
 

The results of water tests carried out at Arenal-Bol beach reveal that the water is in excellent condition, prompting the Town Council to reopen the stretch of beach at the mouth of the Quisi ravine for swimming.

The Directorate-General for Water has sent the Town Council the report on the analysis of water samples taken yesterday from the bathing area, the results of which are in line with the quality required for bathing.

The Calpe Town Council immediately took preventive measures to avoid possible health risks, such as building a sand dike at the mouth of the Quisi ravine to prevent more water from reaching the sea and prohibiting bathing in that section.

The nursing staff at the Calpe Health Centre goes beyond conventional healthcare in its professional work, carrying out various activities aimed at improving the health and well-being of the population.

Among the most notable initiatives is the “Caminant” project, which encourages physical activity through organised walking trips. This activity not only promotes healthy lifestyles, but also strengthens social cohesion among participants. The medium-term goal is to integrate these walks with guided tourist routes in collaboration with Calpe Town Council, combining health care with knowledge of the local environment.

As part of the “School Nurse” programme run by the Valencian Regional Government, the nursing team collaborates with local schools throughout the school year. Activities include health education sessions, hand hygiene campaigns and healthy eating workshops for both students and teaching staff.

The nursing staff has also played an essential role in vaccination campaigns, notably the immunisation carried out at the refugee centre, which guarantees access to healthcare for all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups.

All these actions reflect the nursing team's dedication to public service and their commitment to promoting the health of the citizens of Calpe.

The Provincial Council of Alicante, through the MARQ, the Archaeological Museum of Alicante, the CV MARQ Foundation, the Banco Sabadell Foundation and the town councils of Calp and Cocentaina, are promoting the exhibition Llúria. Lords and Ladies of the Land, commemorating the 720th anniversary of the death of the Calabrian nobleman Roger de Llúria. Grand Admiral of the Crown of Aragon, who died in January 1305, and Saurina d'Entença, who died in 1325, whose journey through our province leaves important traces in the historical and monumental heritage of two of the municipalities that were key in the development of the territory controlled by the House of Lauria: Calp and Cocentaina.

Llúria, Lords and Ladies of the Land brings together the main milestones in the lives of Roger de Llúria and his second wife, Saurina de Enteza, as well as highlighting the material culture we preserve and promoting the figures of these two historical characters who marked the evolution and development of both municipalities.

The exhibition will be held at two venues, in Calp and Concentaina. The opening of the exhibition in Calp will take place on Tuesday 8 July at 10:30 am at the Casa de Cultura ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà’ and will remain open during the months of July and August, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 2 pm, with free admission. In Cocentaina, the exhibition will remain open from October 2025 to October 2026, in the Exhibition Halls of the Palau Comtal.

Curated by José Luis Menéndez Fueyo, MARQ technician and director of the excavations at La Pobla de Ifach, a specialist in medieval history, the exhibition is coordinated in each of the venues by Amparo González Martínez, Culture Coordinator at Calp Town Council, and Elisa Domenech Faus, technician at the Palau Comtal Municipal Museum in Cocentaina.

The exhibition has been designed by the award-winning architecture studio Ángel Rocamora Arquitectos and is sponsored by the Banco Sabadell Foundation.

Yesterday, Calpe hosted the gala to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of CREAMA (Consortium for the Economic Recovery and Activity of the Marina Alta), an event that brought together institutional representatives, experts, and representatives of business associations and organisations from across the region.

The event kicked off with a speech by Carlos Pastor Ventura, MP and president of CREAMA, who pointed out that ‘today we are celebrating three decades of working together, public service, economic revitalisation and proximity. CREAMA has known how to stand by the people, to structure the region by committing to plurality, beyond colours and ideologies. This is a project of people, and that is what makes it unique’.

CREAMA manager Rosarío Donderis took the floor to add that ‘we are celebrating 30 years and proving that we are no longer a utopia but a reality in the Marina Alta, helping to integrate people into the world of work, revitalising businesses, connecting people and projects, and making the small miracle of reaching agreements every day possible’.

The gala featured several tables where the history and trajectory of the Consortium was recalled through the personal testimonies of technicians, users and collaborating entities of CREAMA. Lola Orihuel, manager of Creama since its foundation and until 2015, pointed out that ‘when we met and I saw politicians of different political colours representing such different municipalities, I thought we would never reach agreements, but everything was very easy because there was a real desire to make it work’.

The mayor of Calpe, Ana Sala, which holds the capital status of CREAMA this year, said that ‘we have come to the conclusion that only by working together can we promote the well-being of our businesses and residents, by committing to integration and building a network that has allowed us to grow’. Sala also announced the governing board's decision to award this year's ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà-9 d'octubre’ prize to CREAMA.

The event ended with a speech by the president of the Alicante Provincial Council, Toni Pérez, who highlighted the innovative nature of CREAMA: "Thirty years ago, some people were already talking about the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and were committed to building a common project of territorial cooperation and institutional efficiency, putting people at the centre of our action. Politics is worthwhile when it helps people to grow, and that is the powerful message that CREAMA offers us today."

In its three decades of existence, CREAMA has achieved significant figures: more than 700,000 people served, 73 million euros managed —more than 5 million from European funds— 85 regional projects developed and an active network of local agencies that once again has nine offices (Dénia, Xàbia, Calpe, Teulada-Moraira, Benissa, Gata de Gorgos, Pego and Pedreguer) following the reincorporation of El Verger.

Yesterday's event was a tribute to commitment, networking and the desire to build a region, to the people who over the last 30 years have made CREAMA a benchmark for local development built on solidarity and mutual trust.

This morning, the image that will appear on the ONCE lottery ticket for the draw on Tuesday 8 July was unveiled at Calpe's Fossa Beach. On this occasion, the image of Fossa Beach has been chosen as part of the ‘Beaches with flags’ series, which aims to promote the two beaches in each province that have been awarded the Blue Flag classification most frequently in recent years.

The image of Calpe will reach the whole of Spain through the more than 20,600 ONCE sellers who will distribute 5 million coupons. The coupons can also be purchased on the website www.juegosonce.es and at authorised participating establishments.

The presentation ceremony was attended by the director of ONCE in Alicante, Estela Media; the director of the ONCE Agency in Benidorm, Vicente José Vázquez, and the mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala.

In her speech, the director of ONCE in Alicante stated that ‘with this initiative, ONCE wishes to recognise the work being carried out by Calpe Town Council in the field of accessibility and inclusion’.

For her part, the mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala, said she was ‘proud of the work being done by the Town Council to ensure that people with functional diversity can also enjoy our beaches’.

Blue Flag

Every year, the Association for Environmental and Consumer Education recognises the best beaches for the quality of their water, the high level of services and the safety of bathers with the Blue Flag award.

ADEAC is one of the European non-profit associations that co-founded the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1984. ADEAC is therefore the Spanish branch of the FEE and is the organisation responsible for the development in Spain of the international programmes Blue Flag, Eco-Schools, Young Reporters for the Environment and Green Key.

From 1 July, the ordinance on acoustic conditions comes back into force. It refers to work involving the use of heavy or construction machinery that may generate noise and establishes that work that may produce noise is limited to certain time slots.

The noise ordinance prohibits all types of construction work in residential areas in August and establishes time limits in July and September in order to reconcile construction activity with the right to rest.

Likewise, urbanisation, construction, building or any other type of work that may produce noise, whether public or private, must be carried out between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Urgent work or work in the public interest, carried out for reasons of necessity or danger, shall be exempt from the prohibition.

On urban land where residential use is permitted, all types of urban development, construction or building work will be prohibited between 1 and 31 August. Small jobs that do not cause noise or disturbance to neighbours are exempt from this prohibition.

The municipal ordinance distinguishes between the different activities that can potentially cause noise and the solutions to mitigate their effects. With these measures, the City Council aims to reconcile construction and leisure activities with the individual right to rest. The City Council calls on citizens to comply with the ordinance so that the tourist season can pass without noise disturbances, given the eminent tourist nature of the municipality.

Friday, 4:

• 9 am – Free Zumba lesson. Plaza Mediterrani (Fossa Beach)
• Blood donation at the Calpe Red Cross headquarters, Calle Maria Jorro, from 5 pm to 8:30 pm.
• ‘Verano a voces’ concert by the Torrevieja Municipal Choir. 8pm, Saló Blau, Casa de Cultura. Admission: £5.
• Exhibition: ‘Baños de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museum of Collecting.
• Exhibition Almendras Amargas (Bitter Almonds) by Andrea Chessa until 30 July in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.
• From 6pm to 1am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol Beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa Beach).

Saturday, 5:

• 9 a.m. - Free Zumba lesson. Plaza Colón (Arenal-Bol Beach).
• From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol Beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa Beach).
• The best musicals in the history of Broadway performed by the Castelar Theatre Symphony Orchestra, under the artistic direction of Octavio J. Peidrò, and featuring soprano Cristina Sánchez Montes. 7 pm at the Casa de Cultura Auditorium. Free admission.
• Exhibition: ‘Baños de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museum of Collecting.
• Exhibition Almendras Amargas (Bitter Almonds) by Andrea Chessa until 30 July in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Sunday, 6:

• Travelling concert by the Unión Musical Calpe Ifach, 8 pm through the streets of the old town.
• From 6pm to 1am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol Beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa Beach).

Calpe Town Council has launched a new information service for residents via official channels on WhatsApp and Telegram. From now on, anyone can choose to receive municipal information in Spanish, Valencian or English, depending on their language preferences.

Until now, the council had a single channel on Telegram with around 2,000 subscribers. With this expansion, the council now has three new channels on this platform — one for each language — and another three channels on WhatsApp, thus enabling more targeted and effective dissemination of news, alerts and events of interest.

This service will be managed directly by the Calpe Town Council's Communication Department, which will be responsible for publishing content and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the information disseminated, thus preventing the spread of hoaxes and misinformation that often circulate on these same platforms.

With this initiative, the council aims to bring municipal information even closer to the public, facilitating direct access from mobile phones without the need to consult social media or the internet. This service will also enable the council to provide information very quickly to the public in the event of disasters or emergencies.

The channels are called ‘Ayuntamiento de Calpe’, ‘Ajuntament de Calpe’ and ‘Calpe City Council’ and feature the official Town Council logo for easy identification. Simply search for the channel on each platform and join it to start receiving information. You can also activate notifications to receive an alert whenever there is a new post.

Telegram channels:

• Spanish: https://t.me/AyuntamientodeCalpe
• Valencian: https://t.me/CalpeComunicaVal
• English: https://t.me/CalpeComunicaEng

WhatsApp channels:

• Spanish: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6HFjz9RZAX8ZtgMm2F
• Valencian: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb5XvLgCBtxAs8kMbT07
• English: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb5NfWf0Qeae7EQDXa19

The local government will bring before next week's plenary session the modification of the sectors known as Garduix I and II, Pla Feliu I and II, and Ráfol I and II as developable land with the aim of reclassifying them as green space and land for public use.

The sectors of Ráfol I and II, Feliu I and II and Garduix I and II make up a large green lung of more than 300,000 m² in a residential development area.000 m² in a residential development area. These sectors already appear in the 1998 General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) as developable land, but they are rural plots that have not been programmed for 27 years and therefore the regulations allow the administration to declassify them.

The City Council intends to acquire the land by compensating the owners for expropriation in accordance with the nature of the land as rural, i.e. when compensating the owners, the land will be valued as it stands and not for the urban development rights that have not been realised.

In November last year, the declassification process began, requiring the technical services to draw up a draft and an initial strategic document setting out the characteristics of the sectors and the needs. Both documents will be submitted to the plenary session on Tuesday and, once approved, will be forwarded to the Territorial Planning Commission of the Valencian Regional Government, which is responsible for continuing the process.

As this is a structural change to the General Urban Development Plan, the City Council can propose the declassification of the sectors, but the next steps in the process are the responsibility of the Regional Ministry.

The local government has put forward four main reasons for making this change to the PGOU: to preserve a large area of forest in the Garduix and Feliu areas, which will become green space, and to promote land for public use in the Ráfol area in order to obtain land for educational, cultural, recreational or sports purposes.

However, there are also plans to consolidate temporary uses, such as the land occupied by the IES Les Salines secondary school, which, although a green area, obtained provisional authorisation for educational use, and the plot in Rafol occupied by the General Services building, which will become land for public services. In both cases, educational and service uses will be consolidated.

Also in Ráfol, there is a strip of land adjacent to the Barranco del Quisi ravine that is classified as developable and, in compliance with the PATRICOVA guidelines regarding the impact on ravines, is now becoming a green area.

This reclassification modifies the urban dynamics of the municipality and also proposes a different way of compensating owners, as it will not be done through development units or by increasing the volume in other areas, as has been the case until now. This decision paves the way for a new approach to urban planning in the municipality.

Calpe Town Council and more than 146 local hospitality establishments will participate this summer in the sixth edition of Ecovidrio's #MovimientoBanderasVerdes (Green Flag Movement). With this campaign, the non-profit organisation responsible for managing glass packaging waste recycling in Spain seeks, once again, to recognise the efforts of the local hospitality industry and the activism of coastal municipalities in promoting circularity during the summer, particularly with regard to the correct management of their waste.

Calpe will compete with up to 47 municipalities in the Valencian Community for Ecovidrio's ‘Green Flag for Sustainability’, which was awarded to Valencia and Alicante during the last edition of this initiative. This is a campaign launched by Ecovidrio every summer, coinciding with the months when a third of the glass packaging in circulation is consumed. In addition, around 50% of single-use glass packaging waste generated during this period comes from the hospitality sector.

To be eligible for a Green Flag, each municipality must meet a series of requirements, such as increasing the volume of selective glass container collection compared to the previous year; ensuring that at least 50% of local hospitality establishments participate in the campaign; promoting the campaign among the hospitality industry; and publicising it among citizens and visitors.

As a new feature, apart from the coveted Green Flag, this year the municipalities in each autonomous community that have obtained the highest scores will be rewarded with a beach clean-up day, which Ecovidrio will carry out in collaboration with the organisation Paisaje Limpio, an entity specialising in the coordination of this type of environmental initiative.

Similarly, this year Ecovidrio will recognise the two hospitality establishments that are most responsible and committed to sustainability in the Valencian Community, evaluating their initiatives to improve waste recycling management, energy and water consumption and their commitment to sustainable purchasing, among other variables. In the Valencian Community, the two establishments recognised in the last edition were Petimetre and Cor de Carxofa.

With the aim of helping municipalities and participating hospitality establishments to separate glass packaging, Ecovidrio will install a total of 300 new containers and provide them with around 1,500 free containers for transporting their waste. As in previous editions, it will also provide hoteliers with training on the environment and the circular economy, with 100 environmental educators visiting all participating bars, beach bars and restaurants this summer.

Calpe Town Council has announced grants for the promotion of sport for 2024-2025, for which a budget of €250,000 has been allocated, with conditions that aim to promote, among other things, sports associations. The total amount of the grants has increased by €15,000 compared to the last call for applications.

This aid, aimed at local sports organisations, has two lines: line 1 with aid for participation in official sports competitions and the promotion of local grassroots sport (€230,000) and line 2 with aid for the organisation of sporting events (€20,000). As a new feature in this call, the two lines are not incompatible, i.e. sports organisations can apply for both.

The main new features compared to previous editions are incentives for the promotion of equality and inclusive sport, subsidies for families with two or more children enrolled, and the distribution of the remaining amount equally among all clubs with expenses still to be covered.

Some of the criteria for accessing the grants are the number of athletes with a federation licence or participating in the Jocs Esportius de la Comunidad Valenciana (Valencian Community Sports Games), the number of categories in the club, the type of competition or the qualifications of the coaches and medical staff, as well as the ownership of the sports facilities.

On the other hand, expenses related to the competition itself, such as referees, sports equipment, medical supplies, monitor expenses, federation fees, mutual insurance, travel, etc., will be included as eligible expenses. Personnel expenses and all expenses related to the organisation of the sporting event for which the subsidy is requested will also be considered eligible expenses. The promotion of local sports will also be taken into account.

The grants are aimed at sports organisations with their registered office and headquarters in Calpe, which may submit their applications from today, 1 July, until 15 July inclusive, via  the electronic office.

Given the difficulties in implementing regulated parking this summer due to an appeal lodged by one of the bidding companies and the possibility that the award proposal may give rise to further appeals, the City Council is considering various measures to compensate businesses and citizens in general for any difficulties and inconvenience they may suffer.

These are urgent and temporary measures to compensate traders for the loss of customers resulting from the lack of parking. This week, it is hoped that some of these measures will be finalised, which could include a reduction in municipal taxes, direct aid or subsidies, or promotional campaigns.

 The mayoress, Ana Sala, has expressed her concern and pointed out that "we are fully aware of the difficulties that this situation is causing for traders and we are working to offer solutions while the new ORA service contract is being resolved. I am personally committed to compensating traders and hoteliers, whether or not they are members of the Traders' Association, with commercial promotion campaigns, economic or other measures. Today we are getting down to work to initiate immediate actions to compensate the business community for the losses that may be caused by the lack of turnover in public parking spaces."

Another measure that the Council intends to implement is to make private plots available to the City Council on a rental basis and convert them into public car parks in the town centre, near the shopping area. Meetings with the owners of various plots of land have already begun with this objective in mind.

This week, the government team plans to hold an urgent meeting with AEMCO and local traders to coordinate provisional measures and assess the impact on a weekly basis.
 

The election of the Queens of the Calpe Patron Saint Festivities 2025 has left an image for the history books: Neus Díaz Fernández and Neus Santos Tur will share their reign and name with the Mare de Déu de les Neus, patron saint of Calpe, in a coincidence laden with symbolism.

Almost 2,000 people gathered last night in the Plaza Mayor for a four-hour gala presented by Marco Maguire and Irune Pastor.

 This event is one of the most important organised by the Festival Committee, as it marks the presentation of the entire Committee, which this year includes members from the classes of 1987, 2007 and 2017. The draw for the new Queens was attended by notary José Miguel de Lamo, who ensured the transparency of the entire process.

 The outgoing Queens, María Avargues and Martina Moragón, as well as the first Children's King of Calpe, Leandro Bonaldo, were in charge of drawing the balls with the names of the new queens, in a gala that was also very special for them, as this event marked the end of their reign.

The most exciting moments of the evening were undoubtedly when the names of Neus Díaz Fernández as Children's Queen and Neus Santos Tur as Queen of the Calpe 2025 Patron Saint Festivities were announced, a moment that could be followed live on two giant screens showing what was happening backstage where the candidates were waiting.

Once the names of the new representatives of the Calpe festivities were announced, the president of the Committee, Tania Puigcerver, highlighted the emotion of the moment in her speech and thanked her fellow committee members and all those involved in the festivities for their commitment. For her part, the mayor of Calpe, Ana Sala, emphasised the coincidence of the names as a tribute to the town's patron saint and guaranteed the Town Council's support for the Committee.

One of the surprises of the evening came when Rafa Rico, a member of the Committee, sang the anthem of the Valencian Community, bringing to a close a magical evening in what was perhaps the most special edition ever, as for the first time in history the Queens of the Calpe Festivities share their name with the patron saint.

Next week, the exhibition hall at the Ajuntament Vell will host the exhibition ‘Almendras Amargas’ by Italian artist Andrea Chessa.

Andrea Chessa trained in the Milanese and European art movements. He graduated from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, where he came into contact with the international realities that characterise the city's artistic and cultural circles, aspects which he integrates, together with his origins and the spirit of his homeland, in a union between past, present and future.

The exhibition Almendras Amargas offers the opportunity to immerse oneself in an encounter between two identities, Sardinia and Spain; a reflection on the cultural and identity roots that have shaped and linked these territories over the centuries.

The title of the exhibition evokes the memory of the place, a reference to the cultivation of this fruit tree that has characterised the history and culture of Calp, shaping the landscape with terraces and dry stone walls, now almost erased.

This title evokes and alludes to a lost memory, something familiar that reappears in the aroma of an encounter. Flavours and knowledge that mark a festive time, coloured tissue paper that envelops ‘sighs’. Andrea Chessa's exhibition is a unique opportunity to reflect on the social and landscape functions of the almond tree, its connection with the land, work and matter: towards a shared vision that continues to travel along the shores of the Mediterranean.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 4 to 30 July in the exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell, in the heart of the old town, and will become another tourist attraction.