Agenda21 begins its new season with the Councillors of Transport and Heritage
17 September 2008
Adapted from Xabia al Dia La Ag21 inicia el curso con los...
After one and a half months of summer recess, the Forum of the A21 Xàbia met yesterday to start a new session. This September points of the Local Action Plan relating to transport, Heritage and Public Safety were revised. Councillors Juan Ortolá and Rafa Bas explained the status of their projects. This finalised the review of the document (Local Action Plan) which covers the Citizens' main proposals.
Local Action Plan (Plan de Accion Local ) in Castellano on http://ajxabia.com/descargas.php?apa_id=96&despl=30
Ortolá, as Transport Councillor, spoke to the Forum about town bus routes.
In the Local Action Plan, citizens requested the improvement of public transport, through increasing the number of routes and their frequency, as well as considering the use of less polluting, more sustainable vehicles. The Councillor said he had held discussions with the company operating the service, Autocares Denia, and even though this is a Ministry concession, is working on the lines suggested by the A21. Ortolá noted that Autocares Denia had just renewed its concession until 2023, and had recently expanded the service to include a minibus along the Arenal-Historic Centre route.
Also under negotiation were two more routes. Currently, there is a route between the Town Centre and Toscamar, passing through the port and the Arenal. The second travels from the Pla to Cabo de la Nao.
Lines 3 and 4 would serve Suburbia: Xàbia Old Town-Rafalet-Lluca-Pinosol-Arenal and Xàbia Old Town-Montgo (The Jesús Pobre road to the border of the municipality). They are also is considering creating a transport voucher.
Citizens also expressed concern that Xàbia should be better connected by bus with Gata and Denia, as well as the railway station Xeraco, with Valencia and Alicante. The Councillor took note, but advised that this not under municipal jurisdiction.
Ortolá used the meeting to pass on the information that they had also been improving the taxi service, creating two places for the disabled, and that they had installed new bus shelters and benches at bus stops.
Then it was the turn of Rafa Bas, who with his intervention finalised the revision of the Plan of Action. The Heritage Councillor explained that they had already begun to build the first of the 66 units of Social Housing (the previous nomenclature of "“Viviendas de Protección Oficial” - Officially Protected Housing is no longer used) next to the IES (secondary school) on the Via Augusta, and soon there will be a second promotion located beside the Parque Montaner near the Old Town.
Bas also explained the process for awarding such housing, for which 750 applications had been received. Soon the Valencian Institute of Housing ( IVVSA) will conduct a public lottery before a notary in Xàbia, which will choose the candidates' order. Then the Conselleria will examine each individual case, and award or dismiss the applications.
But the council is more ambitious and wants to create its own "institute of housing". The report supporting the municipal urban society of the future has already been approved. This will build social housing on municipal land, and also have the added advantage of employing local builders. Thus, in this manner the council would not lose ownership of land, although it would sell the dwellings. It also is considering the creation of housing for rent.
As for housing for people with disabilities, Bas recalled that promotions at IVVSA include adapted units, but there is also the possibility of creating dwellings on the top floor of the future Day Center, as a home.
A citizen from the floor expressed concern about the policy of building more at this moment when there is too much supply on the market and even some promotions yet to be to completed. It was requested that the possibility of incorporating these into the municipal social housing stock should be studied. The Councillor took note, but expressed doubts because one should bear in mind that the price of land for these buildings was once very high, and the promoters would hardly be willing to cede them to social housing.
Rafa Bas also had to deal with the safety of pedestrian areas. Many of the Forum participants expressed their unease and concern over various parts of town, typically residential, where traffic sometimes speeds, posing danger especially to children who may be playing. Citizens requested elevated zebra crossings and the revision of other black spots on the roads. Also, they criticized the seemingly indiscriminate placement of these crossings, although the Councillor made the assurance that placement resulted from public safety criteria which had been very carefully studied by the police.
The meetings of the Forum will be held each second and fourth Tuesday of each month. At these meetings citizens will address re-arrangement of the proposals of the Action Plan; they will be able to propose workshops on specific topics and will elect a new representative to the Commission 21 and the Council of Tourism.
The next meeting will be on Tuesday September 30 at the Casa de Cultura at 20h.
Official Minutes (In Castellano) on http://ajxabia.com/descargas.php?apa_id=96
