THE MASSIFS OF MONTGÓ AND CABO SAN ANTONIO AND OF MONTGÓ AND CAP SANT ANTONI
Nature Reserve, Marine Reserve and Site of Community Importance
On as many as nine occasions the full Town Council of Xàbia has rejected the proposed expansion of the marina and supported a reorganisation of existing mooring spaces. The Federation of Residents of Xàbia has rejected the extension to the port promoted by the Conselleria of Valencia because it will "destroy our beautiful bay, produce deadlocked water, encourage dirt and loss of the clear water and risk the contamination of our flagship beach “La Grava”.
Nevertheless the budgets of 2009 - 2019 of the Generalitat of Valencia reflect the interests of that administration in expanding the number of moorings in Xàbia. They contains a provision for the proposed alignment of the Fontana Canal for a total of 900,000 euros (of which 50,000 is included in the accounts for 2009), and expansion of the port with an initial cost of € 100,000 which will reach 20 million by 2011.
The project of the Valencian administeration to expand the port in this town has caused a split in the town council , which was governed by a coalition of PSPV and the Bloc Nacionalista Valencià.
The Bloc, the party of the mayor, Eduardo Monfort, opposes the expansion because it considers that the almost 1,000 moorings and new breakwater will bring about the destruction of the bay and that the only beneficiaries will be a few entrepreneurs. In a change of policy the Socialists backed what they considered to be a great economic opportunity.
To add insult, the opposition party New Javea opposed the enlargement proposed by Valencai. In fact this party wants a project with a greater impact on the bay and a bid to create a new port, located a little further south, with a internal marina of 27 acres of sheet water, with over 1200 berths, 15,000 m2 area commercial premises , up to two golf courses and a luxury hotel.
In addition, last year the expansion of the port of Denia was inaugurated, which now has capacity for 280 boats. The Council intends to build 1,000 new berths, double the surface of water and design a new entrance.
The Committee on Petitions of the European Union has accepted the letters sent by the City Council and the Xàbia Civic Platform in Defense of the Litoral 221, to warn about the possible expansion of the pleasure port, twhich is driven by Conselleria for Infrastructures and Transport. In addition, the Greens 222 have submitted a question to the European Parliament in reference to the expansion which would violate the Habitats Directive, as the Marine reserve of Cap Sant Antoni has qualified as a site of Community Interest. The stiring up of the water that would occur during the long period of construction of the new Levante breakwater could even affect the Marine Reserve of Cabo San Antonio or the Tango or Pope beaches immediately to the north.
In addition to the above threats, the bay has a significant rate of pollution along the ENP. This is caused by the repeated discharges into the river Gorgos from the treatment plant in Xàbia during summer, which happens upstream (Gata de Gorgos).
