Agenda21 Round Table Meeting to address outstanding issues
May 31st
There will be a round table meeting on Wednesday June 2nd to address issues which have been discussed in the past, and which still remain outstanding. Among these are the Port issue, the General Plan, the proposed municipal wide sewerage project, Urban mobility survey, Accident Black Spots and sustainability indicators etc. The meeting will be at the Casa de Cultura at 8.00pm.
Recycle Re-use Reduce - public events in Xàbia
May 31st
The Diputación de Alicante is sponsoring an event to promote water and energy conservation and rubbish recycling to the public. It will be held on the plaza above the Portal del Clot car park on Saturday 5th June between 10.00 am and 1.00pm. There will be various promotional stands and "goodie bags" for members of the public who attend. In the same vein the Old Town Businesses which participate in the I-Mas loyalty card scheme will be distributing over 300 re-usable shopping bags to their customers in a campaign entitled: "Los comercios I-Más de Xàbia con el Día Mundial del Medio Ambiente". The idea is to raise awareness of the importance of caring for the environment and encourage small actions to reduce waste and conserve energy. From XAD: El Centro historico....
Xàbia Camino de Santiago launches on Sunday 30th May
Everyone is invited to walk, cycle or ride the first leg of the Xàbia Camino de Santiago on Sunday May 30th. Participants can collect an official accreditation note from the Port Tourist Office. The mass walk will start in the Port after a blessing at 8.30 am and people will take the route of footpaths and minor roads first to Jesùs Pobre and then to El Verger Atzúvia, where they will be offered refreshments. Special menus will be available at local restaurants for those who have a stamped "pasaporte del peregrino". A free bus will bring participants back to Xàbia at 5.00pm.
VI Gastronomy Festival - 26-29 May
May 25th
Once more the Mas y Mas car park on the Arenal is host to a big marquee for the annual Gastronomy festival running from 26th-29th May. Participating restaurants are: Trencall, La Calima, Restaurante Sur, La Naranja (Wednesday); La Perla, Mezquida, Espatí, Hotel las Toras ( Thursday) and Los Remos, Castelló, Cofradía de Pescadores and Wok Javea (Friday) . Saturday morning, the festival closes with tapas and pinzos. Opening times: 1.00pm till 4.00pm and 7.00pm till 11.00 pm.
Xàbia to ask Costas to relax size restrictions on Beach Bars
May 25th
The Town Hall has met with the Beach Bar licensees and agreed to ask Costas to relax the 20 square metre area limit for beach bars at a meeting scheduled for June 8th. The Bar owners, having spent large sums of money bidding for the licenses, would like to have larger areas for chairs and tables, so that they can recover their investments. In return the bar owners pledged to sign an undertaking to comply with all rules and regulations. From Las provincias: Xàbia solicita....
Montgó Natural Park Visitor's Centre Inaugurated
May 22nd
After three years in process, the "La puerta de entrada al Parque Natural del Montgó" opened in Camí de Sant Joan in Dénia. The centre includes a conservatory housing some of the endemic plant species, dioramas and a 3d Scale model of the mountain. The purpose of the centre is to inform and educate visitors. It will be open mornings and afternoons in the summer and only in the mornings in the winter. From Las provincias: El Centro de interpretación.....
"Beautiful Balcony" Competition
May 20th
The Business association of Xàbia Old Town has launched a competition to adorn windows, corners and balconies with flowers. Participants receive a gift voucher to get plants from Montgó Verd, from where they can also get 30% discounts on further purchases. There will be cash prizes for the best displays which will be judged on June 5th (though it is hoped the flower displays will remain for much longer). From Las Provincias: Premio para quien.....
Construction of "Moskito" beach bar halted by Town Hall.
May 20th
The construction of the Moskito chiringuito (beach bar) has been paralysed by an order from the Town Hall on account of it exceeding its legal limits (which are supposed to be 20 metres). The license fee for such a bar is €36,211. In common with all the other beach bars along the Montañar, this chiringuito has spread out and set up hard standing for tables and chairs. Moskito now uses some 400m2. The bars accept that they have to pay a fine to the Coasts division of the Ministry of Environment for breaking the rules. The proprietor, Rosario Gezel, feels that she has been unfairly picked upon. From las Provincias: Xàbia paraliza....
Grass in the garage
May 20th
Two young Scandinavians have been arrested by the Guardia Civil for growing marihuana in their garage. Suspicious goings on in the house in Cansalades led to surveillance and then an arrest warrant. 198 cannabis plants were seized, together with greenhouse equipment. It appears that the house had been sublet. From Las Provincias: Cultivaban...
Town Hall visits Albarda Gardens
May 19th
Last Saturday, representatives of Xàbia Town Hall together with members of Voluntariat pel Valencià and students of the workshop: "Our plants and their uses" visited the Albarda gardens in Pedreguer, in response to an invitation by the Fundem charity which owns and manages the gardens. The Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of the Mediterranean flora and fauna and its 50,000m2 lies on the edge of la Sella. For more about the gardens and an account of a visit by a group of expats on the following day see: Albarda Gardens, a haven of sustainability and conservation.
Town Hall Architect being investigated for building infringements
May 20th
Denia court has decided to investigate the charge that Xàbia's Town Hall Architect exceeded the scope of his building license when refurbishing an old hunting lodge in the protected cove of Granadella. The license issued was for minor works only, but the result has been a two storey house with a high pitched roof. The original hunting lodge remains as the barbeque. In 2007 the municipal services opened a dossier against this development, listing the infringements and recommending that the house be demolished. But since then, nothing has happened. The court has requested a certified copy of this report. The complainant is Antonio Serrano, who recently had his own illegaly built country house demolished by the Town Hall. See: Town hall obliged to demolish house in Cansalades - January 2009 From Las Provincias: El Juzgado investiga..
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Court order to remove wall blocking coastal path
May 19th
After five years of litigation and controversy for more than six, the Superior Court of Justice (TSJ) has settled the conflict between Xàbia Town Hall and a Xàbia family which fenced off access to a coastal path behind Caleta Cala Blanca, because they asserted that it was "within their property. "
The decision of the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal against another sentence of the Alicante court and recognizes the path as "public" and supports the municipal decision to claim free access. From Las provincias: El juzgado...
Local Security Plan for Xàbia
May 17th
The Town Hall, in association with a delegate from the Alicante government and representatives of the Guardia Civil and local police met to formulate a local security plan so as to improve coordination in the field of crime prevention. Xàbia's crime figures have actually been improving, but they wish to address problems such as school safety, drug taking and trafficking in the school environment and domestic violence. from XAD Xàbia elaborara...
A bicycle for the winner of the children's Jute bag design competition
May 16th
Marina Mosquera from the Colegio María Inmaculada won the competition to design a motif based on the theme "Recycle-reduce-re-use" and her design has been printed on a limited edition of Jute bags. The competition, organised by PUX "Para un Xàbia Sostenible" together with the town hall, was open to all schoolchildren in Year three (aged 7-9). Each of the ten class winners received a prize of a €20 gift token, donated by Biblos Librería Internacional, Papelería Botella, La Rulla pueblo, La Rulla Puerto and Book World España. The overall winner received a bike donated by Gurgú Bicicletes. Bags bearing the winning design were given as gifts to all participants. All entries will be on display in the Soler Blasco Museum. It is hoped that this competition has served to enlighten the children on the importance of recycling plastics.
2.1 million for Frechinal flood prevention
May 13th
After the 2007 floods, the town hall decided to channel the Frechinal barranco. The job (which will ultimately be paid for by Town Hall funds) has been offered for open tender over the next 28 days. Once the contract has been awarded the work will take nine months. From XAD: Xabia inicia por fin...
Yet another expert tells Xàbia to redefine itself
May 11th
Economist Juan Bautista Sapena Bolufer addressed the Association of small promotors, constructors and related industries last week in a talk entitled: "Searching for prosperity: reflections on the strategic position of Xàbia in face of the new global scenario" He stated that construction had stalled and that tourism is tricky because of competition and the need to define clearly the type of tourist you wanted to attract. He suggested a new direction. e.g. a public / private enterprise consisting of a centre for higher education of some sort, noting the headquarters of the faculty of nursing which was going up near the Denia hospital. Any change in direction would require good infrastructure, administration and human capital. He criticised Xabia for its lack of educated manpower. His message reiterated the views of other experts who have given their advice about the future development of Xàbia: See: Imedes forum, 2007 The Tourist Pattern of Xàbia is Jaded and Out of Date and The challenge for the future of Xàbia a talk by Antonio Martinez Gomez in 2008. Each year or so the town receives the same advice …. From XAD Un economista...
Town losing income because many residents have not renewed their Padrón listing
May 4th
Recently the Town Hall sent around 3,000 letters asking people to renew their listing on the Padrón. Expats have to renew every two or five years, depending upon their residence status. Nueva Javea pointed out that many of these letters were returned because no-one was at home. This could mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of Euros from the coffers. The Town hall has agreed to send someone house by house to make sure the letters arrive at their destination. Unfortunately they'll be doing this in the summer when many expats flee the heat and still won't be at home.
(Ed's tip: If you have not received a letter - go and make sure you are registered. You will need to take to the Office of Statistics in the Old Town:Calle/Carrer d´Avall 39, (Technical Office) Monday to Friday, 9.00 till 2.00pm. Passport OR Residencia + your last Rates receipt (I.B.I.) OR Water/Electric bill in your name OR your escritura OR rental contract: - Need help?
The officials will help. Instructions in English, German and French are on the back of census form
You can register on both the Padrón and the Censo at the same time This info is on: http://agenda21-xabia.wikidot.com/padron )
Wiggle room for Xabia in the underground car parks?
May 4th
Independent legal advice from the Consell Jurídic Consultiu de la Comunitat Valenciana (supreme legal advisory body in the Comunidad Valenciana) seems to provide a glimmer of hope for a possible resolution to the dilemma of Xàbia's empty, and thus expensive, underground car parks. There is a legal principle that the concessionaire should undertake some risk, which is clearly not currently the case, the Town hall being lumbered with all the costs. The advice says that the town hall has an option to re-negotiate the contract to re-aportion the risk. Another alternative is to terminate the concession by mutual agreement taking into account true public interest. They also ruled that feasibility studies carried out by the contractor before it had been awarded the contract should not be paid for. They also criticised the feasibility study for the car parks, as being economic and financial rather than concerned with real feasibiltiy, since the project assumed 85% occupancy of the two car parks. Las Provincias: El Consell Jurídic...
Moves to rescue La Plana windmill from imminent collapse
May 4th
The Xàbia Viva Association is undertaking emergency works to rescue one of the 17 and 18 Century windmills on la Plana from collapse. All labour will be provided by the association which has entered into a collaborative agreement with the Town hall. The latter will provide materials and insurance for the workers. The windmill, No. 8, belongs to the municipality, but the others, though they are located within the Montgó Natural Park area, are privately owned. Xàbia Viva hopes to arrange for the preservation and refurbishment of all the mills. The project can be seen on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=278929961589
SUMA to take over collecting traffic fines
May 1st
Last Thursday the Town Council agreed, by majority vote, to hand over the job of collecting fines for road traffic infrigements and building regulation violations to the independent Alicante tax collecting authority, SUMA for the next five years. This arrangement is expected to double payments from traffic fines alone to just over €200,000 (For info on SUMA see : Wikipedia; Also check out their website on: http://www.suma.es/ - available in English) from XAD: SUMA hará que Xàbia...
Ghost invoice
May 1st
At the plenary session, the Town Council decided to leave a mysterious invoice on the table. This related to travel expenses to a tourism trade fair in Milan for five people. The Councillor for Tourism, Juan Moragues has stated on various occasions that no-one from the Town Hall had been to Milan; nevertheless the ghost invoice included his name, that of his wife, his son, a close associate and another person not connected with the Town Hall. The Councillor promised to investigate the bill, which was left, unpaid, on the table. from XAD: SUMA hará que Xàbia...
