SCEPTICS WITH SEPTICS?
June 12th 2009
A campaign pressing for cost/ benefit and environmental evaluations of the proposed municipality-wide Sewerage system has been initiated by the Federación de Asociaciones de Vecinos y Cívicos de Jávea/Xàbia. The following e-mail/ press release was issued today.
Only a few of us will have attended the Acciona presentation in the Casa del Cultura on April 2nd and a subsequent briefing meeting organized by Nueva Javea about the provisional project for establishing a Sewerage System Network within the municipality of Javea.
There is a free sewerage system for Javea’s Old Town, Puerto and Arenal areas. Now the Town Hall is considering introducing the system in Urbanisations and outside areas, but no indication as yet that it would be for free ! The rationale behind this concept is based on compliance with a very longstanding EU directive (91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991), combined with the urgent wish to provide work for local builders now hit hard by the housing slump.
The only contact Town Hall has had until now is with one large international firm ACCIONA. Their estimate or prognosis is that the cost would amount to 75 Million Euros.
(with some 5000 houses in Urbanisations and outside areas, this would imply an average cost per house of 15,000 Euros). Do note that in Javea costs over runs are endemic.
Individuals will no doubt wish to protest against the idea of household payments of an average 15,000€ so far without any indication of any grants or subsidies. Depending on the methodology of cost allocation, some property owners could well face liabilities considerably higher.
As house owners we need to do more to obtain more information before we are confronted with unwelcome or even unwarranted bills.
We need to express our mutual concerns as soon as possible to the decision makers in Javea Town Hall and politicians of all political parties in Javea. We should insist that independent cost-benefit and environmental evaluations are undertaken and published before any commitments are made on our behalf.
Experience has shown that we can obtain positive results when the Presidents and/or representatives from the Urbanisations get together, inform themselves on this subject and start to engage with the Town Hall. A legally constituted Federation* of local Javea Neighbourhood Associations already exists to undertake such representative tasks, with whom we can share your views.
If you are really concerned you can do three things right away:
1. For further information: email us at moc.liamg|selaudisersaugaegawes#moc.liamg|selaudisersaugaegawes and send us the name of your Urbanisation or part of Javea in which you live
2. Ask your President or Representative to contact us by this email-address
3. Forward this email to other concerned house owners that you know.
We aim to keep you informed,
Gert Bouwkamp, Peter Sainsbury
*Federación de Asociaciones de Vecinos y Cívicos de Jávea/Xàbia N.I.F. G53802682
