PRESS RELEASE
The Town Hall to Order Reinforcement Work on Three More Privately Owned Windmills.
Javea. Monday, 29th August 2011.
Javea’s Planning Department is to order the owners of three of the windmills that sit atop the Plana de San Jerónimo to undertake urgent repair works to guarantee their safety. Pere Sapena, councillor for Planning, explained that after determining that one of the privately-owned windmills (number 10) evidenced a high risk of collapse, the department decided to inspect the the rest of the windmills. This is considered to be on of the most important sites of its kind in the Valencian Community and has been declared a “Bien de Relevancia Local”, (or an Asset of Local Importance). The technical inspection determined that windmills numbers 1,2 and 6 were also in a precarious state and, “it is necessary to take rapid action to prevent further deterioration,” said the Councillor.
According to Sapena, after studying the results of the inspection, the technicians are now determining the necessary measures for each one of the windmills. Depending on these measures, the owners will have to carry out the necessary repairs within a specified period. If they fail to do so, the Ayuntamiento will carry out the works and bill the owners with all expenses.
As for the repair order for windmill number 10 that was issued at the beginning of August, the Councillor stated that the owner, who has promised to carry out the necessary works in compliance with the building license that was granted, has already attended it to. The Council will be sure keep a close eye on its progress.
The Ayuntamiento owns two of the eleven windmills in La Plana, numbers 7 and 8. Both have undergone restoration work to guarantee their stability, one of the projects being led by the Xàbia Viva organisation. In Pere Sapena’s view, when it comes to patrimony, the municipality cannot be selective. It is the Town Hall’s obligation to ensure the conservation of all the Town’s assets, even those that are privately owned, as in the case of the windmills. They are important elements from a tourist point of view.
Addendum:
An article in XAD on 30th August 2011 Xàbia viva quiere.... Notes that the Associaltion "Xàbia Viva" which was responsible for helping to restore the municipally owned windmills wants the mills to be designated a "BIC" (Bien de Interés Cultural) and has decided to invite the Director General of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, Paz Olmos, to visit the windmills and see why it is necessary to protect and preserve these architectural elements characteristic of seventeenth century. Note: They hope that with the mills having a regional protection status they can get grants to set up an information centre, and obtain funding to restore at least one of the mills to working order.
