The plenary session approves the Climate Change Adaptation Plan, the first for cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants

The plenary session of Benidorm City Council has unanimously approved this morning the Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PACC), a plan that was presented a few days ago and that pursues six objectives for whose achievement 13 lines of action and 54 actions have been established specific actions aligned with the 2030 Agenda. Benidorm is the first city in the Valencian Community and the first with more than 50,000 inhabitants to have a Plan of these characteristics.

The government spokesperson, Lourdes Caselles, has affirmed that the PACC is "a road map" of where municipal action should go to achieve a double objective: "avoid continuing to harm the planet by human action" and "adopt measures that allow mitigating the effects of climate change" on the territory and also on "the economy and society". “We have to believe it” she has emphasized.

Caselles has exposed the risks for the countries of the Mediterranean area and points such as Benidorm, hence the City Council, hand in hand with the Climatic Intelligence company and Professor Jorge Olcina, had opted for the development of this plan. The mayor has detailed that all the work carried out is specified in six objectives, which are "the conservation of biodiversity, the renaturalization of the municipality to be more resilient, the improvement of the design and adaptation of the city, awareness of the public in the commitment against climate change, promoting the use of renewable energies, self-consumption and efficiency and, finally, improving the impacts of tourism”.

The spokesperson clarified that the PACC is "a roadmap" of where municipal action should go to achieve a dual purpose: "avoid continuing to harm the planet with human action" and "adopt measures to mitigate the effects of change climate" on the territory and also on "the economy and society". She has also specified that "some of the 54 actions" included in the PACC are already "being implemented" as is the case of the Low Emissions Zone in the Spanish Navy.

In today's session, a proposal from the Mayor's Office has also gone ahead to declare null the urban planning agreement signed in 2003 between the City Council and the company Acciona Inmobiliaria referring to the APR-7 sector that established compensation for urban development in other sectors.

The spokeswoman Lourdes Caselles has indicated that the opinion of the Consell Jurídic Consultiu on this matter endorses the declaration of nullity "because it is contrary to law", for which "the ex officio review procedure is thus completed and the allegations presented are dismissed".

In the same session, and also with the vote of the entire Corporation, the Municipal Action Plan against the Risk of Floods (PAM) has been definitively approved, as well as requesting its approval from the Civil Protection Commission of the Valencian Community. The Councilor for the Water Cycle, José Ramón González de Zárate, has indicated that, as with the PACC, with this PAM "Benidorm is a pioneer in the Valencian Community and probably at a national level" when it comes to preparing a document that marks " where there are flooding problems in the municipality and what solutions must be applied” to correct them.

In this regard, he recalled that "of the 21 risk points indicated in the PAM, 17 have already been practically solved" and in "the four that remain pending, work has already begun on the solutions pointed out by the technicians". Thus, he has clarified that the projects of El Murtal avenue and Barceló ravine "are already approved at the municipal headquarters, pending authorization from the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation to be able to act."

After informing that in the public exhibition phase no allegations have been presented to the PAM, De Zárate has highlighted that recently during a special commission held in Les Corts Valencianes the representatives of all the political groups "congratulated Benidorm City Council" for the initiative and the content of the document, as well as by the Climate Change Adaptation Plan.

On the other hand, with a large majority, a budget modification has been approved to increase the resources of the Sports department. The Councilor for Finance, Aída García Mayor, explained that an additional 330,954.94 euros are being invested on the one hand for the project to expand and improve the universal accessibility of 'Raúl Mesa' pavilion, the cost has been increased due "to the review to the rise in the price of materials. Likewise, and also as a result of the "increase in the price of consumer goods and fuel", it is necessary to "increase the budget of the Department of Sports by 300,000 euros to face the planned activities and services" until the end of the year.

García Mayor has specified that the resources for the work of 'Raúl Mesa' pavilion will be consigned through a bank loan, while the necessary funds for Sports activities and services will be allocated "from the remainder of the Treasury for general expenses of 2021”; that is, charged to the savings achieved last year. Remember that in the plenary session in March it was approved to allocate 8 million from these savings to help families and companies.

Unanimously, beach services have been set for the months of May and June based on the technical report from the Environment department. Thus, during the month of May, the same rescue operation that worked during Easter will continue with 5 lifeguards on Levante beach, 6 in Poniente and one in Mal Pas.

This service extends its hours by one hour and will be from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The health device will also have two ambulances and five nurses; while the accessible beach service is open from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Parque de Elche and Calle Murcia points.

For the month of June, there will be a general increase in services for beach users. Thus, there will be 9 lifeguards in Levante, 9 in Poniente and 2 in Mal Pas. In addition, there will be a lifeguard in each of the coves of Tio Ximo and Almadrava. The schedule will remain from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The device will be increased by two more ambulances and there will be three open points of accessible beaches -Parque de Elche, Calle Murcia and La Cala-, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The agreement has also provided for the device for the Night of San Juan that will have 5 lifeguards in Levante, 6 in Poniente and one in Mal Pas; as well as 3 nurses and 3 ambulances between 7:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. That night the accessible beach points of Elche Park and Murcia Street will also be operational at the same time.

In relation to the cleaning service, during the months of May and June, the operation is established at 10 operators for Levante beach and 11 for Poniente and Mal Pas, together with three sieves that will cover all the beaches. For the hammock rental service, the proposal that allows the concessionaire company to install 3,500 daily is still in force.

With the same result, it has been agreed to send the latest reports received in relation to the final version of Partial Plan 1/1 'Ensanche de Levante' to the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, Climate Change and Rural Development and thus complete the file transferred for the issuance of the Strategic Environmental and Territorial Declaration. The Councilor for Urban Planning, Lourdes Caselles, explained that these are separate reports issued by the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Sustainable Mobility, and the Ministry of Agriculture relating to a livestock route.

Caselles has indicated that although both favourable reports have been received "after the deadline, they must be taken into account", and hence they are sent to the Department of the Environment.
Within the agenda, the opinion of the Consell Jurídic Consultiu on the urban planning agreement signed in June 2003 between the City Council and the company Acciona Inmobiliaria SLU in the APR-7 has been reported. Also, the agreement adopted by the Mesa de Les Corts in relation to the City Council's request to modify a section of the Local Police Coordination Law.

Likewise, the file and closure of the file raised by the Government Representation department regarding the initial approval of the 2022 budget of Benidorm City Council has been reported.