The council approves Benidorm Renaturalization Plan to promote more natural spaces and improve urban resilience

Benidorm City Council plenary session approved the city's Strategic Renaturalization Plan this Monday, a tool aimed at mitigating the impact of climate change and the progressive loss of biodiversity, and which seeks to improve the livability, health, and well-being of the population. The proposal, presented by the Councillor for Parks and Gardens, José Ramón González de Zárate, has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), financed by the European Union's NextGenerationEU program.

The proposal passed with the support of the local government (Popular Party) and the Socialist municipal group, and the abstention of the Vox councillor.

The Councillor for Parks and Gardens began his address by noting that the City Council is “a pioneer in implementing plans proposed by the European Union,” including the Climate Change Adaptation Plan, the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), the Sustainable Urban Transport Plan, and the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, which have “laid the groundwork for an integrated approach to urban sustainability.” He further explained that this Strategic Renaturalization Plan represents a further step forward. It is designed as a technical tool for analysis, planning, and proposals to reintroduce natural processes into the urban environment, improve ecological connectivity, strengthen green and blue infrastructure, and promote the generation of essential ecosystem services for the city.

To this end, the plan sets four basic objectives: increasing and improving urban green spaces; protecting and promoting the ecological network; environmental justice, awareness, and knowledge; and adaptive management and governance.

González de Zárate pointed out that Benidorm “is an example of a green city concerned about the environment” and recalled the actions carried out in the last ten years to reinforce this commitment, such as the restoration of the Parc de la Séquia Mare and El Moralet parks, as well as the renaturalization of spaces in other public areas, such as the playgrounds of three primary schools in the city, and streets like Doctor Pérez Llorca and Periodista Emilio Romero, among others.

Furthermore, the council also approved the declaration of expiration and the new initiation of the PAI (Integrated Action Plan) and Urbanisation Project for Sector PP3/1 Industrial, with which “the project will be finalised and made a reality,” stated the Councillor for Urban Planning, Lourdes Caselles. The councilwoman explained that several meetings have been held in recent weeks with landowners to create a new urban development consortium in order to continue with the project to complete the sector, and she noted that it is already 75% developed.

The motion passed with votes in favour from the Popular Party and Vox, while the Socialist Party abstained.

During the ordinary session in March, a motion presented by the mayor, Toni Pérez, was also approved with votes in favour from the PP and Vox parties and abstentions from the PSOE. The motion urges the Spanish Government to repair and put into operation the San Diego reservoir. The spokesperson for the local government team, Lourdes Caselles, regretted that this proposal did not pass unanimously, given that it is a “much-needed piece of infrastructure for the province's water supply” and that it “also supplies water to the Marina Baixa Water Consortium.” She lamented that the Socialist group did not join “in the defence of water, a motion that has been jointly supported in many municipalities of l’Alacantí and Vinalopó, where it did receive the support of the Socialist group.”

This reservoir was designed to store an annual volume of transferred water of 80 hm³, making it a strategic infrastructure for regulating the water transfer and guaranteeing the supply to the Alicante irrigation system, but it is unused due to its breakage and lack of waterproofing.

Local Police and Water Cycle Department Receive Distinctions

By unanimous vote of the entire Corporation, the proposal of the Councillor for Public Service to initiate the procedure for granting distinctions and decorations by the Valencian Regional Government to three officers of the Local Police Force for the award of the Cross of Police Merit with blue distinction was also approved. This is in recognition of their more than ten years of service in the police force and their numerous commendations. The officers are Mario César Martínez Villas, David Fontanet González, and Francisco Javier Sánchez Molina. Councillor Jesús Carrobles stated that these three officers “stand out with distinction and perseverance in the performance of their duties, demonstrating exemplary conduct, which undoubtedly makes them deserving of this distinction.” He also expressed his hope that “this recognition will serve as a token of gratitude and also as an incentive to continue performing their work.”

Regarding water issues, the City Council plenary session supported, with votes in favor from the PP and Vox parties and abstention from the Socialist group, the proposal of the Councillor for the Water Cycle to urge the Government of Spain to immediately begin the bidding process for the actions at the Rincón de León and Monte Orgegia wastewater treatment plants for the so-called “Zero Discharge Project”, contemplated in the current Hydrological Plan for Júcar River Basin, valid until December 2027.

José Ramón González de Zárate recalled that these actions, which fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the State and have been declared of General Interest since 2005, “are essential to protect the bay's marine ecosystem and guarantee additional water resources for irrigators in the area.” He also noted that they form part of the Júcar River Basin Management Plan for the 2022-2027 cycle, with an explicit start date in 2022 and completion date in 2027, utilising funds from the European Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), and declared an urgent priority by the Congress of Deputies in June 2023. These projects have implementation plans prepared by the Generalitat (Valencian Government) and submitted in July and December 2023, yet “they are suffering an unjustified delay that has even led to the loss of European funds.”

José Ramón González de Zárate pointed out that “the water for Benidorm and the Marina Baixa also comes from the Júcar basin, and the less drinking water used for irrigation, when treated wastewater can be used instead, the better it will be for our region.” He then lamented that, despite having projects and funds, these necessary infrastructures have still not been implemented.

Other approved motions

All members of the Corporation voted in favour of the proposal by the councillors for Contracting and General Heritage to approve the awarding of a concession for the private occupation of public land at 8 Tordo Street, Edificio Andalucía, for the purpose of installing an elevator for universal accessibility. The councillor for General Heritage, Jaime Jesús Pérez, explained that, with this motion, the City Council will allow the occupation of 4.31 meters of public right-of-way by this community of owners because the building's configuration does not allow for any other alternative to install an elevator that guarantees access to the apartments and complies with accessibility regulations. He also maintained that the matter is supported by all the necessary technical reports.

The concession period is set at 75 years (including any extensions), as stipulated in Article 184 of Law 8/2010, of June 23, the Valencian Local Government Act. The concession entails a fee of €60, payable by each beneficiary resident, as determined in Article 6.3.d) 4 of the Tax Ordinance Regulating the Fee for Private Use or Special Exploitation of Local Public Property (Official Gazette of the Province of Valencia, December 28, 2021), and in accordance with the terms outlined in the Administrative Contract Specifications.

The proposal by Mayor Toni Pérez to approve the annual extension for 2026 of the Consortium's administrative agreement for the implementation of the provisions of the Zone 6 Waste Management Plan, Management Area A1, with the Benidorm City Council, signed on July 10, 2025, was also unanimously approved. Councilman José Ramón González de Zárate explained that this agreement must be extended annually and that it includes the City Council's collaboration with municipal staff, specifically a technical advisor and an administrative employee, who, in addition to their municipal duties, also provide services to reinforce and guarantee the Consortium's ordinary and operational functioning.

Another item approved during the plenary session was the motion from the Popular Party's municipal group, requesting the Spanish Government to suspend fiscal rules and allow for greater flexibility in the use of Treasury surpluses for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years, given the socioeconomic consequences of the conflict in Iran. The Popular Party spokesperson, Lourdes Caselles, emphasised that the armed conflict “has generated an increase in costs, especially for energy, raw materials, and basic goods, which particularly affects families, households, and businesses, with local councils being the closest entities to respond to the needs of our residents.” He also pointed out that these rules were tightened again in 2024, forcing municipalities to allocate their savings to paying off bank debt. He defended the need to make these fiscal rules more flexible, “especially for municipalities that manage their finances well and close their fiscal years with treasury surpluses, with savings,” something that has already been done with other “conflicts such as the invasion of Ukraine, which unfortunately continues; it was done when energy prices rose, which continue to rise; with the rising cost of groceries, which continues to increase every day; and we believe it must be done again now.”

“We are facing an exceptional situation caused by this armed conflict, and we don't know how far it will go or what consequences it may have, but municipalities with positive treasury surpluses believe that these funds should be able to be used to help our residents who need it most,” Caselles added.

The proposal passed with the votes of the Popular Party and the Vox councillor. The Socialist Party, which had initially announced its support, ultimately abstained after its councillors left the plenary session.

Finally, the plenary was informed of the audit report of the Benidorm City Council's Internal Control Exercise in Local Entities, fiscal year 2024; and of Order No. 133/2026 from the Administrative Court No. 3 of Alicante, dated March 18, 2026, which ratified the out-of-court settlement reached by the parties on March 17, 2026, and ordered the dismissal of the legal proceedings related to Serra Gelada APR7.