ARENAL RENOVATION SUSPENDED UNTIL AFTER SUMMER
Friday 27th January 2012

The long-awaited renovation of the promenade of the Arenal beach has been suspended until after the summer. In response to questions from PP, mayor José Chulvi told a full meeting of the council that the tender application process was taking far longer than expected and that initial deadlines set by the Regional Department of Infrastructure could not be met. Therefore he felt that he had no choice but to suspend the work until after the holiday season in order to avoid disruption.

Chulvi revealed that the delays meant that the start of the renovation would be have been delayed until April with a projected duration of some four months. Given that no-one could guarantee that the works would be completed before the beginning of the crucial summer season, the council felt that there was no alternative but to seek a postponement of the work. The business association in the Arenal has been informed of the decision, its members being those who would be directly affected by the renovation project, and it has agreed that to ensure a smooth holiday season, it was better to postpone the work until October.

Chulvi stressed that since taking office last year, he has written numerous letters to both the Regional Department of Infrastructure and that of Tourism to stress the importance of this project to the overall tourist image of Jávea and that the work should not interfere with the summer season. He added that he believes that those responsible for regional administration were sympathetic to the situation and would be willing to accept a postponement. In addition, it is felt that, without the pressure of a tight deadline, the project would be able to incorporate several improvements that have been proposed by the local council.

Back in October 2011, mayor Chulvi and deputy mayor Antón Óscar travelled to Valencia to be told by the Regional Department of Infrastructure that the the renovation project, part of the regional government's Plan Confianza, would start in December and would be completed before the 2012 summer season. And then when December arrived, Victoriano Sanchez, Regional Secretary for Infrastructure, said that the work would start in the first quarter of 2012 with Vicente Dómine, the director general of Public Works, Housing and Urban Projects confirming that proposed tender from companies competing for the chance to work on the project would be opened on January 9th and that he hoped that "work would start soon afterwards".

Some two millions euros had initially been put aside for the long-awaited improvements, designed by architect Ana Bondia and including the re-paving of the promenade and improvement to the lighting. It had initially been delayed due to permission to proceed being sought from the Provincial Department of Coasts since the work would be on designated coastal land. The project budget had dropped to 1.5 millions euros by the time it was announced that several companies had made tender applications for the work, including ECISA, who had built the two underground car-parks in the old town and Arción, which was responsible for the museum extension and the music conservatory in the Plaza de la Constitución. Major construction firm Dragados S.A. had become front-runner to be awarded the project with a bid that was some 35% less than the projected budget but had been asked to justify their offer.

Jávea has been waiting some 20 years for this much-needed refurbishment work on an area that has been sadly neglected by several administrations for far too long. It is going to have just a little bit longer ...

Source: Press Release - Xŕbia Ajuntament