PP concerned about Cala del Tangó and the regeneration of the Xàbia coast

Tuesday 7th September 2021 – PRESS RELEASE with Mike Smith

As a result of the latest news about the project approved by the regional government’s Department of Territorial Policy which will result in the disappearance of the beach at Cala del Tangó, the Partido Popular (PP) has not only expressed its discomfort at this affront against a natural piece of the town’s heritage but also raises its concern for the “zero regeneration of the beaches and coves of the municipality which can be a serious long-term problem” as well as resolving the issue of cliff landslides.

PP spokesperson, Rosa Cardona, explained that many kilometres of coastline must be safeguarded so that the strong waves don’t destroy it. The regeneration of Xàbia’s coast must be studied at a technical level so that it can be assessed how and where to extract the natural sediments in order to carry out the process. “Not in vain, the beaches act as a natural barrier to stop the impact of the sea and protect the coast. But if we don’t regenerate them in a sustainable manner, the storms will continue to erode the coast until its degradation and consequent danger.” This is something that has happened with Cala del Tangó, she explained, and is happening with other important beaches such as La Grava which is gradually decreasing in size. “Xàbia has a great coastline which is shrinking and it is essential that we act”.

The PP claimed that there are several solutions: act as naturally as possible or place large breakwater stones like those that are proposed by the regional government. “At this point, we should be able to understand that Xàbia is special for something specific and we cannot lose our coastline”, said Cardona, adding that her party already raised the regeneration of Cala del Tangó during the town planning meeting in 2013 and that the council had “never expressed its intention to make it disappear” in 2017. And then, in 2020, the PP presented a motion during a council plenary session to return to the theme of regenerating both Cala del Tangó and Cala Ambolo. “The socialist government put all impediments that it could so that it did not go ahead and, in the end, it was approved unanimously. Now, suddenly, a totally different project of action has appeared, contrary to the interests of the entire municipality.”

“We are talking about the Posidonia whose protection is very important but the government is not fighting for the conservation of the beaches and protection of the coast,” said Cardona. Last year, the regional secretary responsible, Arcadi España, announced that she was working on a project for the port. “If they want to believe that, being from the same party, sitting in Les Corts [Valencianes], they haven’t had time to talk about Xàbia and that they didn’t know what was going to be done – I don’t believe.” Cardona added that “whoever has to oppose this project is not doing so. This type of action – and more like this – is sent to the town councils and they carry out their own study and give their opinion on the matter. Were they thinking of keeping it quiet or did they think we weren’t going to realize it?”

The PP spokesperson asked that if the press, residents and the PP themselves had shown their discomfort, what would have happened? “In the face of media pressure, the mayor has reacted, and within 24 hours of the closure of the bid submission process, he announced that he will meet with the regional secretary and that it will be the experts who will provide solutions,” she said, adding that she hopes that the meeting will result in the complete suspension of the project and with the first intention of regenerating the Cala del Tangó. When pressed on the issue of the Restaurante El Tangó, Cardona said that she would never advocate taking a business away from a resident who has worked him and lives off him.

Cardona then explained that the PP is studying different courses of action if the current project can’t be stopped. “We will intervene and go to the relevant legal institutions (litigation, the European Union, etc.) because within the plan there are reasons to be able to stop it”. She added that they did not want to go to these extremes but if, after the meeting, the project is not suspended, that the regeneration of the area is not carried, that the cliffs are protected from landslides, the party will continue forward.

“We are not going to allow the cove to be lost. It is an iconic place in Xàbia, although it has been abandoned for year, and that after its regeneration, attention turns to Ambolo, La Grava, etc.”