Xàbia Council begins drafting La Plana Special Plan
A public consultation phase will begin as soon as possible for interested parties to express their thoughts and concerns.
Friday 16th April 2021 | PRESS RELEASE; translation MIKE SMITH
Xàbia Council has started procedures to draft a <Plan Especial de La Plana>, a document that will regulate town planning and the possibilities of using the land in this rural area, taking into account the necessary conservation and preservation criteria as a protected natural environment.
La Plana lies within the Parque Natural del Montgó, a protected zone which was declared in 1987, but there have been rural houses built on the plateau long before its declaration. Urban rules are not only set by municipal regulations but also by the Plan de Ordenación de Recursos Naturales (PORN) – the Natural Resources Management Plan – and the Plan Rector de Usos y Gestión (PRUG) – the Master Plan for Uses and Management – which reduces potential and greatly complicates procedures.
Councillor Isabel Bolufer (Town Planning) explained that the local executive is aware of the situation in which owners find themselves when they intend to carry out any work, such as house renovations, road surfacing, tree pruning and even the installation of a fence.
There have never been any solutions but now, in parallel with the processing of updating the Plan General de Ordenación Urbana (PGOU) – the Town Planning General Plan – the Council will work on a specific plan for La Plana, which must be subsequently approved by regional government.
Mayor José Chulvi joined with councillor Bolufer to confirm that they have already informed the residents’ association of this initiative and that an order has already been issued to contract the first phase of the drafting of this special plan, for which a budget of 40,000 euros has been set aside.
Councillor Bolufer has also met with technicians and the director of the Parque Natural del Montgó, Joseba Rodríguez, to inform them of the intentions of the Council and seek their collaboration when drawing up the special plan. “We want to go hand in hand with the natural park and not take false steps that further delay this regulation,” she said, adding that it has been agreed to create a technical commission of both administrations to monitor its development.
The first step of the process – called Phase Zero – will be to open public consultation so that interested people can express their thoughts and concerns on the subject. This consultation will be announced through official channels when it is active on the municipal website.
