CalpeNoticias EN

At today's plenary session, the regulatory bases for this campaign were submitted for initial approval, a preliminary step before its launch in the coming weeks. The campaign is expected to begin in November and end on 15 December 2025, once the administrative process has been completed.

The campaign will have a total investment of €200,000, financed entirely by Calpe Town Council. Thanks to this direct aid, people registered as residents of Calpe over the age of 18 will be able to purchase vouchers worth €20, €50 or €100, paying only half the amount. The other half will be subsidised by the town council.

Each person will be able to purchase a maximum of £100 in vouchers per ID card, and these can be used in trades participating in the municipality for purchases equal to or greater than their value.

The vouchers will be requested through a digital platform that will be active when the campaign is launched.

This initiative has proven in previous editions to be an effective tool for economic recovery, encouraging consumption in local businesses and generating a multiplier effect in sectors such as small businesses, restaurants and personal services.

The Councillor for Economic Promotion, Paqui Solivelles, has called on both citizens and businesses in the municipality to actively join this campaign, which reinforces the institutional commitment to boosting the local economy.

Regulations of the Municipal Sports Council

The Calpe Town Council has definitively approved the final draft of the Regulations of the Municipal Sports Council, after the public consultation period ended without any objections being raised. This step marks the formal establishment of this new body for sectoral participation in the municipality's sports sector.

The Municipal Sports Council was created with the aim of promoting dialogue, coordination and active participation among sports organisations, clubs, educational centres and individuals involved in local sports, serving as a meeting place between the administration and the various agents involved in Calpe's sports sector. Its functions include proposing and discussing initiatives, monitoring municipal sports policies and collaborating in the organisation of events and activities. It will also be able to draw up reports and recommendations on issues of general interest for the improvement of sports in Calpe.

The approved regulations establish the composition of the Council, with representation from institutions, sports clubs, associations, educational centres and individual athletes, as well as the operating rules and frequency of meetings.

The Councillor for Sport, Ximo Perles, pointed out that ‘with this initiative, Calpe Town Council reaffirms its commitment to a participatory and transparent model in the design of sports policies, and reinforces its commitment to the promotion of sport as a tool for social cohesion, well-being and community development’.

Once published in the Official Gazette of the Province, the regulations will come into force and the process of officially establishing the Council will begin.

Sustainability Master Plan

Finally, the Plenary Session gave initial approval to the Sustainability Master Plan, a strategic document that will set out the municipality's roadmap for sustainable development for the period 2025-2030. The purpose of this plan is to align local policies with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the UN, promoting actions that integrate economic, social and environmental sustainability. The document has been drawn up by Global Omnium, acting as external assistance, at a cost of €33,000, as part of the Improvement Action Plan approved by the plenary session in 2022, and has been approved by the Department of Urban Planning and the Environment. Its contents include:

• A diagnosis of the current context of the municipality.
• The definition of specific and measurable goals to achieve the SDGs.
• The planning of actions in line with the 2030 Agenda.
• A system of indicators that will allow progress to be assessed on a regular basis.

In addition, the City Council's commitment to promoting citizen participation and transparency throughout the process is included.

Once initially approved, the plan will be submitted for public consultation for 30 days, during which time citizens and interested parties may submit comments or suggestions. The document will be available on the Council's notice board and on the municipal website, as well as being published in the Official Gazette of the Province.

The Councillor for Urban Planning, Juan Manuel del Pino, has stated that ‘with this Sustainability Master Plan, Calpe is taking a decisive step towards a more responsible and resilient local management model, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability and the well-being of present and future generations’.

The 2025-2026 school year began today in Calpe with a total of 3,541 pupils enrolled. In Infant (2nd cycle) and Primary Education, 2,018 pupils have enrolled (578 in Infant Education and 1,440 in Primary Education), distributed across Calpe's four educational centres: CEIP Azorín (515 pupils), Gabriel Miró (548), Oltà (412) and Mediterrani (543).

In secondary school, 955 students are enrolled at the start of this school year, of which 670 are at IES Ifac and 285 at IES Les Salines. In addition, IES Ifac has 180 students enrolled in sixth form and 170 in vocational training.

A total of 166 children have enrolled for this academic year at the Silene Nursery School (1st cycle of nursery education). And CEEP Gargasindi is starting the academic year with 52 pupils.

Enrolment is open all year round, so these figures may vary.

Calpe Town Council reports that the Regional Ministry of Education has not delivered all the furniture promised for the temporary IES Les Salines educational centre, which was scheduled for today, Monday 8 September. Nor has it provided the necessary personnel to carry out the assembly and cleaning tasks that are essential to ensure that the centre can start operating in optimal conditions.

In view of this situation, the Council has been forced to act on its own and urgently hire the services of a specialised company to refurbish the facilities in time for the start of the 2025-2026 school year, scheduled for Tuesday 9 September.

The management of IES Les Salines and the Department of Education have conveyed their concern about the state of the centre to the Regional Ministry and the need to consider a possible postponement of the start of classes if the proper preparation of the building cannot be guaranteed. However, the response from the regional administration has been non-existent or negative.

Calpe Town Council would like to convey a message of understanding and patience to families during these first few days, and would like to thank the entire educational community for their efforts and collaboration, working together to ensure that students can start the school year in the best possible conditions.

Please note that any official information will be communicated exclusively through the management team of IES Les Salines and Calpe Town Council itself.

The Councillor for Education of Calpe Town Council, Mariola Mulet, and the headmaster of IES Ifac, Moisés Pastor, visited the construction site of the new temporary IES Les Salines school this morning to check on the progress of the work and confirm that the 2025-2026 academic year will go ahead as planned.

During the visit, both parties confirmed that the centre is practically complete. As the headteacher pointed out, ‘the centre is 100% ready, just waiting for a few finishing touches and for the Conselleria's delivery to arrive on Monday,’ referring to the necessary furniture that the Conselleria de Educación (Regional Ministry of Education) plans to deliver that same day.

To mark this delivery, a reception for the pupils will be held on Monday at the Casa de Cultura in Calpe, while classes will begin as normal on Tuesday in the new temporary facilities.

The Town Council wanted to convey a message of reassurance to families. Both the councillor and the headteacher have highlighted the joint effort made to ensure that the school year can begin without any setbacks, despite the difficulties inherent in a project of this magnitude.

Mariola Mulet expressly thanked ‘the work of the IES teaching team, the patience of the families and the involvement of all the companies and individuals who are actively collaborating to ensure that the students can start the school year in the best possible conditions’.

The temporary IES Les Salines school has been designed as a provisional solution while work is carried out on the future new secondary school in Calpe, with the aim of ensuring continuity of education and avoiding travel to other municipalities.

Aguas de Calpe has put the Corralets reservoir back into service after completing the comprehensive refurbishment of this infrastructure, which is key to the municipality's supply system as it is the main drinking water reservoir supplying the town centre.

The project, which took three months to complete, involved an investment of more than €579,000. The reservoir has a capacity of 10,000 m³ (equivalent to 10 million litres), a diameter of 44 metres and a height of 6.9 metres.

The work included waterproofing and renovating the roof, refurbishing the interior and exterior of the infrastructure, and making hydraulic improvements. The latter included replacing the fibre cement pipes with stainless steel pipes and installing new valves to improve the system's manoeuvrability.

Prior to the execution of the works, Aguas de Calpe used the digital twin of the supply network to simulate and predict possible effects resulting from the temporary disconnection of the reservoir. Thanks to this tool, the company was able to guarantee continuity of supply and maintain a hydraulic performance of 91.5%, one of the highest in the province.

With this intervention, the Corralets reservoir is fully reincorporated into the network and reinforces the efficient management of water in the municipality.

The Departments of Culture and Revitalisation of Calpe's Old Town have taken stock of the summer programme carried out during July and August, which has resulted in more than 8,000 people participating in a total of 47 artistic and cultural activities.

The programme included theatre, concerts, conferences, exhibitions, guided tours and film screenings, many of them in iconic locations in the historic centre. Activities also took place at the Casa de Cultura, the Plaza Mayor, the beaches of La Fossa and Arenal and, new this year, in La Vallesa Park, which hosted a family theatre production that was very well attended.

The play ‘Corta el cable rojo’ (Cut the Red Wire), after 13 successful seasons on Madrid's Gran Vía, brought the programme to a close last Saturday at the Casa de Cultura Auditorium. The improvisational production was sold out and received prolonged applause, which reaffirms Calpe's commitment to a diverse, high-quality cultural offering with great drawing power,’ said Guillermo Sendra, Councillor for Culture and Revitalisation of the Old Town.

Sendra spoke very positively about the public's reception and highlighted Calpe's consolidation as a cultural reference point in the province of Alicante. He also announced that September will continue with an intense programme, including the SOMIART Street Theatre Festival and the CALPESULAS initiative, both of which are scheduled to take place in the town's historic centre.

Friday, 5:

• From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• Exhibition: ‘Banys de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman Footprint). Until 30 December. Museo del Coleccionismo
• Exhibition: ‘Xanadú Ilustrado’ (Illustrated Xanadu). Until 30 September. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Saturday, 6:

• From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• 6:30 p.m. Guided tour of the historic centre of Calp (by appointment).
• Exhibition ‘Banys de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museo del Coleccionismo
• Exhibition ‘Xanadú Ilustrado’ (Illustrated Xanadu). Until 30 September. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Sunday, 7:

• From 6 pm to 1 am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• Exhibition ‘Banys de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museo del Coleccionismo.
• Exhibition ‘Xanadú Ilustrado’ (Illustrated Xanadu). Until 30 September. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Calpe Town Council has launched the diagnostic process that will enable the municipality to apply for recognition as a Smart Tourist Destination (DTI), a model promoted by the Secretary of State for Tourism through SEGITTUR (State Society for the Management of Innovation and Tourism Technologies).

The mayor, Ana Sala, together with other councillors from the government team and technicians from different municipal departments, held a meeting with representatives from SEGITTUR to finalise the details of the implementation of this diagnostic process. The project will begin with an audit to assess the destination's level of maturity in relation to the five key areas of the programme: governance, innovation, technology, sustainability and accessibility. This analysis will be carried out using 97 requirements and 261 indicators, which will be used to draw up a comprehensive diagnosis and establish recommendations for improvement in each of the areas.

Among the benefits of implementing the DTI model are leadership in tourism transformation with a demonstration effect for other destinations, the generation of synergies between local actors and efficient use of resources, the strengthening of tourism governance and the improvement of Calpe's positioning thanks to a pioneering project at a global level. It also aims to foster a culture of innovation in the administration and the business community, increase tourism competitiveness and improve the visitor experience.

‘This process we are now embarking on is a great challenge for Calpe because of all the changes it involves; being a Smart Tourist Destination is not only about technology and innovation, but also affects areas as diverse as destination governance, sustainability and accessibility,’ said Mayor Ana Sala.

Smart Tourist Destination Programme

The Smart Tourist Destinations programme, managed by SEGITTUR, seeks to improve the competitiveness of Spanish destinations and the quality of life of their citizens. Recognised by organisations such as the World Tourism Organisation, the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Spanish model is considered an international best practice and forms part of the 2019 Spanish Urban Agenda.

A Smart Tourist Destination is defined as an innovative tourist destination, consolidated on cutting-edge technological infrastructure, which guarantees the sustainable development of the tourist area, accessible to all, facilitating visitor interaction and integration with the environment and increasing the quality of their experience at the destination and improving the quality of life of residents.

The municipal swimming pool in Calpe will reopen its doors tomorrow, Wednesday, after repair and maintenance works carried out during August, which have resulted in improvements to the facilities.

Among the work carried out, the renovation and automation of the machinery stands out, which accounted for the largest part of the investment, €78,484.77. It should be noted that no comprehensive maintenance of the machinery had been carried out in the last ten years, which made the intervention particularly necessary. Specifically, the dehumidifier, which had not been working since 2019, has been repaired, ensuring that the swimming pool is free of humidity and has a good breathing environment. The air conditioning and heating systems in the two changing rooms, the distribution pumps that were leaking, and the four diesel boilers have also been repaired to ensure service in the event of a biomass boiler failure. In addition, the entire electrical panels have been replaced.

In addition to these repairs, an automation system has been implemented which, via a website and an app, will allow real-time monitoring of the status of each of the machines, as well as parameters such as relative humidity, water temperature and chlorine levels.

Furthermore, under the repair and works contract signed last May, the ceiling has been cleaned of damp, the floor in the entrance hall has been replaced with epoxy, and all the blue skirting boards, which were made of chipboard and in poor condition, have been replaced. These works have involved an investment of €24,000.

Modern turnstiles for automatic access control have also been installed at a cost of €16,100, and a staircase has been built to provide access to the small pool. In addition, a new wheelchair for people with disabilities has been purchased.

Finally, all the lockers, benches and doors in the changing rooms have been renovated and restored, and new showers and accessibility bars have been installed. The incorporation of hairdryers and new baby changing facilities in the changing rooms is currently out to tender.

The company awarded the lifeguard service contract in Calp, Eulen, carried out a rescue drill on Cantal Roig beach on Friday 29 August. The drill involved rescuing and pulling a child from the sea who was having great difficulty returning to shore. The victim also simulated suffering a cardiac arrest after swallowing a lot of water.

A boat and a jet ski were used in the sea rescue, and once on land, the victim was given basic CPR with oxygen therapy and a defibrillator before finally being taken by ambulance to hospital. In total, the drill lasted 12 minutes and 30 seconds.

The aim of this type of drill is to monitor rescue times and coordination between the various lifeguards to ensure optimal service. Furthermore, these types of drills, which are carried out annually, are a requirement for the Blue Flag certification.

Calpe Town Council has announced a new edition of municipal rental assistance aimed at young people with limited financial resources. The initiative, called Lloguer Jove, aims to facilitate access to and maintenance of permanent rental housing for young people in the municipality, thus contributing to their emancipation and greater residential stability.

The call for applications, published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Alicante, has a budget of €50,000 and provides for grants of up to €1,200 per beneficiary, equivalent to six monthly payments of €200, corresponding to rent payments made between January and September 2025.

Among the requirements to access this aid, applicants must be under 35 years of age or turn 35 during 2025, have been registered as residents in Calpe for at least one year, and be listed as the holder of a lease agreement for their primary residence in the municipality with a minimum duration of eleven months. They must also prove that their annual income is equal to or less than three times the IPREM (Public Income Index), which can be extended to four or five times this indicator depending on circumstances such as the existence of people with disabilities, single-parent families or large families.

The aid will be awarded on a competitive basis until the planned budget has been exhausted, in accordance with the order of receipt of applications that meet all the requirements set out in the regulations.

The deadline for submitting applications is between 1 and 26 September. Applications must be submitted through the Citizen Service Office, either electronically or by any of the means provided for in the Common Administrative Procedure Act.

All the necessary information and documentation is available on the Council's website.

Work carried out in La Pobla d'Ifac this summer as part of the 20th Excavation Campaign of the Archaeological Museum of Alicante has identified the remains of two large buildings, which are the first evidence of the existence of dwellings of the inhabitants of Ifach during the 14th century.

The Deputy for Culture, Juan de Dios Navarro, visited the archaeological site this morning, located on the slopes of the Peñón de Ifach Natural Park, to see the discovery first-hand. ‘This is a major discovery that reaffirms the status of this archaeological site as a benchmark in medieval research, and the Provincial Council is delighted to support this campaign, in this case through a project in which more than one million euros has already been invested over two decades of collaboration with the city council,’ said the councillor.

Over the last twenty years, with the support of more than 350 volunteers from Valencian, Spanish and European universities, the team has uncovered an important walled enclosure with two monumental gates and the domus domini, where the House of Llúria, the feudal family that controlled the castle territory of Calpe in the 14th century, exercised its power. The Beata Santa María de Ifach church has also been located, a building promoted by Margarita de Llúria y Entenza, daughter of Admiral Roger de Llúria and Saurina de Entenza.

Accompanied by the regional secretary for the Environment and Territory, Raúl Mérida, the first deputy mayor of Calpe, Juan Manuel del Pino, the provincial deputy Arturo Poquet and the director of MARQ and coordinator of the campaign, Manuel Olcina, Navarro visited the site where a team of professionals and volunteers has been working for four weeks under the direction of José Luis Menéndez, a specialist in medieval archaeology and exhibition technician at the Alicante museum.

‘The preservation and enhancement of this site is one of the priorities of this institution, which is working to turn it into a museum in the future and thus complete the environmental and cultural offerings of the Peñón de Ifach,’ said the councillor, who, like del Pino, thanked the volunteers for their work.

In addition to the important discovery of the dwellings, which are rectangular in shape and built of rammed earth with masonry chained at the corners, the MARQ team has continued with the excavation of the shed located outside the city walls, which continues to grow in size, now measuring more than 18 metres in length. Furthermore, as part of the preventive conservation programme being carried out at the site, a large part of the rubble generated during the demolition of the Hotel Palace Ifach has been removed.

A few days ago, the Local Governing Board agreed to request that the Regional Ministry of the Environment, Infrastructure and Territory urgently convene the Governing Board of Penyal d'Ifac, the body responsible for managing the park, which has not met for years.

At the last Local Governing Board meeting, general discontent was expressed about the state of neglect of the natural park, as well as the need to carry out various actions and address the improvement of the natural environment. The Calpe Town Council has conveyed this discontent to the Regional Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure and Territory so that the appropriate measures can be taken to clean and maintain Penyal d'Ifac.

After confirming that the Governing Board has not met for years and that the park currently has no director to whom the needs and complaints can be conveyed, the Calpe Council is urging the Regional Ministry to convene the board urgently so that the problems posed by the Penyal d'Ifac Natural Park, the most visited in the Valencian Community, can be addressed and resolved.

Last September, the Town Council sent an official letter to the Regional Ministry requesting that the Governing Board be convened as the body that debates and decides on issues relating to the operation and maintenance of the natural park. At that time, the need to install signage on La Pobla and authorisation for the MARQ to create a museum/interpretation centre for La Pobla d'Ifac in the building located within the park itself were already raised. However, the municipal request received no response.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, has pointed out that: "the City Council has conveyed the need for greater involvement; the natural park is the smallest and most visited in the Valencian Community. Although its management is the responsibility of the regional government, we are the ones who suffer the complaints and apathy because we have no governing body to turn to. After two years of the legislature without the governing board being convened to address not only complaints but also needs and possibilities for improvement, we believe that it is urgent to convene it."

Friday, 29:

• From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• From 7 pm to 9 pm - Open-air workshops (painting, ceramics and crafts) organised by Amigos del Arte. Calle Pedro García Ortiz.
• 8 pm - Travelling concert through the historic centre by ClaudeFa Calpe. Starting at Calle La Fuente.
• Balconadas in the historic centre of Calpe. Calles Purísima, San José, Justícia, Dos de Mayo and the plazas Mosquit, Miguel Roselló and Plaza de España.
• Exhibition ‘Banys de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museo del Coleccionismo
• Exhibition ‘Llúria. Lords and Ladies of the Land’. Until 31 August. ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà’ Cultural Centre.
• Painting exhibition: ‘Pinta que pintarás’ by Paqui Colomina. Until 30 August. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Saturday, 30th:

• 8:30 p.m. - Improvisation show ‘Corta el cable rojo’ (Cut the Red Wire) will have the Auditorium laughing with the freshest and most unpredictable humour. Auditorium. Free show.
• 8 p.m. - Bye Bye Summer Party to benefit Capitanía Mora 2025. With DJs Rubén Daza and Jordi Oltra.
• From 6 pm to 1 am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• Balconadas in the historic centre of Calpe. Calles Purísima, San José, Justícia, Dos de Mayo and the squares Mosquit, Miguel Roselló and Plaza de España.
• Exhibition: ‘Banys de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museo del Coleccionismo.

• Exhibition: ‘Llúria. Señores y Señoras de la Tierra’ (Llúria. Lords and Ladies of the Land). Until 31 August. Casa de Cultura ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà’.
• Painting exhibition: ‘Pinta que pintarás’ by Paqui Colomina. Until 30 August. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.

Sunday, 31st:

• From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach)
• Balconies in the historic centre of Calpe. Calles Purísima, San José, Justícia, Dos de Mayo and the plazas Mosquit, Miguel Roselló and Plaza de España.
• Exhibition ‘Banys de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museo del Coleccionismo
• Exhibition ‘Llúria. Señores y Señoras de la Tierra’ (Llúria. Lords and Ladies of the Land). Until 31 August. ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà’ Cultural Centre.

Aguas de Calpe is currently constructing a new sewer that will ensure the correct connection to the sewerage network of the new Les Salines secondary school, which is currently under construction, as well as a new sewer that will run through the grounds of the Gargasindi Special Education Centre.

The planned investment for both strategic actions amounts to more than €107,000. The solution adopted is the rehabilitation with a self-supporting sleeve of a 269-metre section of 400 mm diameter sewer - in the case of the Les Salines Secondary School - and a 170-metre section of 300 mm diameter sewer in the case of the Gargasindi Special Education Centre.

The company Aguas de Calpe has carried out all the preliminary work - such as the inspection of collectors with closed-circuit television (CCTV), measurement and verification of diameters along the entire length of the collector to be rehabilitated - during the summer period to avoid and reduce any inconvenience to residents. In particular, the pupils of the CEIP Azorín school, located next to the CEE Gargasindi works site, given the start of the school year, and for this reason the installation of the sleeve is scheduled for the week of 1 to 5 September, before the start of the school year.

Special features of the technical characteristics

Rehabilitation with a self-supporting sleeve, i.e. trenchless technology, is based on the introduction into the collector to be rehabilitated of a textile sleeve made of polyester felt with an internal polypropylene coating, impregnated with thermosetting polyester resin using hot water or steam.

 The result is equivalent to a new pipe with a service life of over 50 years. Aguas de Calpe, a joint venture formed by Calp Town Council and the Global Omnium group, has been committed to the digitalisation and continuous improvement of service management for many years.

 Aware of the importance of an objective assessment of the sewer network as a starting point for data-based asset management, in 2021 it began a systematic inspection and diagnosis campaign of the entire sewerage network in Calp, which would be completed two years later.

To address this challenge, CCTV inspection of the nearly 100 km of collectors that make up the network was planned, and software for automatic detection of defects in sewerage networks based on artificial intelligence (SEWDEF, from INLOC Robotics) was used. The diagnosis of the network is carried out by the software itself based on the defects identified, following the principles of the WRc protocol. This provides an operational and structural status indicator for each collector. In this way, the costs of inspection and diagnosis operations are minimised, ensuring an objective assessment in determining priorities for action.

The Calpe Town Council, through the Department of the Environment and Forest Surveillance, will launch a new strategy for the prevention of forest fires in the municipality in September. From now on, forest cleaning and management activities will be concentrated in the post-summer season in order to mitigate risks and protect the environment.

‘We have laid the foundations for effective and continuous work based on the premise that fires are extinguished in winter, which will be a crucial step for the safety of our mountains,’ said the Councillor for the Environment, Pere Moll.
In this regard, among the actions that the council plans to carry out is the implementation of the Local Forest Fire Prevention Plan, which will involve the creation of perimeter strips in the Oltà mountains. The project, which will involve an investment of €153,000, is part of the Destination Tourism Sustainability Plan (PSTD) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) financed by the European Union - Next Generation. Work is expected to begin in September.

The Calpe Town Council has already drawn up and sent to the Valencian Regional Government the urban-forestry map of the municipality, which delimits a safety strip between urban areas and forest areas to prevent fires or, in the event of a fire, to prevent its spread, a requirement of a legislative decree of the Regional Government.

Likewise, a tender worth €59,900 is being prepared to contract the cleaning and forest management of the green areas of Empedrola I and II. Progress is also being made in the processing of a collaboration agreement for the restoration of the green area comprising La Empedrola and La Rosina, all with the aim of improving the environment and preventing fires.

Furthermore, in September, the Calpe government team will once again present the motion it approved last year to request the declaration of a Forest Health Emergency in the Valencian Community. This initiative is a response to the serious situation of massive pine tree dieback, which increases the risk of fires. ‘We want to make it clear that, although we are taking action, the magnitude of the problem requires a declaration of emergency so that the authorities can act more quickly,’ said the Councillor for the Environment.

In addition to this, the Department of the Environment recalls the actions taken in recent months to improve safety and emergency response, including the adaptation of a road in the Oltamar district, in the Oltà camping area, which will facilitate a possible evacuation, as well as improving access for firefighters on the road on the southern slope of Oltà, in the shooting range area.

The Department, in collaboration with Civil Protection, also carries out water control and replenishment work at the Oltà springs, in order to guarantee the water supply for the goats that live there. In this regard, it should be noted that these animals play an important role in fire prevention, contributing to the cleaning of the undergrowth and reducing the amount of vegetation susceptible to burning. ‘They act as “firefighting goats”, which are more effective than mechanical clearing. In this way, we contribute to the safety of the Oltà mountain in a sustainable manner,’ said the councillor.

Added to this is the ‘Clean Plots, Safe Forests’ campaign, which reminds landowners of their obligation to keep their land in optimal condition to avoid risks.

‘All these actions, together with those that will be carried out after the summer, are proof that the Town Council is implementing a comprehensive and proactive plan. With everyone's collaboration, we will make Calpe a safer municipality,’ said Pere Moll.

Calpe Town Council, through its Department of Social Welfare, has promoted various initiatives at the La Casa Roja family respite centre, which cares for people with cognitive degeneration problems. The improvements include planting trees to provide natural shade for the grounds and plans to widen the perimeter pavement to facilitate mobility for users.

In addition, there are plans to provide the centre with a new minibus, adapted for the transport of users.

The ‘La Casa Roja’ Family Respite Unit runs a Specific Programme for people with Alzheimer's and other similar conditions, managed by the recently renewed multidisciplinary team at Tacte Social. The team consists of a psychologist and centre coordinator, together with two assistants whose job is to adapt the activities to the individual needs of each user.

The therapies include innovative ideas such as cooking workshops, in which users participate in preparing recipes. These activities stimulate the senses, such as taste and smell, while improving coordination and procedural memory, which are key aspects in slowing the progression of cognitive degeneration.

This centre, which was inaugurated in May 2023 in the Casa Roja, has a maximum capacity of 15 users, although there are currently up to 18 registered users, as not all of them attend every day. An average of 12 people are attended to each day. It is a free service for citizens as it is fully funded by Calpe Town Council at an annual cost of £49,500. The council also offers a free municipal transport service to these facilities, located in the Cocó district, which are also open to users in summer.

The Councillor for Social Welfare, Itziar Doval, emphasised that: ‘We are committed to the well-being of our citizens, and these improvements at La Casa Roja are a clear example of this’. ‘Cognitive stimulation activities are essential for these people and also represent an important relief for their families.´

It should be noted that the centre also provides support services for the families of sick people and prepares them for the changes they will have to face as a result of the progressive deterioration of these diseases. The centre also provides respite for these families, who will have more time to rest.

The councillor added that this programme has also made use of the Casa Roja, a municipal building constructed some 15 years ago that was only used occasionally as accommodation for volunteers during the excavation campaigns at the medieval Pobla d'Ifac site.

Friday, 22:
•    From 5pm to 8.30pm – Blood donation day. Calpe Red Cross headquarters (C/ María Jorro, 1. Local 10).
•    From 6pm to 1am – Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa beach).
•    8.30pm – Summer concert by the Colla de Xirimiters del Carellot. Plaza de la Villa.
•    Balconadas in the historic centre of Calpe. Purísima, San José, Justícia and Dos de Mayo streets and Mosquit, Miguel Roselló and Plaza de España squares.
•    Exhibition ‘Banys de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museum of Collecting.
•    Exhibition ‘Llúria. Lords and Ladies of the Land’. Until 31 August. ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà’ Cultural Centre.
•    Painting exhibition: ‘Pinta que pintarás’ by Paqui Colomina. Until 30 August. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.
Saturday, 23rd:
•    From 6pm to 1am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa beach).
•    8pm - Travelling concert by CLAUdeFA CALPE. Starting from Plaza Colón on the seafront promenade of Arenal-Bol beach.
•    Balconies in the historic centre of Calpe. Purísima, San José, Justícia and Dos de Mayo streets and Mosquit, Miguel Roselló and Plaza de España squares.
•    Exhibition ‘Banys de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museum of Collecting.
•    Exhibition ‘Llúria. Señores y Señoras de la Tierra’ (Llúria. Lords and Ladies of the Land). Until 31 August. Casa de Cultura ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà’.
•    Painting exhibition: ‘Pinta que pintarás’ by Paqui Colomina. Until 30 August. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.
Sunday, 24th:
•    From 6 pm to 1 am - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (Fossa beach).
•    Balconies in the historic centre of Calpe. Calles Purísima, San José, Justícia, Dos de Mayo and the squares Mosquit, Miguel Roselló and Plaza de España.
•    Exhibition ‘Banys de la Reina, la huella romana’ (The Queen's Baths, the Roman footprint). Until 30 December. Museum of Collecting.
•    Exhibition ‘Llúria. Lords and Ladies of the Land’. Until 31 August. ‘Jaume Pastor i Fluixà’ Cultural Centre.
•    Painting exhibition: ‘Pinta que pintarás’ by Paqui Colomina. Until 30 August. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell.
 

Calpe Town Council has published on the State procurement platform the tender for the drafting of the Calpe Housing Plan, with a budget of €48,400 and a completion period of seven months.

According to the documentation, the purpose of the contract is to draft a Municipal Housing Plan that will study the housing situation in the municipality of Calpe, with special attention to the analysis of the population and residential demand, the municipality's housing stock, the housing supply and market, and the impact of territorial and urban planning on the residential sector. In addition, the plan must consider the study of municipal resources and instruments - for example, subsidies, acquisition of housing by the local administration, etc. - at the service of housing policies. The Plan will also propose a suitably scheduled action programme.

The ultimate goal is to address one of the most pressing problems in the municipality: the lack of housing. To this end, an external specialist firm has been hired to draft the Municipal Housing Plan, a document that will study the housing situation in the town and propose a programme of actions to address the problems identified in the assessment.

The aim of this initiative is to facilitate access to decent housing for citizens. The lack of housing in Calpe has become a structural problem in the municipality, aggravated by the increase in tourist accommodation and prices, compounded by the fact that the municipality has a limited and highly urbanised territory. The situation has led to sectors such as tourism being unable to find workers due to a lack of affordable housing.

This strategic plan will be a roadmap with short-, medium- and long-term measures and is intended to have a cross-cutting approach, i.e. urban, social and economic, and to be adapted to the characteristics of the municipality.

In this regard, the study of the housing situation provided for in the plan should include an analysis of the population and the housing needs of families residing in Calpe, especially those used as primary residences, with a specific section on individuals and groups at risk of social and residential exclusion, as well as on the situation regarding evictions. Likewise, an analysis of the housing stock in the municipality will be carried out, reflecting its state of repair, tenure (rental, ownership, transfer of use, etc.), as well as empty or disused dwellings and second homes. Inadequate housing and substandard housing will also be included, and an analysis of the housing market and its supply (volume, regimes, prices, type and location, among other parameters) will be carried out. Special consideration will be given to the situation of social housing.

The proposals for action will include a report justifying and describing the set of actions planned and their coordination with other social, economic and environmental strategies. The Plan must include an economic and financial assessment with a description of the material resources available to the municipality to implement the Action Programme and must define the mechanisms for the implementation, development, monitoring and evaluation of the Plan.

With all this, strategies will be established to carry out an action programme aimed at achieving access to decent and adequate housing for all citizens. The Councillor for Housing, Mireia Ripoll, has stated that "the Calpe Town Council is pleased to announce that the service for drafting the Strategic Housing Plan for our town is now available on the contracting platform. This plan stems from an urgent need to find effective mechanisms to improve access to permanent housing in Calpe. We know that it is a major challenge for many families to find a home to live in all year round, which is why we are committed to a cross-cutting approach that not only seeks urban planning solutions, but also includes social measures and the promotion of long-term rentals so that there are more homes available to buy or rent all year round".
 

Last Saturday, the Auditorium of the Casa de Cultura in Calpe became a musical epicentre for film and soundtrack lovers, thanks to the concert ‘Made in Spain 3’, the highlight of the seventh edition of the prestigious SONAFILM festival.

 The evening, featuring the Universal Symphony Orchestra conducted by maestro José Martínez Colomina, offered an unforgettable experience to an audience that completely filled the auditorium.

The programme included some of the most representative scores of contemporary Spanish cinema, performed with great sensitivity and artistic excellence.

The most emotional moment of the evening was the presence in the hall of the composers themselves: Arturo Cardelús, Iván Palomares, Isabel Royán, Josué Vergara and Óscar Araujo. In total, seven pieces were premiered worldwide during the concert.

The performance also featured the participation of multi-instrumentalist Fernando Mosquera, a specialist in ethnic instruments, who brought a unique sound dimension to the show. Another highlight was the attendance of French composer Ludovic Bource, winner of the 2012 Oscar for the soundtrack of The Artist, who received a warm tribute from the audience.

The Councillor for Culture of the Calpe Town Council, Guillermo Sendra, closed the event by highlighting ‘the Town Council's commitment to promoting audiovisual music made in Spain’ and emphasised that Made in Spain ‘has established itself as the most important event of its kind at the national level’. With a ‘sold out’ sign, the concert ended with a long - standing ovation from the audience, who celebrated the artistic quality and talent of the guest composers.