Why creating a new association is a very bad idea
Dear members, supporters, and property owners of Planas del Rey,
This Saturday, Unidos por Planes will propose the creation of a fourth association in Planes del Rei. Here we explain why we believe this initiative would lead us straight into a dead end.
Municipal obsession: recreating an EUCC at all costs
From July 21, 2016 (the date on which the EUCC was dissolved by the TSJC) until January 26, 2022, five and a half years have passed. Our association has shown extreme patience. Yet the Pratdip Town Hall remains fixated on one goal: rebuilding a management entity of the EUCC type.
What happened during this period
- Persistent refusal by the Town Hall to provide minimum services, despite being legally obliged to do so.
- Municipal communications giving the impression that the EUCC was still active and that “fees” still had to be paid.
- Numerous water cuts lasting several days (one lasting three weeks over the Christmas 2017 period).
- Shutdown of the wastewater treatment plant by the Town Hall in October 2017, with the inconveniences described in our publications.
- Abandonment of the maintenance of the urbanization.
- Turning off of public lighting while refusing to provide minimum services.
They tried to weaken us, to make us give in…
After the 2021 ruling: instead of applying the law, blackmail
In May 2021, the result of the appeal filed by the Town Hall in February 2018 against the enforcement of the dissolution ruling was clear: the Town Hall was dismissed and financially sanctioned.
One would expect the final decision of the Barcelona Court to be respected. It was not. Just a few weeks later, the Town Hall proposed to our representatives to create a new entity with a budget of more than €103,000 in the first year and, after signing, the “generous” restoration of street lighting. In other words: a return to the pre-2016 extortion.
Our association refused this disgraceful deal and suspended all discussions with the Town Hall until the lighting was restored. Unidos por Planes, the initiator of the August 6 meeting, accepted the statutes and budget proposed by the Town Hall.
A €7,000,000 reparcelación project based on a falsehood
In November 2021, the Town Hall approved a reparcelación project (around €7,000,000 in works) claiming that an active EUCC still exists. This is completely false.
We then filed a Recurso de Alzada with the Town Hall to challenge this project. It had one month to respond. In the absence of a reply, our lawyer confirmed that all administrative remedies were exhausted and that we needed to change strategy.
Taking it to criminal court: enforcing justice
With the Town Hall continuing to ignore justice and Spanish law — and worse, violating them — our lawyer, on January 26, filed on behalf of the association a criminal complaint (querella) with the Procurador against the Mayor and the acting Secretary.
We must wait for the outcome of this procedure, which is decisive for the future of Planes, and not give in to the Town Hall’s pressure. Giving in now would jeopardize twelve years of hard and successful work to make Planes a normal urbanization like those around us.
Our position on the “fourth association”
Creating a new association today fragments our representation, weakens our collective defense, and serves the municipal goal of recreating an EUCC. On the contrary, we must remain united, support ongoing legal actions, and demand the enforcement of court decisions and the law.
For the Asociación de Vecinos de Planes del Rei (SOSPlanes)
President: Gérard Marais
