On 28 January 2018, an information meeting for Planas del Rey property owners is organised by the Planas Collaboration Group.
Around 70 people attend the meeting, held in the Correos hall in Planas.
The meeting takes place during a particularly unsettled period: the EUCC had ceased its maintenance activities a few months earlier, and Planas had just gone through a major water supply crisis.
The aim of the meeting is to review the situation and present several initiatives that had been taken with Pratdip Town Council.
In simple terms: at the beginning of 2018, several residents and association representatives are trying to coordinate their efforts and put forward concrete requests concerning the main problems affecting Planas del Rey.
The Planas Collaboration Group
The meeting is organised by the Planas Collaboration Group, a collective bringing together people from different associations as well as property owners wishing to work together on the development’s problems.
The meeting report mentions, among others:
- Evelyne Planet;
- Conchita Herranz;
- Martine Belgeonne;
- Òscar Serrano i Daura;
- Abraham Ruiz;
- Bernardo Gallardo;
- Christian Piñero;
- Marc Laloyaux.
Abraham Ruiz presents the group and explains why it was created. To allow as many property owners as possible to follow the meeting, the interventions are translated or summarised in several languages.
Òscar Serrano reviews the situation
Òscar Serrano i Daura also speaks in his capacity as a Pratdip municipal councillor.
Among other matters, he returns to the breakdown of the agreement between Unidos por Planes del Rei and the municipal majority. According to him, the commitments made concerning Planas del Rey had not been fulfilled.
He also discusses the water crisis that began on 31 December 2017 and the steps taken following those events.
According to the meeting report, Òscar Serrano states that on 12 January he had contacted the Síndic de Greuges and the Agència Catalana de l’Aigua (ACA).
It is also stated that around thirty property owners had submitted complaints or claims to the Town Council and the Mossos d’Esquadra, particularly concerning the water problems and the condition of certain installations.
These points reflect the information given during the meeting and should be understood as such.
Eight motions submitted to the Town Council
The most concrete part of the meeting concerns the eight motions submitted by Òscar Serrano to Pratdip Town Council on 18 January 2018.
He asks for these proposals to be examined at a future municipal council meeting, put to a vote and, where they involve expenditure, taken into account in the 2018 municipal budget.
The motions address several important issues affecting Planas del Rey.
1. The water network
The first motion asks the Town Council to take responsibility for the water network of Planas del Rey.
It requests, among other measures:
- the repair and maintenance of electrical and electromechanical equipment;
- checks on the cleanliness and sanitary condition of the reservoirs;
- monitoring of the Sabaté and Les Sorts pumps;
- responsibility for breakdowns and repairs within the internal network;
- the harmonisation of water-related tariffs and charges with those applied in the rest of the municipality.
2. The wastewater treatment plant
The second motion concerns sewerage and wastewater treatment.
It asks the Town Council to take responsibility for the Planas del Rey wastewater treatment plant, ensure that it operates properly and guarantee the necessary public health controls.
It also asks for the septic tanks located in the ravine to be taken into account in a future sewerage project.
3. Electricity lines
The third motion asks the Town Council to intervene with the companies responsible for electricity supply so that the power lines in Planas are properly maintained and made safe.
The text mentions, among other issues, cables lying on the ground or caught in trees and the risks associated with power cuts.
4. Abandoned plots
The fourth motion concerns plots of land that are abandoned or insufficiently maintained.
It asks the Town Council to act in response to the risks they may pose, particularly in terms of safety and fire prevention.
5. Processionary caterpillars
The fifth motion calls for urgent action against processionary caterpillars in and around Planas.
6. The waste collection area
The sixth motion concerns the waste collection area in Planas.
It asks the Town Council to ensure its collection service and maintenance.
7. Green areas and communal spaces
The seventh motion asks the Town Council to take responsibility for maintaining green areas and communal spaces.
The text refers in particular to watering, cleaning and the planting or replacement of trees and other vegetation.
8. Public liability insurance
Finally, the eighth motion asks the Town Council to take out public liability insurance for Planas del Rey.
The authors of the proposal consider that, at that time, the absence of such cover could create problems in the event of an accident.
Proposals, not obligations established by the courts
It is important to understand the nature of these eight texts.
They are proposals submitted to the municipal council by Òscar Serrano.
They set out what their authors wanted Pratdip Town Council to take responsibility for or carry out.
They therefore do not, by themselves, prove that the municipality was legally required to accept each of these requests or bear the full cost of implementing them.
In simple terms: the motions are particularly useful because they show precisely which priorities were being defended by some Planas residents at the beginning of 2018.
The prospect of the 2019 municipal elections
The meeting also addresses the future political representation of Planas del Rey.
The representatives of the Planas Collaboration Group discuss the municipal elections scheduled for May 2019 and, at the time, support the idea of presenting a joint list in order to obtain greater representation on Pratdip Town Council.
This political dimension forms part of the context of the meeting, but much of the discussion also focuses on very practical issues: water, sewerage, electricity, safety, communal spaces and maintenance of the development.
What should be remembered
The meeting of 28 January 2018 provides a useful picture of the concerns of some Planas del Rey property owners at that time.
A few weeks after the water crisis and a few months after the EUCC had ceased its activities, participants tried to organise their requests around several priorities:
- securing the water supply;
- finding a solution for wastewater treatment;
- improving the safety of electrical installations;
- taking action on plots presenting risks;
- dealing with processionary caterpillars;
- maintaining the waste collection area;
- maintaining green areas and communal spaces;
- having public liability insurance in place.
In simple terms: the eight motions of 18 January 2018 provide a fairly precise snapshot of the main problems that some Planas residents wanted Pratdip Town Council to address at that time.
They also show that several issues raised then — particularly water, sewerage, maintenance and safety — would continue to play an important role in the history of Planas del Rey.
Jim – La Tribune de Planas
Original document: the eight motions
Document setting out the eight motions submitted to Pratdip Town Council by Òscar Serrano i Daura on 18 January 2018.
