Faced with the chaos caused by the Town Hall’s refusal to provide minimum services, the “Vecinos Les Planes del Rei” Association (AVPR SOS Planas) is launching a new legal offensive, this time before the criminal court.
It should be noted that this association, whose statutes were published in the official journal, has been recognized as representative by the TSJC (High Court of Justice of Catalonia).
1. Demanding minimum public services: a legal obligation, not a favor
The Catalan law is clear: all municipalities must provide essential public services in inhabited areas, including in non-received urbanizations such as Las Planas del Rey.
Among these mandatory services:
- drinking water
- sanitation
- waste collection
- public lighting
- road maintenance
- access to the area
However, the Pratdip Town Hall continues to refuse this responsibility. In the face of this blatant violation, SOS Planas will file a criminal complaint, supported by a technical report by an architect specialized in environmental urban planning, demonstrating the lack of services.
Our goal: to have the Town Hall’s legal obligation to provide these services to its residents recognized in court.
2. Yes to reurbanization, but under public control
SOS Planas is not opposed to the works. On the contrary.
We support the project of “rehabilitation of the urbanization of Las Planas del Rey, estimated at approximately 11 million euros.
But under several conditions:
- That the works be led by the Pratdip Town Hall or the Tarragona Provincial Council, not by a parallel entity.
- That they be carried out in phases, according to priorities and available resources.
- That they be integrated into an official roadmap toward the integration of the urbanization into the public network.
- And above all, residents of Planas must not bear 100% of the costs alone.
3. NO to a new EUCC or administrative entity: never again
There is no question of repeating past mistakes.
The Town Hall has hinted at a new EUCC or an equivalent administrative association, under the pretext of managing future reurbanization works.
We say NO.
Such a structure would take us back 30 years, to a system of fiscal injustice: double taxation, opacity, non-democratic parallel management.
We reject any form of “double taxation: that is, co-ownership charges (quotas) added to the property tax (IBI).
4. Refund of charges illegally collected for 23 years
Between 1993 and 2016, Planas property owners paid approximately 5 million euros to an illegal entity, according to the Catalan justice system.
The EUCC: an entity created for 2 years, illegally extended for 28 years.
Created by the Town Hall in April 1988, the EUCC was intended to support the completion of infrastructure. According to urban planning regulations and the 2016 TSJC ruling, this type of entity may not exist for more than 5 years.
However, in Planas, the urbanization was already 85 % complete according to contemporary documents.
And yet, the EUCC continued until 2016, without any legal basis.
For 23 years, property owners were subjected to illegitimate double taxation:
- IBI (property tax) paid to the Town Hall
- quotas paid to the EUCC
The EUCC’s role was supposed to be temporary: to ensure minimum services while the Town Hall completed the necessary upgrades. But the Town Hall never fulfilled its part.
We therefore demand the refund of amounts paid to the EUCC from 1993 to 2016, that is, at least for the 4 years preceding 2016, the year of the EUCC’s dissolution.
Conclusion: turn the page, but assert the truth
Property owners acted in good faith: now, justice.
Some damning figures:
- Approximately 6 million euros paid by residents to the EUCC
- That’s an average of 230,000 euros per year, for services the Town Hall should have provided
- An additional 300,000 euros paid to the company ACYCSA in 2005 for a reurbanization project
Meanwhile:
- The Town Hall did not dissolve the EUCC, despite legal obligations
- The swimming pool and the wastewater treatment plant (built by the owners at their own expense) remained under EUCC control
- The Town Hall continued to collect IBI, while disclaiming all responsibility
Today, we demand:
- Public services (minimum services), as provided for by Article 26 of Law 7/1985 of April 2, regulating the bases of local government
- The refund of illegally collected charges
- Public management of future works, transparent and accountable
The “Vecinos Les Planes del Rei” Association (AVPR SOS Planas)
