On 1 April 2018, nearly one hundred residents of Planas del Rey demonstrate in the development to call on Pratdip Town Council for greater investment and more attention to a number of services.
A few days later, the Diari de Tarragona publishes an article about the protest, quoting several residents, municipal councillor Òscar Serrano and the mayor of Pratdip, Joan Maria Rovira.
The demonstration takes place in a particularly tense context: the EUCC had been dissolved by court ruling in 2016, but major disagreements remained over the management and maintenance of several infrastructures in Planas.
In simple terms: the demonstrators believe that the Town Council should become more involved in Planas, while the municipal authorities maintain that certain infrastructures have not yet been formally taken over by the municipality and therefore cannot be managed under the same conditions as those in the village of Pratdip.
Residents denounce a lack of investment
According to the Diari de Tarragona, the demonstrators are calling on Pratdip Town Council to invest more resources in Planas del Rey.
A resident named José tells the newspaper that property owners are asking, among other things, for improvements to the water supply and cleaning services.
He also challenges the municipal position that Planas should still be regarded as a private development with regard to certain infrastructures.
During the demonstration, several banners express the participants’ dissatisfaction, referring in particular to the 428 plots in Planas, the taxes paid by property owners and what they consider to be a lack of investment in return.
The price of water at the centre of criticism
Water is one of the main issues raised during the protest.
José tells the newspaper that he paid €47 for a consumption of three cubic metres of water and claims that residents in the village of Pratdip pay less.
In his view, this difference contributes to the sense of inequality expressed by some Planas residents.
The demonstrators also raise other concerns:
- public lighting;
- maintenance of green areas and trees;
- the condition of the roads;
- and, more generally, the maintenance of the development’s communal areas and infrastructure.
Òscar Serrano supports the protest
Òscar Serrano, a resident of Planas del Rey and municipal councillor elected on the Unidos por Planes del Rei list, also takes part in the demonstration.
He tells the Diari de Tarragona that residents have long been calling for a greater share of the resources generated by their taxes to be reinvested in the development.
At the time, he considers that the 428 plots in Planas are not receiving sufficient attention from the Town Council.
Òscar Serrano also refers to the 2016 ruling of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia declaring the dissolution of the EUCC.
For the demonstrators, the disappearance of the EUCC should lead the Town Council to take over the services previously managed by the entity.
This last statement, however, reflects the position defended at the time by the demonstrators and by Òscar Serrano. The 2016 ruling declared the dissolution of the EUCC, but did not by itself resolve all questions concerning ownership, the formal acceptance of infrastructure or responsibility for each individual service.
The Town Council defends a different interpretation
Interviewed by the Diari de Tarragona, the mayor of Pratdip, Joan Maria Rovira, defends a different position.
He states that the Town Council can only intervene in emergency situations while certain infrastructures, including the internal drinking water distribution network, have not been formally taken over by the municipality.
According to the mayor, carrying out ordinary work on these installations under such circumstances would amount to an unlawful use of public funds.
The municipal position therefore directly conflicts with that of the demonstrators, who believe that several of these services should instead be taken over by the Town Council.
A disagreement that goes beyond water
The demonstration of 1 April 2018 reflects a much broader dispute that marks this period in the history of Planas del Rey.
Following the dissolution of the EUCC, one question remains at the centre of the debate:
who should manage, maintain and finance the infrastructure and services of the development?
The residents taking part in the protest believe that the Town Council should assume greater responsibility.
The municipal authorities, for their part, maintain that the absence of formal acceptance of certain infrastructures legally limits the extent to which the Town Council can intervene.
These two positions will continue to oppose one another during the months and years that follow.
What should be remembered
On 1 April 2018, nearly one hundred residents of Planas del Rey demonstrate to demand greater municipal investment and more attention to several services.
They particularly criticise the cost of water, insufficient maintenance of communal areas, public lighting and the condition of the roads.
Òscar Serrano supports their demands and considers that the dissolution of the EUCC should lead the Town Council to assume greater responsibility.
Mayor Joan Maria Rovira responds that certain infrastructures have not been formally taken over by the municipality and that this situation limits the Town Council’s ability to intervene.
In simple terms: the demonstration of 1 April 2018 is not only about the physical condition of Planas. Above all, it highlights the deep disagreement that remains after the dissolution of the EUCC over how responsibilities should be divided between property owners and Pratdip Town Council.
Jim – La Tribune de Planas
Source
This article is based on the report by Sílvia Fornós published in the Diari de Tarragona on 5 April 2018: “Veïns de Planes del Rei tornen a exigir els ‘serveis mínims’”.
