Dear friends,
We have just been through what will likely remain the most challenging year in the history of our urbanisation. A true nightmare for the residents of Planas del Rey:
- Continuous water cuts
- Closure of the wastewater treatment plant
- Total neglect of street and public lighting maintenance
- Closure of the municipal swimming pool
Measures that many perceived as retaliation.
Why? Because we dared to demand the application of the law. Because we denounced the injustice of a system that, for over 40 years, extorted funds from us through an illegal entity. Because, quite simply, we loudly declared that we were tired of being exploited.
A collective awakening
These attacks had an unexpected effect: they brought the community together. Neighbours supported one another. Those who still had water opened their doors to those who didn’t. And together, we demonstrated in front of Pratdip’s town hall to demand our rights.
This civic awakening worries the municipality. Its biggest fear now: that one day, a mayor from Planas will be elected in Pratdip.
Our current mayor seems oblivious to the situation. Her obsession: getting the “pigeons” of Planas to keep paying, so Pratdip can continue to enjoy comfort and peace.
So let’s prepare, dear friends, for a new year of struggle. Until the municipal elections next spring, we cannot expect much improvement without effort.
Mobilised on all fronts
Despite a scorching summer marked by heatwaves and water cuts, our association (AVPR-SOS Planas) did not give up. We intensified our efforts:
- Filed collective complaints with the Reus court against the town hall for failure to meet basic obligations (water, waste, sewage…)
- Appealed to regional and European authorities
- Launched legal action to formally confirm the dissolution of the EUCC
- Submitted an official request to renegotiate the outdated “convenios” signed between the town hall and the EUCC
These efforts have borne fruit:
- The Generalitat has acknowledged the dissolution of the EUCC.
- The judge in Tarragona, in charge of enforcing sentences, legally validated the dissolution as of September 20.
A legal obligation to integrate
From now on, the Pratdip town hall is legally required to provide minimum services in Planas del Rey. This amounts, de facto, to integrating our urbanisation into the municipality. A resolution to this effect may have been adopted at the last council meeting on October 5.
We welcome this progress but remain clear-eyed: the town hall would never have recognised our rights without being forced to do so. This is exactly the determined fight we have been leading for nearly ten years — and it is starting to pay off.
The root of the problem: discrimination
What the residents of Planas experience is nothing less than a form of discrimination. Discrimination on multiple levels:
- A double taxation for years (IBI + EUCC fees)
- A water rate three times higher than in Pratdip
- A municipal budget dedicated solely to Pratdip while Planas deteriorates
Yet Spain and Catalonia are part of the European Union, where such treatment is explicitly prohibited by Article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The European Court of Justice sanctions such practices.
Our commitment continues
Of course, we hope reason will eventually prevail, but we remain mobilised. Despite the association’s financial difficulties, our vigilance remains strong. SOS Planas is now an essential tool in defending the rights of all residents.
That is why we need your support: your annual membership, your donations, are vital to sustain our efforts.
See you on October 28
We invite you to take part in our General Assembly on October 28, where we will review the situation together. For those unable to attend, a summary will be shared in November.
With all our friendship and determination,
Gérard Marais
President of the Asociación de Vecinos de Planes del Rei (SOS Planas)
