“THEY ARE DESTROYING THE PLACE”
The Magazine ABOUT and FOR Jávea - that you can hold in your hand
These were the words used by an impassioned lady who came into the Oasis Help Centre on 16th July - almost on the point of tears - to complain about the wanton destruction of what she and most others liked about Jávea, and the reason most came to live here - its ‘character’.
At first I thought she was talking about an invasion of lager-louts who had failed to get off their coach in Benidorm and been brought to Jávea, but it wasn’t - her anger was aimed at the nonsensicle decisions of Jávea Councillors, that is ripping the heart out of the town she loves.
We found ourselves in a game of ‘verbal chase’ - each finding it easy to find another way in which money had been wasted and the fabric destroyed. Cobbled roads may be preferred by tourists who don’t drive, but was the 3-year upheaval - closing off the town centre - a price worth paying. Removing vehicle access to niche businesses like Micka Computers, who had his road cut-off to create a bigger plaza outside the Correos office. Kerbstones with a 90º sharp edge that cut into drivers tyres, on roads made so narrow, that new ‘slimmer’ buses had to be bought by the Venturo contractor. Townhall - at the same time as spending a fortune on modernising the old Townhall in Plaza Iglesia, 6 million €uros is spent on building a new Townhall that no one wants to use. Port Library still waiting for books and furniture. Underground Parking that the Mayor was told by the Supreme court not to pay, but renegotiate the contract as ECISA, the contractor had taken no risk, was paid in full, leaving Jávea with parking it could ‘grow into’ and a debt of 30.000.000€uros.
Hospitality Seating was introduced to allow Paris-style ‘al-fresco’ drinking - from cups or glasses - all the more appreciated when smoking was banned from shops, bars, restaurants and workplaces. Jávea Council refused to discipline a business that stored bikes for repair - often 50 of them - in Av. Lepanto, but chose premises like Bar Smiths in nearby Toni Llido, who’s Gestor had paid the 800€ annual fee for fence, chairs and tables that caused no one any harm, but had to remove it by 1st May. No, of course the Gestor hasn’t been able to get the 800€ returned. Meanwhile, a Moors and Christians ‘Peña’ has use of the premises next door, and is allowed to erect a pergola, table and chairs, and drink their own liquor that they’ve bought from supermarkets. I keep hearing from the Councillors what a wonderful job they are doing, but I don’t hear voters agreeing. CR AEverW
Nº 4
July/Aug 2013
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How’d it get a name like that?
We could have called this local magazine HAVVYER HEARD, but we thought Jávea Jeard would confirm our light-hearted attitude to the serious political and economic problems in Spain, and their effect on Jávea.
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