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Investment drive
THE Alicante provincial government has launched an investment drive to help the towns affected by last year’s forest fires to recover.
Last summer, flames devoured around 11,500 hectares of forest land in and around the Vall d’Ebo, the Vall de Gallinera, the Vall de Laguar, Orba, Pego, Planes, Tollos and Tormos, among other areas.
The Diputación de Alicante’s grants are aimed at helping local councils to recover the areas’ vegetation and biodiversity to prevent land loss and to restore them to their original state.
Work will focus on removing burnt wood, covering the affected ground with shredded branches to prevent erosion, and treating surviving trees to help them recover, among other actions.
An initial aid package of €150,000 has been approved for councils to draw up recovery plans, with an extra budget of up to €3 million to carry out the necessary work.
THE plans for Calpe’s newly designed Plaça Major and Fossa seafront promenade were presented last week.
Local technicians used 3D imaging and virtual design to draw up a mock of the final result to show Mayor Ana Sala and the members of the public who gathered at the town hall.
The Plaça Major, an epicentre of the town where all the major festive and social events take place, will be equipped with a new cafeteria, shaded areas and a grandstand for the Teatre Odeon, while existing problems of filtrations into the underground car park will also be solved.
Regarding the Fossa beach walkway and its surroundings, the revamp will affect more than two kilometres, including creating a children’s playground and sports facilities at Calalga square and new deco ration and benches all along the promenade.
A new vantage point shaped like a ship will be built at the highest point of the walkway, four public toilets will be installed and a tourist information point will be opened.
A MUNICIPAL lifesaving course for over18s has been launched by Villajoyosa Council.
Up to 10 local youngsters are taking part in the sixweek theory and practice training sessions to obtain the official qualification to work at beaches and swimming pools in the Valencia Region this summer.
According to Villajoyosa Education councillor Xente Sebastià, the course serves the double purpose of “enabling the youngest sector of population of working age to find employment and at the same time helping to make our beaches safer.”
Sebastià also recalled that a participant in last year’s edition saved the life of a swimmer in Villajoyosa last summer thanks to the skills learnt on the course.
The 2022 edition resulted in 85 per cent of participants finding work before the course ended, and 100 per cent ended up working at beaches and pools.
