The Mayor of Calp, Ana Sala, accompanied by the City Council for Fisheries and Ports, Paco Avargues, met with the Director General for Ports, Airports and Coasts, Emilio Olbiol, this morning in Valencia to learn about the condition of the Puerto Blanco marina, among other things.
Puerto Blanco is still closed and has been in a state of abandonment since February 2016, when the Conselleria de Vivienda, Obras Públicas y Vertebración del Territorio (Regional Ministry of Housing, Public Works and Territorial Planning) ordered the sealing and closure of the facilities of this marina for safety reasons, given the dilapidated state of the port. Moreover, the concession of the company that had been managing the service until then had expired.
Four years have passed and the City Council has no news of the start of the works that will allow the marina, which is deteriorating over the months, to reopen. The Mayor has asked for information about the start and completion of the works and whether a new tender for the operation of the marina is planned soon. However, the Director-General himself has stated that a response will be forthcoming shortly.
Another issue discussed at the meeting was the possibility of using an existing space in the port area, owned by Costas, the coastal authority, to provide an area for the dumping of all the waste produced in the port, thus putting an end to the scattered containers and improving the image of one of the municipality's most important tourist resources. The municipality undertakes to bear the costs of adapting this area. The General Management has confirmed the appropriateness of the initiative.
During the meeting, the ban on nautical activities in ports or the fees for activities in the port were also discussed. This fee, which is paid annually to the Generalitat by all institutions and companies operating in the port, amounted to 916,000 euros in 2018 and reached 2,278,000 euros in 2016. According to the regulations, 40% of this fee must be invested in improvements to the Port of Calp. However, no major investments or improvements have been made to this port infrastructure for years.