For years, residents of houses built on the beach in Guardamar del Segura have been waiting for this moment. The Supreme Court of the Valencian Community ruled in their favour. In doing so, it tasks coastal authorities with repairing damage to the coastline and their homes caused by the storms of 2016 and 2017.
This concerns the homes located directly on the beach on Avenida Ingeniero Codorniu and Playa Babilonia in Guardamar del Segura in the province of Alicante. The judgment recognises the right of the plaintiffs to oblige the State to carry out necessary repair work on the road between house numbers 115 and 121. A section of approximately 150 metres must also be repaired. This gives access to a Red Cross rescue post and to house number 197 of the same Avenida. The verdict can still be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Inactivity
The ruling of the Supreme Court in Valencia shows “the lack of action by the government” regarding the residents’ requests on August 3, 2020 and September 14, 2020 as a result of the storms that occurred in the aforementioned street areas at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 . The residents point out that “this highlights the lack of activity and neglect of the authorities in Playa Babilonia. As already recognised by a court”.
Victory
The neighbourhood collective considers this verdict as a victory. It joins that of 2019 against the municipality of Guardamar. The closure of the beach was declared invalid and illegal. Nevertheless, the neighbourhood association is still waiting for extensive public and environmental documentation to understand the actions regarding the environmental situation of Guardamar on this first beach line. Houses here have not had concessions for several years.
Profession
The united residents note that there is a public interest in the necessary accesses and safety in the area. That´s why they demand an urgent meeting with the co-responsible authorities to start the required repairs as quickly as possible. They hope not to be confronted again with “passing the ball” over the responsibility to carry out the repair work. Due to the rain, potholes in the access road are becoming larger and creating a danger to people. If the potholes continue to grow, there will no longer be access between some of the homes.
Documents
The residents claim to have numerous documents to determine which administration is authorised to carry out the requested repairs. However, the process shows both authorities (the municipality of Guardamar and the Coastal Authority) are trying to avoid their responsibility.
Erosion
The association of affected residents emphasises that Ingeniero Codorniu Street is owned by the municipality of Guardamar. They have not yet renovated the road despite favourable advice to do so. “It is also particularly noteworthy that part of the road and access that the tribunal ordered to be repaired no longer exists and has been removed unilaterally by the government. This has also aggravated the process of coastal erosion at the transition from Playa Viveros (where there are no houses) to Playa Babilonia.”
Given these conclusions, they understand that the ministry, in this case the provincial Coastal Authority, must carry out the necessary restoration work for the protection, defense, conservation and use of the maritime public domain.
Workgroup
The neighbourhood association indicates that they are once again reaching out to the municipality and the Coastal Authority to restore this historic location and also to tackle the real causes of coastal erosion. They argue for a working group of responsible authorities, residents, the port and “all interested parties in our village”. The creation of this would have been refused several times by the municipality.
Also read: Havoc and injuries on Spanish mediterranean coast by storm Betty
