The first of the three broad policy debates of the current legislature, held this Wednesday at the Valencian Cortes, was used by the president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, to unveil about thirty announcements, with several tied to the province of Alicante. Among them stood out the plan to declare the Sierra Escalona Natural Park in Vega Baja and the return of the Emergency Health Information and Coordination Center CICU to the Alicante region, an event scheduled for October.
Ecologist groups have long urged protection for the Vega Baja forest space, a stance dating back to the 1990s. The push is a historic demand driven by conservation groups since the late 1990s. The protection process stalled in the end of the previous term while awaiting approval of the Plan for the Ordering of Natural Resources. In 2006 the Generalitat began the process to declare a Natural Park, but the procedure expired at that time. In the meantime, the area earned Protected Landscape status in 2018, a designation that sits between a Site of Community Importance and a Special Protection Area for Birds, while the consideration of a Natural Park persisted. — cited: Amigos de Sierra Escalona
The maximum environmental protection designation for this space has been pursued for more than two decades by conservation groups such as Amigos de Sierra Escalona, highlighting pressure from real estate development, tourism expansion, intensive irrigation, and, in recent years, solar projects. — cited: Amigos de Sierra Escalona
Two decades
After Mazón’s announcement, ASE expressed hope that after twenty years of unkept promises by various regional administrations, the Natural Park would finally be proclaimed within this legislature and include a broad buffer zone to safeguard its natural, cultural, and scenic values. This year also marks ASE’s twentieth anniversary since its founding. It would be a fitting moment for the declaration, a goal central to ASE’s work since 2005 when it took over from the Platform for the Protection of Sierra Escalona and the Dehesa de Campoamor, which had proposed declaring the area a Natural Park as early as 2001, according to its president, Miguel Ángel Pavón. — cited: ASE
In any case, Pavón noted the urgency for the Consell to resolve objections filed to the PORN for this natural space, which was opened to public information at the end of the previous term. ASE had requested a substantial expansion to nearly 19,500 hectares that would cover both the future Natural Park and its buffer zone, and for the PORN to be approved. Sierra Escalona has waited too long for protection as a Natural Park, and now is the time it should be safeguarded as it deserves, Pavón concluded. — cited: Miguel Ángel Pavón
The mayor of Pilar de la Horadada, José María Pérez Sánchez, said the news was very positive for the municipality, as a large portion of the town would be protected in its inland area. Specifically, with the declaration of Sierra Escalona as a Natural Park, about half of the municipal boundary would be protected, ensuring landowners can continue to use their lands for activities such as livestock farming and hunting in appropriate zones, he added. Regarding urban planning, Pérez Sánchez stated the urban core of Pinar de Campoverde will be respected and the housing regulation procedure for Pinar de la Perdiz will proceed in a way aimed at minimizing territorial impact, with the town council having approved a regulation in line with LOTUP. — cited: Pilar de la Horadada municipality
From the Pilar council they are convinced that the Natural Park will act as a catalyst for Pilar de la Horadada, boosting both tourism and agriculture, with products able to bear the park’s designation. The municipality has already sent to the regional department a list of dispersed housing units that will fall within the park, around thirty, which owners can renovate and use as permitted by the Town Plan. Within the municipality there are areas with high environmental value and zones that will function as buffers. Pérez Sánchez celebrated that Pilar de la Horadada can proudly retain its tourism slogan Sea and Mountain, since the park status adds a new dimension beyond the four kilometers of beaches. There was media interest in obtaining a valuation from Orihuela, but no response had been reported. — cited: Pilar de la Horadada administration
Another provincial demand will soon be satisfied. The CICU will be fully operational again next October, fulfilling one of the commitments Mazón presented during last year’s regional elections. With a budget of 2 million euros, the CICU staff across the Valencian Community will grow from 109 positions to 153. In addition, 13 medical coordinators, 14 nursing professionals, and 17 announcers will be created. The total staff will reach 43 medical coordinators, 48 nurses, 52 announcers, and 10 documentalists. With this new configuration, the head of the Consell said CICU will return to Alicante and Castellón and will have more powers than before the so-called centralization by the Botànic government. — cited: Mazón administration
Health dominated many of Mazón’s announcements. He also stated that before the year ends a center for comprehensive care for victims of sexual violence would be opened in Alicante, with analogous centers planned for Valencia and Castellón. These units will provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary care to victims around the clock, every day of the year. They will be complemented by a free hotline that has already assisted hundreds of people. In social policy, two new laws were set to advance: the volunteering law and the third sector law. — cited: Mazón administration
On the security front, Mazón promised an upgrade in training for local police and emergency personnel. A permanent headquarters of the Valencian Institute of Public Safety and Emergency Response will be established in Alicante, marking the initial phase of a regional presence for the agency. The Alicante headquarters will offer basic continuing training and specialized courses, aligning with the main headquarters in Cheste and helping to accelerate access to training for all emergency workers and local police. — cited: Mazón administration
The province will benefit from the push to create an “urban innovation lab”
One of Mazón’s early announcements was the creation of a training center and a company developer. He highlighted the value of the technology hub established at the port of Alicante, a project aligned with the goal of turning the Valencian Community into an urban innovation laboratory. In this context, Mazón stressed the integration of Ivace and AVI, paving the way for the new Ivace + i, and the strengthening of industrial clusters that foster collaboration among companies, associations, and innovative business groups. — cited: Mazón administration
One of the latest announcements stated that the Aerospace Strategic Plan would be advanced. This move, Mazón claimed, has enabled the launch of the first private European rocket in history, and he noted another goal is to establish Benidorm as a hub for unmanned aviation research through the European project U-Space. — cited: Mazón administration
Presume de la Estación Central de Alicante
Beyond the thirty announcements, Mazón addressed many issues from his year-long work in Alicante. Among them, he highlighted the Alicante TRAM Central Station, with works slated for October. The project carries a budget exceeding 100 million euros and was tendered by the Botànic and recently awarded by the Mazón administration. The works are planned to last more than four years. — cited: Mazón administration