A master plan for the removal of overhead electrical wires has been authorised by the Elche City Council. It will start in the historic centre and spread out across the entire city. a project that aims to update telecommunications infrastructure by burying the cables, conserve heritage, and enhance the city’s image.

The necessity of “order and planning” in the cable area has been emphasised by Mayor Pablo Ruz. In response to the seeming turmoil brought on by flying cables or coils on the façade, he has stated unequivocally that the local administration “will be inflexible, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for rigour.”

This proposal lays out a 10-month action plan that consists of three phases and a total investment of 137,000 euros. The plan calls for the removal of 74 overhead wires and their replacement with subterranean pipelines. In this manner, the telecoms providers will be in charge of moving their infrastructure to the new subterranean lines, while the Elche City Council would cover the costs of the civil works.

To assess the approach and modify the burying techniques, pilot tests will be conducted in streets with a high density of overhead cables during the first phase. After that, the several operators will work together to remove the cabling. In order to ensure that overhead cables are removed from the entire city and to stop any more installations that could detract from the city’s appearance, an ordinance is now being draughted.

This “new ordinance will be very restrictive and forceful with companies that abuse public spaces without order,” as Ruz recently noted. “It is time to tell companies to place this wiring in an orderly and sensible manner,” he has said in this regard. Furthermore, he has stated that over half of the cables that are currently installed are not being used.

The mayor also noted that several measures were taken to eliminate overhanging cables in the vicinity of Santa María and Plaza de Baix last year.

With a budget of 48,375 euros, the first phase of the strategy comprises pilot tests in a few streets in the historic district to assess the approach and improve implementation. Regarding this, Claudiio Guilabert, the Councillor for Contracting, has noted that a minor contract would be used to conduct the tender and will be initially posted on the State Contracting Platform.

The municipal goal to enhance the urban environment includes this master plan, which supplements the subterranean work already completed as part of the deployment of single platforms in various

the old center’s streets. Subterranean pipelines have been integrated thanks to these earlier interventions, which have also made it easier to remove overhead wiring later on and enhanced the public area’s accessibility and attractiveness.

This plan is an additional step in the consolidation of a contemporary and sustainable urban model, and Elche has been a leader in the adoption of creative urban planning solutions to restore the historic center’s heritage value.