The unveiling of the Integrated Action Plan (PAI) in Santa Pola is a big step forward in its modernisation. The plan is a big urban transformation strategy that will cost €10.7 million. €6.4 million of this comes from the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), which are a crucial source of funding for speeding up the municipality’s shift to a more sustainable, inclusive, and innovative model.
The plan sets the stage for a better Santa Pola with an improved quality of life for all its residents, with an emphasis on bringing back to life the town centre and its most vulnerable regions.
“This plan is much more than an investment,” said Mayor Loreto Serrano. “It is the Santa Pola we want, a Santa Pola where our young people want to stay and our seniors can live life to the fullest.” Each project is meant to make life better for our citizens in a direct way. For example, by making more pleasant and green locations for walking, or by giving our talented people new chances. “We are making our city more sustainable, welcoming, and lively. It’s a place we can all be very proud of.”
Serrano further said, “Getting this much European funding shows not only the technical skills of our teams, but also our ability to attract and manage every euro of European investment for the good of Santa Pola.” The 12 initiatives were chosen because they will have a big effect on changing things, which will help make Santa Pola stronger and more creative.
The Valencian Community presented 31 intermediate cities, but only 10 were chosen. This means that only 32% of the cities were successful. Santa Pola is one of the seven cities that received the most funding, which solidifies its role as a leader in strategic planning and sustainable urban development.
The plan’s main part: three big challenges that will change things
This Integrated Action Plan is not just a list of projects; it is a clear and well-thought-out plan that shows what Santa Pola’s 2030 Urban Agenda is all about. The PAI is based on three main projects that cover all of the city’s problems. Every action is aimed at achieving a single goal: making the city stronger and more united, ready for the future.
P1: Heritage, urban renewal, and social cohesion. The goal of this initiative is to improve the value of heritage assets in order to improve the economic and community life. One of its most important tasks is to strategically revitalise the main symbolic and commercial routes in the city centre, such as Elche Street, Marqués de Molins Street, Santa Isabel Street, Almirante Antequera Street (Castle-Fortress portion), Cervantes Street, and García Braceli Street. The idea is to make these streets more pleasant and accessible, which will stimulate business, make it easier for people to go around, and improve life in the city centre. These actions are very important for bringing life back to the centre of an area where the jobless rate is 26%.
Digitalisation and training for small firms will help bring the commercial sector back to life. This is a deliberate reaction to the “shopping exodus” caused by competition from bigger cities and the growth of online shopping. The project to change the training and music rooms at El Palmeral Park is very important since it will meet the ongoing requests from local groups for local bands to practise there, as well as for other cultural activities.
In addition, Villa Adelaida will become a centre of reference for talent. This is a direct intervention to turn the building into a lively cultural and educational centre. It will become a breeding ground for creativity to help young people in the arts, sciences, and letters develop their futures in Santa Pola.
They will build a stronger and more dynamic community by restoring our cultural history and updating our historic centre. This will make people feel more proud of where they live and bring people together.
P2: Encouraging healthy ways of living and environments. This axis builds infrastructure that encourages healthy habits by focussing on well-being. One of the projects is to build a bike route that will run along the entire western shoreline (Gran Playa, Playa Lisa, and Tamarit), safely linking the main areas of attraction.
Also, an educational approach to the Cape of Santa Pola will make it easier for people to walk there. The elevated platform will let visitors enjoy the area’s natural and scenic heritage. The “fossil atoll,” a geological treasure that formed 6 million years ago, is one of the few examples of its kind in the world.
With all of this, they will encourage healthy habits and make our natural resources even more valuable so that the city may be more active and connected.
P3: Innovation, sustainability, and resilience. This effort makes Santa Pola better able to handle future problems by making it more flexible. Key actions include creating Local Energy Communities (LECs) in public buildings like the Vicenta Ruso and Ramón Cuesta Primary Schools and the Manolo Maciá football pitch to encourage renewable self-consumption; redesigning the Avendia Salamanca Boulevard with eco-friendly drainage systems to stop flooding in an area that has been identified as high-risk; and restoring the Villa Adelaida gardens to their natural state to recover an important degraded green space and improve its landscape value.
Along with the installation of smart video surveillance security systems, these steps strengthen the municipality’s SmartCity vision by using technology to make management more efficient and safe.
They will cut greenhouse gas emissions by using energy communities and making it easier to get around in a way that is good for the environment. Also, new green infrastructure will help us deal with climate change better.
The PAI puts inhabitants at the centre of every choice through these three projects that are all connected. This makes sure that urban redevelopment leads to social change.
A promise to people: putting the most vulnerable first
The Integrated Action Plan’s strong commitment to decreasing disparities is one of its most important parts. Instead of spreading resources thin, the plan puts a lot of money into the areas that are having the most trouble with their economies and societies. This makes sure that progress reaches every part of Santa Pola.
The data substantially backs up this order of importance. The plan sets aside 75.48% of its total budget for direct actions in the parts of the city centre that are most at risk. This method is based on a fact that has been shown to be true: the unemployment rate in the city centre (26%) is greater than the average for the whole city, and the average net income per person (€9,943) is much lower. Also, the neighbourhood has a higher than normal overall dependence ratio of 46%, which means there are more older people living there. This shows that there is a need for services that are easy to get to and open to everyone.
Vision and leadership for the future
The Integrated Action Plan is the result of a long-term, multi-year commitment to strategic governance. The Santapolavant city plan, which started in 2017, and the 2030 Urban Agenda, which built on it, show that the municipality has a long-term vision and a management style that is based on technical rigour, engagement, and actively looking for new opportunities.
The PAI is the result of a long process of citizen participation that makes sure the proposed actions meet the real needs and wants of the people of Santa Pola. It is built on a project that everyone worked on together.
A project that will change the future is already in the works
The Integrated Action Plan is not the end of the queue; it is a force for change that will change the future of Santa Pola. By putting this plan into action, the municipality puts itself at the vanguard of developing a city that not only repairs its streets, but also enhances its social fabric, boosts its economy, and preserves its environment. The PAI’s legacy aims to make Santa Pola a fairer, stronger, and more opportunity-filled city that is ready for future generations.
Author: Derek Appleton
Other Articles
Alcoy Local police impound 40 e-scooters and issue 49 fines
Guardia Civil discovers a large network of illegal fish traps
No Comment! Be the first one.