NOTES ON ROUND TABLE MEETING ON SECTOR D AZNARES RAMBLA HELD AT THE TOWN
HALL OF MAZARRON ON 6 TH JULY 2022
INTRODUCTION:
The round table with our presence there is a mayor achievement, and has been the immediate
goal I identified from the beginning. See the note prepared in April of this year “What have the
legal team been doing?”. At the moment things seem to be going according to plan. The idea
now is to keep the round table momentum going. It is a good start. In this respect we should
not look to the past and cast blame, but rather to the future and how to progress. We also
need to try to keep an even hand and try to get on with all political groups insofar as possible.
But most of all we need to support the round table and try to push solutions forward.
PRESENT AT THE MEETING:
CONFEDERACIÓN DE AGUAS (WATER AUTHORITIES)
Comisario Adjunto (below President and below Comisario)
Representative of servicio de vigilancia
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT
Jaime Pérez Zulueta. Director General de Territorio y Arquitectura.
TOWN HALL
The Mayor – Gaspar Miras
Gines Campillo – Vice Mayor and planning councillor
A couple of technicians including the municipal architect (David)
PARTY REPRESENTATIVES AT TOWN HALL
Representative of PP Party (Alicia Jimenez), of Cs, and of PSOE (I think).
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CRA
The President of the CRA – Phil Gelling.
The Lawyer of the Association and translator for Phil – Gerardo Vazquez
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OTHERS
Silvana Buxton – Councillor – liaison with Camposol and foreign residents.
Maria Martinez Sanchez – liason officer of Town Hall.
THE CONTENT OF THE MEETING
The Mayor introduced everyone and thanked them.
He mentioned that other resident groups might join the round table, to which we objected
saying that we represented the residents as a whole as opposed to other minor groups, and
that the Town Hall had originally agreed that we should be involved representing the
residents.
The Town Hall technicians went through the history of the problem and the various proposals
as to the diversion route underground for the rambla. The most recent proposal of 2017 was
explained, though a couple of changes would need to be made to this – the idea is to make the
route the most feasible one which would cause the least disruption – eg in terms of
expropriations.
The water authority representatives mentioned in passing that another solution was to re-
establish the rambla with the demolition of houses. We objected to this on the basis that this
would involve the demolition of many houses and the international scandal and impact on
foreign investments would be mayor. I get the idea that this will not be pursued.
The water authority people also spoke about sanction proceedings against the Town Hall for
the rambla – I am unclear as to the status of these. The Town Hall mentioned the need to
resolve the problem of the rambla as a priority.
It is unclear whether any resolutions were made at the meeting except the agreement to
reconvene on the 14 th September 2022 at 11 am.
The Mayor proposed that we all agree to the most recent route.
My impression was that the water authority people were not well up on the current situation
and did not have the sufficient representative capacity to make such a decision at the meeting,
and intimated that they did not.
I pointed out that the most recent proposed route could be a solution but this was a technical
matter at the moment and that what we should be doing is for the Town Hall to pay for a
project and resolve the issues raised by the water authorities in their report on the latest route
of August 2018.
So I understand that no such decision was adopted.
Phil spoke at the end of the meeting to say that his concern was for the health and safety of
the people affected by the rambla in Sector D and the risk to their property, especially given
that a few years had passed since the last bad flood.
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At the end of the meeting I spoke privately to the Mayor to thank him again and stating that
we were all there to work together and the role of the CRA was to push through a solution,
which he seemed to take on board.
CONCLUSIONS
I am happy with the meeting. It is a start, and we need to be upbeat and positive. If the
periodic meetings continue, I am sure that there will be substantial progress, certainly that is
something that we should all strive for. In this we need to work together.
In other words, in my view it is a thumbs up at the moment.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The CRA should concentrate on funding and membership now including tracking down those
affected by the rambla. If necessary, consider fund-raising activities such as social events.
The advantage of joining the CRA is information and the ability to have an influence on
decisions.
A lot is being achieved in a short space of time but this obviously has a cost.
ANNEXES
See with these notes:
1. Map of the previous and current alternative.
2. Map of the current alternative showing its relationship to the existing water courses.
3. The 2018 report on the current route.
4. The agreement of all the Town Hall groups in August 2019 to set up the round table to
include the CRA.
NOTE
The CRA, as a result of the application by my colleague Eduardo Amor has now been given
access to one of the bank guarantee files, so that we will need to go down to look at this and
take copies. He is also pressing for access to another bank guarantee file.
Gerardo Manuel Vazquez Nuñez
7 th July 2022