"Mr. Poquet: Immediately halt the illegal destruction of PATMORE"

OPINION | Save the Coast – STOP PATMORE

Open letter from the mayor of Benissa

Despite being fully informed of the facts, Today, Friday, February 6th, the bulldozers and heavy machinery are back in operation from early morning., destroying the trees of last unspoiled stretch of the Benissa coastline.

As you know—because this has been communicated directly to you by spokespeople from various political groups and this very platform— Illegal earthmoving and logging of healthy pine trees has been taking place in Patmore since Monday., without the required urban planning or environmental license.

Panoramic view of the plot showing earthmoving and brush clearing, with standing pine trees at the top of the plot

Far from showing the slightest concern about an illegal action by irreversible environmental and social consequencesAnd instead of immediately taking the measures that correspond to you as mayor, you have gone so far as to publicly state that "they are only cutting down some dry pine trees."

Clearing and vegetation removal work in the Patmore area (Benissa), with accumulated branches and trunks on the ground

We invite you to visit the location to personally verify that. IT ISN'T TRUEWhat is happening is a indiscriminate devastationwhich affects both dead pines and perfectly healthy trees. This action constitutes a serious violation, among other rules, of the Article 75 of the Special Plan for the Coastal Strip of Benissawhich clearly states:

Article 75
All applications for building permits must be accompanied by a 1:200 scale plan of the plot, showing existing trees, their exact position and species, especially those affected by the construction, which should be designed in such a way that the destruction of the trees is as little as possible. In the area not occupied by the building, existing trees will be respected. Any felling, replanting, or transformation of tree crops will require prior authorization from the City Council.

Image taken from outside the fence, showing the state of the land after clearing work and the presence of machinery in the area

Despite that yesterday, Thursday, February 5thBoth the opposition and local residents alerted the Civil Guard and sent them images of what is happening —which are also attached to this letter—, You have remained impassive and has not taken any measures to stop the machines or to protect the last untouched stretch of our municipality's coast.

View of the area where vegetation has been cut in the foreground and machinery in the background, on a plot near the Benissa coastline

His public statements in response to this complaint, reported by the media Marina AltaThey are, at the very least, outrageous and show a alarming lack of sensitivity and institutional responsibility.

That a plot of land is private It doesn't mean that anything can be done in it. until a building permit is obtained. The law clearly distinguishes between property rights and physical actions that alter the land. These actions include the entry of heavy machinery, clearing vegetation, earthmoving, and the felling of healthy pine trees. These are preparatory acts for the work and are subject to prior authorization when they affect:

• Non-urbanizable or protected land, where any earthmoving requires a license.
• Trees and forest cover, whose disposal requires specific permission and, in many cases, environmental assessment.
• Area of ​​influence of the Coastal Law, subject to very strict limitations even before construction.
• External advertisingwhich in most municipal ordinances also requires express authorization.

As a lawyer, he should know that It is not a question of whether a criminal offense existsbut whether we are facing urban planning and environmental violationswhich may entail immediate halt, sanctions and the obligation to restore the land to its original stateThe lack of a license for the main project implies that Nor can any work related to said project be carried out..

To this is added the installation of advertising banners advertising Patmore Resort and Patmore Residences, which creates, through his personal and deliberate connivance, a appearance of a fait accompliThis violates the principle of administrative prudence until the required reports from the Regional Ministry and the National Ministry have been issued. The local administration has the legal obligation to provide precautionary protection to the territoryNot to look the other way as you are doing.

What this platform demands It is not about obstructing rightsBut apply the current regulations, and specifically:

• Immediate verification whether the work carried out has authorization and the file opening otherwise.
• La precautionary suspension of all proceedings until the compatibility of the project with the regulations, the Coastal Law and the current planning is definitively resolved.

The citizens expect a proactive attitude from their City Council in defense of the territory, not a passive and complacent position towards the private interests of the developer, which are, at the very least, suspicious.

Therefore, we demand that he immediately order the cessation of any activity on the plotthat he explain to residents and the opposition what actions have been taken and that he provide the relevant explanations regarding Why hasn't this destruction been stopped sooner?.

Sincerely,

Save the Coast