Castalla starts proceedings to modify the general plan and “shield” itself against photovoltaic macro-installations
- The City Council has already sent the official documentation to the different departments to order the arrival of these facilities in the municipality
The mayor of Castalla, Antonio Bernabeu, has informed that the municipal technicians have already sent the official documentation to the Generalitat Valenciana, through the corresponding departments, to begin the process of modifying the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU), which will allow the different industrial initiatives that promote photovoltaic macro-installations in the municipality to be paralysed.
The mayor acknowledged the public utility of clean energy, but defended the fact that it is the installations themselves that must protect the natural environment and the environmental values of all the municipalities that host them. Bernabeu recalled that in January the procedure was initiated to prevent these macro-industries on Castalla land “that is why we promote shielding our territory from these projects”.
If the projects go ahead, it would mean covering hundreds of hectares of Castalla with solar panels. However, as the councillor explained, “we at the town council are totally against the idea of having these massive installations in our town, which would have a huge impact on the landscape and the environment”.
For her part, the councillor for Tourism, Maite Gimeno, has stated that Castalla Town Council has only processed land compatibility certificates, which the promoters of these facilities have requested to find out if the properties are suitable to host these macro-installations “given that these entrepreneurs want to assess whether they can rent or buy the properties, but the Town Council has not granted any building permit or permission to install anything on that land”. The decision on whether or not to install these plants is the responsibility of the Generalitat through different ministries such as Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition, Territorial Policy, Public Works and Mobility and Sustainable Economy, Productive Sectors, Trade and Labour. These bodies are responsible for processing authorisations. However, as the Consistory of Castalla has been informed, the Generalitat will take into account and support the position of each municipality in accordance with the interests expressed by their representatives.
In addition, the councillor maintains that “the biggest surprise we had was to bring to plenary the modification of the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU), with the aim of stopping these facilities and we found that the Compromis group abstained and the PP voted against, despite the fact that the government team has defended what is best for the town”. Gimeno has not hidden his bewilderment with the municipal opposition “especially when the councils that regulate these facilities are led by Compromis and when we see that the Popular Party asks for signatures in favour of what this parliamentary group voted against”.
