Following Elliot Sampford’s resignation, the proposed plan by the government to build a recycling collection depot and rubbish transfer plant at Entre Golf has become a hot topic

with residents and locals believing that this area will become the centre for all aspects of the rubbish collection service in Orihuela Costa, including a transport depot for all the contractors vehicles.
This essentially means that the huge industrial site, termed an ‘ECO-Park’ by the PP, will be located in the middle of the houses, at the heart of a residential community.
Residents, led by Entre Golf President Wally Stewartson would like to know exactly what Councillor Abadia and his PP colleagues have up their sleeves for this land and exactly how far they will go to please the new contractor UTE-SUFILIASUR- GOBANCAST. The bridge next to the area is nearly completed and this opens all sorts of prospects and residents can only visualise in their worst nightmare the extent of the potential problems that Lie ahead.
In order for the PP Council to run both the rubbish transfer dump and the recycling collection depot from the PAU 26 Green Zone they should put a proposal before the Pleno - full council meeting - to get a change of use approved for the plot currently being used. The use of land in sector PAU 26 was agreed in writing in 2007 by PP Councillor Abadia as being illegally used for a rubbish transfer depot. The land in question is designated in the Plan General for Orihuela as a Green Zone, not for industrial or Town Hall use. It is believed that the change in status of this land will be achieved by getting the designation, within the Plan General, of the plots I-EQ-1 and PAU26 swapped.
With the PP holding a majority vote on the Council this will not be a problem. Locating the industrial rubbish collection and transfer depot in the centre of the Entre Golf residential area will not only affect residents on the Entre Golf side of the AP7 motorway but also those living on the opposite side, such as Dream Hills 2, Las Plameras Manzana 1, Residencial Mexico, and not forgetting the new development next to the motorway of Los Balcones de Valle when it is completed.
From Bad to Worse
There is also the point that the current and suspected future use of the land is within a barranco. This raises issues of possible pollution from the dump entering the drainage water and then into the salt lakes. Those opposing the development are keen to point out that no development is legally permitted within 25 metres of the centre of a drainage barranco.
The final concern is that the cleaning contractors refuse lorries are already being parked alongside the N332 at Campoamor next to the petrol station opposite the Peugeot dealer. Objectors suspect that with the development of the PAU26 site these lorries will be parked there, so it will not only be a rubbish transfer dump and recycling collection depot but a lorry park and transport depot as well – and all in the centre of a residential area.
Of course, the main reason for Mr Sampford’s resignation was that he believed Los Verdes should have rejected any use of the land in question for a mega rubbish centre amongst people's homes.
Mr Sampford said: “I believe that Los Verdes should not have suggested or be part of this action. Under no circumstances should the party be prepared to accept either a recycling depot or rubbish tip or both being sited in the centre of a residential area. In addition to this I believe that the treatment of the residents of Entre Golf R6B, who will be drastically affected by the location of these facilities, by Los Verdes is not acceptable.” Mr Samford and the residents of Entre Golf believe that Los Verdes gave them false information at a meeting held on 4 May. It is claimed that the concerned residents we given unconfirmed assurances by Los Verdes that the Ayuntamiento had accepted the suggestion to move the proposed plant.
This led the residents to believe that the sighting of the recycling collection depot would not have the high level of detrimental effect on their lives they feared and that the illegal rubbish transfer point within PAU 26 was to cease. In fact this is not the case and to date the PP party has agreed to no such suggestions.
Wally Stewartson, President, Entre Golf said: “There was no official notification regarding the Eco-park and certainly no prior consultation. The first we knew about this was when it appeared in the papers. The council has just finished installing a children’s playground and communal picnic area, which will now be above and overlooking the proposed rubbish tip. It is madness to build this is the middle of all these houses.”
Local residents are now trying to set up a meeting with the relevant PP councillors to try to establish exactly what is happening and when. They are already resigned to the fact that it will go ahead but have a number of suggestions that would at least make it more bearable for those at Entre Golf who live closest to the site.
Wally said: “Developers are already dropping the prices of houses on Entre Golf looking for a quick sale and according to the press the contractor is saying that the work will be completed in six months, so obviously things are moving. We will not be able to sell our houses as no one will want to live next to a rubbish tip so the only thing we can do is try and get the council to insulate us from the site by moving it over into the next plot. This way there will be a bank of land shielding us from the noise, smell and vermin.”