Following confirmation of the 2024 Orihuela budget, agreed just over a week ago at a special plenary meeting of the municipal council, more details have now been released with regard to its breakdown.

The new budget for the financial year totals 140,534,089.19 euros, compared to 80,384,314.99 euros when it was last set in 2018. That represents an increase in both income and expenditure of 60,149,774.20 euros, a percentage of 74.83%.

After running costs, the largest amount in the difference is that of Real Investments which  amount to 40,933,211.67 euros of which we now have an itemisation of how it will all be spent.

Of the 40.9 million euros, it is divided into 22.4 million for the city and districts (53.3%), 12.6 million for the coast (30%) and 6.8 million for miscellaneous services that will benefit the whole municipality (16.4%).

Whilst the amount allocated to the coast is far from ideal, with many residents thinking that it is still not enough, arguing that it should be equal to the percentage allocated to the city and districts, after its perceived abandonment over many years, the figure and its breakdown has been largely met with nods of approval and some degree of satisfaction by coastal bodies and associations.

On its Facebook page AVCRL says that ‘this is great news for the municipality that is in dire need of funds to renovate its basic, insufficient, outdated and failing infrastructure, after six years of not approving a budget’.

The largest investment in the entire municipality is to be made on the coast, the new drinking water tank at a cost of 2.8 million. There is the promise of a walkway over the AP-7 (1.3 million) and a new civic centre and auditorium are also planned (1,1 million).

Each costing over a million euros, the coast is promised the replacement of trees and palm trees, new urban furniture and improved access walkways to beaches, together with the tarmacking of many of its roads.

There will be half a million euros spent on the renovation and replacement of public lighting, the acquisition and installation of three new lifts for access to the beaches at Punta Prima, La Caleta and Barranco Rubio, to provide accessibility for people with reduced mobility, costing 250,000 euros, while 440,000 euros will be spent on public toilet modules on promenades and areas permanently attached to the beaches.

The amount of 600,000 euros is also included to expropriate the land currently owned by the Bellavista urbanisation in order to reopen the walkway between Cabo Roig and Aguamarina.

Also included is the second phase in the construction of the Orihuela Costa Emergency Centre costing 1.1 million, despite the fact that the first phase is still only partially in use.

What is still missing however, is a cemetery, the stormwater master plan, the Aguamarina storm tank, including a solution for the regular flooding of the children’s park, an overnight parking area for motorhomes, a Day Centre, an industrial estate, the construction of social housing, improvements to the areas sporting facilities and the reorganization of the bus stops, all of which appeared in the PP’s election manifesto.

With the actual number of inhabitants (around 100,000), and the severe deterioration of coastal infrastructure, AVCRL has said that the percentage of the monies allocated should be around 50% of the total budget, however the 13 million euros allocated is, nevertheless, an important window of opportunity to improve the infrastructure on the coast.

As the budget is unlikely to be available to spend until well into May or June, just six months before the end of the year for bidding, awarding and executing, priorities will now have to be set based on neighbourhood demands and the capacity of the Contracting Department to put the contracts in place, from the approval of the budget until the end of the year.

Images: Spreadsheets and pie chart courtesy of AVCRL