Work has now started in San Pablo de Buceite on creating a plaza and parking zone in the Calle Real. By all accounts many of the residents oppose the development whilst the president of the local administration, Andrés Beffa, has promoted it and insists there is little or no opposition. The following open letter was sent by an English resident of San Pablo to Señor Beffa in June 2008 –and copied to the mayor of Jimena, Agaden and others without the courtesy of a reply. No surprise there then! The letter was sent in Spanish and addresses many of the "real" concerns of the people of San Pablo. I offer no comment but am happy to give it a wider airing.
I am English but have had the good fortune to have lived in or around San Pablo since 1979 so I hope you will allow me to speak both as “spectator” and “player”.
I have a copy of the informe about Sr. de Bringa’s plans for Calle real before me. It seems to me that Sr. Bringa is not aware of our agricultural heritage, he seems to propose a creation which would do very well in Sotogrande or suburban Miami. The little “kit” fountains tan remingeldas are particularly hard to swallow. Everybody I have spoken to dislikes the plan, the shopkeepers are not looking forward to the disruption and nobody I have spoken to sees the necessity for it.
Everybody to whom I have spoken has his own personal plan for improvements in San Pablo - most involve the school - but I would like to present a couple of projects which I think a better long term use of public money. One of the plans uses a great deal less than the Calle Real plan and the other, a great deal more.
Unless I am very much mistaken household waste, including aguas fecales, from the South side of the village is sent directly into the Guadiaro; indeed until recently my own waste tipped out there. I am surprised that a village which still sends raw sewage into the river has 193.449,47 euros to spend upon cosmetics, I do very much hope I have got it wrong and misunderstand and that there is a depuradora somewhere of which I know nothing? Certainly the little flowerbeds in the centre of town could be rebuilt, but I am not alone in feeling that things need go no further; extra money we appear to have would surely be better spent on protection of our lovely surroundings, the health of our river and of our own. The Calle Real plan money could be saved up and put towards drainage.
Another project which I feel should take precedence over the Calle Real plan and could be undertaken this autumn. A double row of mixed trees - or even a small wood - could be planted to shield our eyes from the sad wound on the hillside between San P and Jimena, I speak of course of the so called Golf Alcornocales. Enough trees of a sufficient age could be purchased, planted, staked and irrigated for between 3 and 4 thousand euros, benefitting the wildlife greatly, helping to stop erosion and beautifying the general scene. We are extremely fortunate in San Pablo in that we can boast two eminent resident naturalists, Fede Sanchez and Martin Jacoby, I feel sure they would wish to advise on species.
San Pablo is such a lovely community, such friendliness and grace; even the children are charming! The Town Hall is so accessible and provides so much; the cultural organisation is particularly admirable. The Monday market is a delight. We love the wonderful new gymnastic toys along the entrance. The administration of the irrigation canal and the stream is very impressive; that dead sheep was removed in a matter of hours …. even the boy in his horrid black boombox car seems to have quietened down a bit! We do not need a great upheaval in the centre of town, I do not think that the grace and simplicity of the original plan for the village can be bettered.
Thank you very much indeed for taking the time to read this.
San Pablo de Buceite – before, during and what comes after?
