Simon Wade
The Mayor of Torrevieja has revealed why he suddenly banned dogs from the city’s beaches, inciting public outcry and criticism.
Eduardo Dolon said he wanted to ‘avoid conflicts’ by sending dog-walkers to a rocky outcrop, Cala Rocio, and keeping them away from sunbathers.
The 1,600m2 outcrop will come with signage, fencing, a drinking point and shady hitching points for pooches.
It comes after years of campaigning, including a 14,000 name petition in 2018, that ended up in popular Cala del Moro and Punta Margallo being declared dog-friendly all year round.
Dolón said: “We replaced some sites that did not meet the conditions and services with another that would, and we have been working on this solution for months.”
The decree was published without any publicity on Friday and reported yesterday in the Olive Press.
“We have not made it public before because we wanted to do it along with the other measures on the beaches,” he stated.
He then went on to suggest it was dog-walkers that were to blame for the changes.
“Since [the dog-friendly beaches] were created in 2018, there has been a constant source of conflict … we know from the Policia Local.”
Dolon said that dog-walkers were to blame for bringing this ‘conflict’ into the hands of ‘nearby residents’.
The mayor insists the new area is more favorable access to parking than in Cala del Moro or Punta Margallo and a bus route also passes through Rocio del Mar.
Dolon said the following would be installed: “A perfectly-fenced and marked area, placement of basic elements such as hooks where you can leave the dog, excrement bag dispensers, a water point with a hose, and shading areas that are also necessary.”
He further justified the decision by highlighting that previous dog-friendly beaches lacked such facilities.
