A COSTA Blanca ‘colony’ of around 30,000 residents – including a large British expat community – is taking steps to break away from Orihuela and become an independent municipality.
The Orihuela Costa Independence Party (PIOC) has begun drawing up a formal segregation dossier which it plans to submit to the Valencian regional government and Orihuela Town Hall later this year.
The group argues that Orihuela Costa is effectively a separate town from the historic city of Orihuela, sitting almost 30km away on the coast and with a population dominated by international residents, including British expats.
Activists claim the area generates substantial tax revenue through its major industries of tourism and property but remains short of the infrastructure and public services needed to support its growing population.
The coastal population is growing at a rate of around 3,000 new residents every year, which the group claims could push the population towards 60,000 within a decade.
The group has even approached other outlying parts of Orihuela, including La Murada and Torremendo, about joining its push for greater autonomy amid growing anger over the fiscal imbalance.
The movement is now collecting signatures online, with several hundred already committing to the cause.
However, turning the independence bid into reality will be far from straightforward.
Creating a new municipality requires political approval and a series of binding technical and legal reports, making the proposed split a lengthy and uncertain process.
The PIOC’s strategy is to win enough councillors at the next municipal elections to force a vote on splitting the municipality from within Orihuela’s own council.
The group points to the examples of Pilar de la Horadada and Los Montesinos, which gained independence from larger local authorities in the late 20th century.
But political participation on Orihuela Costa remains low.
More than 51 per cent of voters abstained at the last municipal elections, while the area’s large expat population means many residents are not engaged with local politics.
Nevertheless, the PIOC received the most votes on Orihuela Costa at the most recent election.
However, that was not enough to secure any seats on Orihuela Town Council.
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