Cala Belladona between Calonge and Platja d'Aro (Baix Empordà) is no longer a beach for dogs. At least, as long as the administrative obstacles that prevent animals from entering the arena are not fixed. In the case of Calonge, every time the neighbors notify the Local Police, they ensure compliance with the article of the ordinance that states that the "access and presence of dogs" is prohibited on the beaches.
In Platja d'Aro, the City Council already rules out that animals can bathe in its section throughout the summer. First of all, because it is not time to modify the ordinance. But, also because, despite the fact that it had initially been decided that the entire Belladona cove was for dogs, in the end Calonge decided to limit it to a section and that contravenes "the initial spirit".
The Belladona cove has an area of about 2,500 square meters. Although it is shared between the two municipalities, most of the beach, approximately 80%, belongs to the municipality of Calonge. At the beginning of April, the two City Councils announced that the cove would become a dog beach. They did it at the gates of Easter. In fact, during those vacations there were numerous owners who went with their animals.
However, the decision did not please a group of residents of two nearby urbanizations: Treumal in Calonge and Politur in Platja d'Aro. They constituted themselves as a platform, they entered instances in the Town Halls and also filed complaints so that the decision could be reversed. They maintain that the beach for dogs, among others, is "illegal" because it has been done in contravention of the ordinances.
In the case of Calonge, article 15 of the Municipal Police and Good Government Ordinance states that "the access and presence of dogs" is prohibited on the beaches. Regarding Platja d'Aro, article 20 of the Animal Control and Keeping Ordinance literally says: "The presence of animals on the beaches of the municipality, in children's parks and children's play areas is prohibited" .
In addition, an error made by the Calonge City Council has also been added when processing the beach use plan for this season. The consistory did not state that its part of Cala Belladona would not be a space for dogs, as Platja d'Aro did in the section that belonged to it. He only asked the Generalitat for authorization to install an informative poster and occupy a meter of beach.
The Generalitat allowed to amend the error. However, the rectification, in part, is also what has led to the Platja d'Aro City Council having decided to postpone the beach for dogs in its stretch of Cala Belladona. Because, according to the consistory, instead of stating that the entire beach would be for animals, Calonge has limited it to a section of 300 meters.
According to sources from the Platja d'Aro City Council, this breaks "the spirit of the initial agreement" between the two consistories, because the presence of dogs is restricted on a stretch of sand, which should be delimited with a fence. To this is also added that the City Council does not arrive in time to modify the animal ordinance for this summer.
At first, the mayor of Platja d'Aro made a decree that provisionally allowed the presence of dogs in his stretch of Belladona cove. But the modification of the ordinance could not be approved before the municipal ones. Now, the first plenary session to which it could be taken will be that of July. And if it were to move forward, before it entered into force it will also be necessary to add the period for public exposure and allegations.
For this reason, because at times it would go beyond the summer, and seeing Calonge's decision to delimit a section of the cove for dogs, Platja d'Aro has decided to reverse the decree of the mayor's office. And, therefore, dogs will no longer be able to access their part of the beach.
However, the City Council advances that the will is to prepare everything for the coming year, to see if it is possible for Belladona cove to be a space for bathing animals. This happens because the new wording of the ordinance includes an addition, where it is said that dogs cannot access the beaches of the municipality "except in those spaces that are marked."
In the case of Calonge, every time the neighbors warn, the Local Police also goes to the beach to ensure compliance with the ordinance. And they ask those dog owners who are in Cala Belladona to leave, because the municipal ordinance prevents the presence of animals in the sand.
As they explain from the body, the task that is done is informative. In the absence of receiving a response from the City Council, ACN is waiting for it to rule on the use plan and what its will is with the ordinance, whether to modify it or not. What is clear is that, for the moment, dogs will not be able to access any point in Cala Belladona.
