Two weeks ago the town councils of Platja d'Aro and Calonge announced the commissioning of Cala Belladona as a beach for dogs, thus becoming the first beach for pets in these two municipalities in Down Empordà Its political leaders then recalled the "great demand" for this service not only from their neighbours, but also from many visitors and from hotels and restaurants with the pet friendly label. The dog beach was opened for Easter with great success in the presence of animals and among the criticisms of a group of neighbors of nearby developments, many of whom have second homes, who consider their choice as an "attempt ecological".
But it will not be popular pressure but an error in the processing that could leave Calonge, at least this year, without its space intended for dogs. The seasonal use plan presented by the City Council, a document in which the municipalities request authorization from the Generalitat for the services and new elements they install on their beaches, such as sunbeds, snack bars, boat rental spaces or trash cans, among others, does not include this dog beach.
In the activity sheets of the update of the use plan, the only mention of the beach for dogs is the inclusion of an “informational element”, an indicative sign that occupies one square meter. But nothing on the ground reserved for dogs. And this is where the error is that Calonge learned about through a call from La Vanguardia.
Sources from the Generalitat stress that with the law in hand, the space for dogs can only be enabled in the stretch of creek that belongs to the municipal area of Platja d'Aro, which has done the processing correctly. They are approximately 680 square meters, 20% of the total area of the cove.
The head of the beaches of Calonge, Iván Valencia, intones the mea culpa and trusts to be able to repair the mistake made, although the final resolution could come too late. “I recognize my mistake; although there were indications in the document that we wanted a beach for dogs - it appeared on a map and in one of the sheets we asked for authorization to place a sign - we failed to include the footage", he says.
In the meantime, residents of the urbanizations close to the beach are pressing for the entire Cala Belladona to stop being a space for dogs. "Our claim is not against animal rights, but rather that we want to preserve one of the few virgin coves left in the area," says Jelena Popovic, spokeswoman for the neighbors.
