History of Javea over the past 21years

As seen through the pages of the BULLETIN

by Donald Twyford

If one week is a long time in politics, just consider how long twenty one years has been in the history of Javea! I would suggest more than two hundred for this has been the most dynamic period of change in the history of the town. This review of the past twenty years attempts to show the main changes to the town and the environment, together with the principal preoccupations of foreign residents during this period as reflected in the pages of the JICS Bulletin.

The Society came into being in June 1988 and was the the inspiration of two retired senior executives of Shell: Kees Romeijn and Colin Marcus. The first Bulletin was issued that month in the name of The Association of Foreign Property Owners in Javea as the first meeting - at which the official name was changed to Javea International Civic Society - had not been held. The first editor was Clive Read and he remained in the post until December 1999. Billie Cook took on the role for one year and since then the editorial chair has been shared between the Jeni Jackson Phillips / Ian Philips duo; (I have never quite understood quite how the honour is decided between them but have always suspected that it was done on the toss of the coin with the loser getting the job!)

A few general remarks to start. I should confess that I have not re-read all the 200 editions from first to last page, (there are some limits to my masochistic tendencies!) Instead, I have simply picked out the juiciest plums from the headline items over the past twenty years and I hope that these are of interest.

However, most of us know that over the past fifty years Javea has been transformed from a small medieval village into a medium - size, modern coastal resort. Until then the twenty or so families of Javea, (whose names are familiar to all of us), were living in a small, isolated agricultural and fishing village. It was inevitable that such a transformation would have a profound effect on the character of Javea and inflict some damage to the simple charm and natural beauty of the village frequently called the Jewel of the Marina Alta.

Let us consider the positive and negative changes over the last twenty years.

The beauty of the town - In my view, (and this is shared, I believe, by the large majority of residents who knew the town twenty years ago), the changes made since 1988 and especially in the last five years have been the greatest experienced in the history of the municipality. And in the main these changes have had a negative effect on the charm and beauty of Javea.

In 1830 the British traveller Richard Ford wrote:Javea (pop. about 3500), which lovers of Claude and Salvator {Rosa] should visit: indeed the whole marina, like the coast of Amalfi, is a picture: you have beauteous sky, blue broken headlands, a still deep green sea with craft skimming over the rippling waves â¦ then inland are wild mountain gorges, medieval turrets and castles rendered more beautiful by time and ruin. I feel that the current mass of mediocre, concrete blocks of flats-like military barracks -would not inspire such lyricism. Moreover, as the decline in Javea has been accompanied by improvements elsewhere along the coast, I suspect that the accolade of - Jewel of the Marina Alta- has been lost for ever. The loss of its supreme natural beauty, as a result of the recent over-building, is clearly evident and irreparable and all the Mayors from Enrique Bas on must take their share of the blame.

The comfort of living - Here the verdict is mixed. It is clear that Javea is today a much more civilised town with more modern amenities. This is illustrated by the changing role of JICS. In its early years the Bulletin and the Society spent much of its time on giving advice to members on the basic questions of day-to-day living; (eg. How to get your house registered, how to import your car, where to pay your taxes, etc.) Today its main role is to inform members of local developments and projects. Then twenty years ago town services were still relatively primitive. The electrical supply was not universally available and cuts were frequent. Telephones were difficult to acquire and very expensive to install. Also until the desalinisation plant came into operation, the water supply was an annual hazard dependent on the rainfall and there were many tales of bathing in saltwater and queuing for potable water from standpipes. In all these areas the improvement has been truly substantial and main services are freely available - although more expensive. However, there are still major weaknesses, (eg. in the delivery of gas, disposal of waste, provision of sporting amenities and availability of parking), because improvements in the infrastructure have lagged behind the vast expansion in housing. Moreover, the days when Spain was a cheap place to live have long disappeared.

Altogether then, is Javea a pleasanter place to live in now than in 1988? Here the reply will differ according to age and individual priorities, but my answer (which will come as no surprise to you) is: NO

The integration of foreign residents

This was the fundamental purpose that led to the formation of the Society. All the local political parties had pledged at the previous municipal election, (when Enrique Bas then a Socialist was re-elected as Alcalde), to encourage the full integration of non-Spanish residents as well as to move to a more open style of government. These pledges have been repeated at every subsequent election but implementation has been rather half-hearted. It is clear from the Bulletin reports that during the early years of the JICS the local politicians made some effort to keep us informed of local developments but over the years this collaboration has petered out and is currently virtually non-existent.

As far as numbers are concerned the statistics are stark. The indigenous Javiense population has never much exceeded 7,000 - and with declining birth-rate and emigration is now probably less. In 1988 it represented about 50% of the total population registered in the official Padron. In 2009 the total population in the Padron has doubled to more than 30,000 whilst non-Spanish residents now account for some 55% of the population. The ironic fact is that in preparing the Town Plan in 1988 Enrique Bas and his minions had the staggering concept of raising the total population to 200,000 inhabitants whilst, presumably, still envisaging that the 7,000 natives would control everything. It sounds like fantasy but up till now it has worked, (mainly due to the tolerance and apathy of the non-Spanish residents.) So, regrettably in reality hardly any progress in the integration of foreigners into Javea's civic and political life has been made in twenty years. Therefore, the ethnic time bomb continues to tick and the severe economic depression which we are now entering will make matters worse.

To see excerts from Bulletins over the past 21 years click on the Bullets from Bulletins button.