The local government is looking for a plot in Orihuela Costa, where there are about 30,000 residents on the padron, to locate a cemetery, as locals are forced to travel up to 35 kilometres to bury their loved ones.
Orihuela Costa would be the ninth cemetery in Orihuela, one of the largest municipalities in the Valencian Community. Much of its population lives on its coastal strip, but the lack of a cemetery is forcing people to bury their dead miles away as the closest cemetery within the municipality is in Torremendo.
Many residents on the coast decide to bury their relatives in cemeteries in nearby towns, such as Torrevieja, Pilar de la Horadada, San Miguel de Salinas or Los Montesinos. However, their cemeteries are now only accepting burials of families registered in those municipalities; a situation that has been complicated by the covid-19 pandemic due to the greater number of deaths.
The residents of the Orihuela Costa have long requested to have a cemetery. Therefore, the Town Hall is now planning the construction of such a facility. At the end of last year, the Health area transferred to the Town Planning and Heritage Department the problems due to the lack of a cemetery in Orihuela Costa so that they are now in charge of looking for the appropriate land for its construction within the municipal plots of land on the coast. Not an easy task since the plots must comply with strict regulations on mortuary matters.
The main problem is that many of these plots, those that meet the characteristics to be able to locate a cemetery, are close to homes, and the City Council is aware that this could lead to the site being rejected by neighbours. The land needed to locate the cemetery must have special characteristics and be a considerable size, not only to accommodate the niches that are required in a cemetery, but also to have room for anticipated expansion during the 25 years following its construction, as established by the regulations.
Another handicap is its financing. It is a project that involves a level of investment that is difficult for a city council that currently has budgets carried over from 2018 to carry out. But it is a necessary investment for an area with almost 30,000 registered residents and between 15,000 and 20,000 residents who reside without being on the padron. In addition, its population is becoming larger, more stable and older. A large number are European expat residents who, although some are repatriated when they die, the majority have family who want to bury them near to the place where they decided to spend their last years.
Joint agreement
The Orihuela Costa CLARO party explains that many residents on the coast end up opting for cremation against the will of the deceased, due to the difficulty of finding a niche in a cemetery closer than that of Orihuela, 35 kilometres away. The party spokesman gave an example of a resident who had to have his deceased wife kept for more than a week in the funeral home chamber due to the difficulty in finding a niche, which he finally managed to secure in Los Montesinos.
The party is calling on the local government to look into the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Torrevieja City Council so that, with the planned expansion of its cemetery, it could offer a joint service, with spaces reserved for registered residents of Orihuela Costa. An option that municipal sources indicate has not been discussed, but might be considered.