Preservation of the natural, architectural and archaeological heritage of Radio Liberty

The SOS Costa Brava Federation, Salvem la Platja de Pals, the Cercle Català d’Història and Gent del Ter are demanding the protection of Ràdio Liberty, in the face of the breach of the management agreement between the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Generalitat, and the state of neglect of Ràdio Liberty.

Despite the Ministry and the Generalitat having agreed on a Management and Restoration Agreement for Radio LiBertie, Since the dismantling of the antennas on 22nd March 2006, and with the end of surveillance by the Ministry two years later, the former station, created by the USA in 1959 during the Cold War, has been abandoned and vandalised.

This is why SOS Costa Brava, Salvem la Platja de Pals, the Cercle Català d’Història i Gent del Ter, as well as other organisations such as the Comissió per la Dignitat or the Amics de l’Unesco, protests protecting Radio Liberty, with urgent action. Both for the immediate recovery of historical memory, its archaeological, architectural and natural heritage, of dune and wetland habitats.

At the same time, a specific management plan is needed for the preservation of endangered fauna and flora such as’Jtachys maritimea, and the Kentish Plover.

Also from the archaeological site of the fishing village from the 12th to 18th centuries and from the exceptional contemporary architectural heritage of the architectAugustine Borrell Sensat. With the creation of a Radio Liberty Interpretation Centre, the Cold War and the Natural Park. Instead of going further, according to members of the Catalan Herpetological Society, the area is home to the ash-coloured lizard, with the most important community in Catalonia, which is disappearing.

AQVAM PROJECT

It was 13 July 2020 when Parliament approved a resolution urging the project to be discarded Inhow many for these lands. Furthermore, it urges the administration to develop projects compatible with cultural and environmental values.

On 16 November 2022, Parliament again approves a Resolutionó Radio Liberty's heritage from any demolition.. At the same time, a medieval and contemporary historical memory project, well integrated into this natural environment, must be agreed.

The SOS Costa Brava Federation and Salvem la Platja de Pals see the latest Resolution, which was approved by the majority of political forces with no votes against it, as an opportunity. Despite the years of delay, they argue that now is the time to act, taking advantage of political consensus.

Although the 330,612 m2 of Radio Liberty have protected the dunes from probable urban development, today the natural and cultural heritage are in danger.

RADIO LIBERTY: URGENT NECESSITY

Organisations are demanding the protection of Radio Liberty and warning of the poor state of the area due to neglect in recent years. For this reason, they argue that the situation necessitates an initial phase of urgent action by the authorities. Radio Liberty must be protected. In particular, the involvement of the Department of Culture and its owner, the Ministry of Transition, is required.

Therefore, surveillance and access control measures must be implemented due to the risk posed by the loss of environmental and heritage values to be protected.

According to the protocol of action agreed between the Ministry and the Generalitat de Catalunya (published in the BOE no. 67, of 19 March 2007), the Generalitat and particularly the Departments of Culture and Ecological Transition They should have managed the site, the architectural heritage and the dune habitats. This needs to be done in a coordinated manner with the Ministry to preserve its natural and historical values.

The action should ensure rational, supervised, and orderly public access that is compatible with its conservation. New delimited itineraries and viewpoints need to be created, as well as the restoration of the two wetlands that dried up during the American period. At the same time, the Ministry should have committed to carrying out the necessary actions for adequate environmental treatment. Optimal conservation of the space and its most important buildings must be guaranteed.

PROTECT RADIO LIBERTY

SOS Costa Brava and Salvem la Platja de Pals are calling for Radio Liberty to be protected by the Department of Culture, and for it to become actively involved in rehabilitating the buildings and converting them into a new interpretation centre for the Cold War. At the same time, the existing habitats are of priority community interest, are very rare and are threatened.

Keep the central building of the former offices Radio Liberty I am creating an interpretation centre, which explains the park's fauna and flora, as well as The History of Radio Liberty most recent and the sites of the seaside town the Torre Mora.

«We are in favour of promoting the study and protection of the natural environment, geological values and the ecosystem of Pals Beach and the Natural Park, as well as the historical and technological significance of this area from the Middle Ages to the Cold War,» conclude the environmental organisations.

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Article creation date: 28/10/2023.

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