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The use of space for different events such as the September Fair has led to a progressive degradation of what was the city's botanical garden.

Situation aggravated this summer with the realization of concerts prior payment by a company.

The Platform for the Defense of the Cultural Heritage of Murcia denounces the situation that for some time has been living in the Malecón garden.

The absence of a festival venue duly enabled in our city has resulted in the use of this green space as a substitute for fairgrounds, both in certain sporadic events and, especially, during the festive periods of the city: the Fiestas de Spring and the September Fair.

It is in the latter where the occupation of the garden is greater and more aggressive, a situation that comes from far and that has resulted in a gradual modification of the space to better fulfill its function as a venue, forgetting its traditional condition as a botanical garden, whose origin It dates back to the primitive garden of the former convent of the Franciscans that, after the confiscation, ended up being used by the newly created Provincial Institute and its Chair of Agriculture for the study and learning of botany, thus giving birth to the botanical garden in 1845. Function that would continue to meet when the urban reform of this area of ​​the city occurred in the 70s of the twentieth century, emerging the Malecón garden as such, adding in the 80s hundreds of plant species and their corresponding posters with the scientific name of the same.

However, this function has been declining since the 90s due to the lack of an adequate venue for parties in our city, an absence that has been supplying the old botanical garden rather than a bad one, converted into a simple area for the installation of huts, as well as the most diverse events whether they are fair attractions, circuses, beer fairs, etc.

Something to which this summer has added the realization of concerts prior payment by a company, which constitutes a full-fledged privatization of public space, with the consequent damage to the residents of the area, already quite disadvantaged for noise pollution.

This situation has led to the maintenance of the botanical collection, and the garden itself has gradually declined, reaching a state of semi-abandonment, with most identification plates lost or broken (only a few were replaced) and many of the species of the collection disappeared or in a very bad physiological state.

In fact, the last reform to which the garden was subjected between 2002 and 2006 strengthened this dynamic, producing the felling of different trees and the conversion of green and landscaped areas in open and paved squares for their use, also disappearing the old lake.

That is why from the Platform for the Defense of the Cultural Heritage of Murcia we believe that the City Council of our city must face once and without further delay the debate on the necessary creation of a real fairground.

The use as such of a green space, of the tradition and history of the old botanical garden contravenes the Municipal Ordinances in this respect.

In the case of private concerts, they limit free access and suppose delimiting a public area, something for which a previous report from the Park and Garden Service is required to justify the authorization.

In addition, the Malecón's garden is located within a protected environment, due to its proximity to the Well of Cultural Interest (BIC) of the Paseo del Malecón.

The multiple activities of the garden and its occasional extension to the walk itself, together with the increase in traffic that occurs in an area that does not meet the conditions for it, mainly the street Gaspar de la Peña that gives access to the parking deterrent, damage the correct conservation of the monument, when they do not degrade it directly.

Neither the Paseo del Malecón, the symbol of Murcia, nor the green areas of the municipality, such as the old botanical garden, should pay the consequences of lacking a fairground itself in our city, unlike Cartagena, Seville or Malaga.

Source: Agencias