The entrance to Cartagena has recently changed, particularly at the Plaza de Alicante where workers from the maintenance contractor Actúa have planted shrubs and palm trees before the submarine roundabout. This initial impression is the first that visitors encounter when entering the city. However, local lawyer Carlos San Vicente has filed a complaint with the City Council, accusing the contractor of blatant and shameful non-compliance, stating that out of four palm trees, three have already died.

San Vicente has called for the replacement of the dead palm trees with identical specimens, also requesting that dead banana trees along the Alfonso XIII promenade be replaced, as he claims some flower beds have been covered with slabs. The lawyer argues that these issues are allowing the contracting company to gain an illicit economic advantage, urging the council not to accept cheaper trees of lesser stature.

The complaint, dated the second of August, appears to have had an impact, as new tropical coconut palms were installed by the end of last week. Municipal sources have confirmed that the upgrades in the Plaza de Alicante are part of a programme aimed at improving roundabouts and small islands throughout the municipality, with approximately three hundred trees being replaced annually. They noted that the renewal of plants and trees was planned prior to receiving the complaint but appreciated citizen input.

However, San Vicente is still dissatisfied with the choices made, suggesting that the newly planted palms resemble those found at a low-grade Caribbean hotel. He has called for the correction of this situation by planting Canary palms or date palms instead, criticising the current aesthetic as a “tropical caricature without identity or coherence.” He cited the example of well-planted trees such as date palms, cypress trees, and olives on Murcia’s Primo de Rivera Avenue, which reflect the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim cultures.