Vecinos protestan por la balaustrada de Silgar

Residents in Sanxenxo returned to the promenade at Silgar on May 16 to protest planned works on the beach’s stone balustrade, according to local media. The march was backed by the neighborhood platform SOS Balaustrada de Pedra, which says the railing should be preserved without alteration. The dispute has become one of the town’s main local controversies this month, pitting heritage arguments from residents and opposition groups against the municipality’s safety case. Mayor Telmo Martín has said the stone structure will not be removed, but modified with added stainless-steel elements to meet current rules. ### Why are residents back in the street over a seaside railing? The May 16 march followed an earlier mobilization on May 8, when dozens of people joined a protest called by the local BNG branch on the Silgar promenade. Local coverage said the newer demonstration again defended the balustrade as a defining part of the beach front and local memory. Far from a one-day action, the protests have broadened from party opposition into a citizen campaign organized through SOS Balaustrada de Pedra. (farodevigo.es) SOS Balaustrada de Pedra has framed the issue in heritage terms. In coverage of the May 16 protest, the platform said the structure should not be touched because “sin memoria no somos nada.” In the earlier May 8 protest, demonstrators chanted “A balaustrada de pedra non se toca,” according to Diario de Pontevedra. (farodevigo.es) ### What exactly does the town hall say it plans to do? Telmo Martín said on May 5 that the balustrade “no se destruye, se modifica,” according to Diario de Pontevedra. The mayor said the project would add stainless-steel bars along 120 meters of the existing stone balustrade and would not tear down the original stone. He linked the intervention to pedestrian safety requirements on the final stretch of the promenade. (farodevigo.es) La Voz de Galicia reported on May 10 that the Concello reiterated the same point after the contracting board’s proposed award for the works. That report said the last 120 meters of the balustrade would keep the current stone structure, while gaining a handrail on top and a piece to reduce the gaps between the stone uprights. The stated aim was to prevent a child from slipping through an opening near a drop of about nine meters. (diariodepontevedra.es) ### Why do opponents still think the project threatens the balustrade? SOS Balaustrada de Pedra said in its founding statement on May 5 that the municipal file contemplated removing part of the historic granite balustrade and installing a metal structure in its place. The platform called that an attack on local heritage and identity, and said it wanted to halt the project. (lavozdegalicia.es) Diario de Pontevedra reported on May 8 that an initial project described removing that section of the current stone railing and replacing it completely with a steel one. That earlier wording appears to be at the center of the mistrust between residents and the Concello, even after Martín’s public insistence that the stone will remain. (lavozdegalicia.es) ### How large is the project beyond the balustrade itself? The disputed works form part of a broader seafront package in Silgar. Diario de Pontevedra reported the intervention includes accessibility improvements on the promenade, pavement work at the mirador and continuity of the blue single-platform paving along the road section. The mayor put the value of the works at 396,850 euros, while local reports described the package as just under 400,000 euros. (diariodepontevedra.es) The project area runs between Rúa Ourense and Rosalía de Castro, with the balustrade works focused on the final section toward punta Vicaño. La Voz de Galicia and Diario de Pontevedra both identified the disputed stretch as 120 meters long. ### Who else has taken a position in Sanxenxo? (diariodepontevedra.es) The BNG has led the political opposition and called the May 8 mobilization at the Rosa dos Ventos on the promenade. Adrián González, identified by Diario de Pontevedra as the local BNG leader, said the balustrade was the “álbume de fotos máis grande de todo Sanxenxo,” describing it as a fixed symbol of the town’s seafront. (lavozdegalicia.es) La Voz de Galicia reported on May 9 that the PSOE had also asked for the project to be reviewed and for political and neighborhood consensus to be sought. That has left the Concello defending a safety upgrade while opposition parties and residents argue over the wording, scope and visual impact of the intervention. (diariodepontevedra.es) ### What happens next in the Silgar dispute? Diario de Pontevedra reported on May 10 that the municipality had proposed the company Castro Figueiro to carry out the accessibility and balustrade works. An earlier report on May 5 said the full job, including the single-platform section, was expected to be finished by mid-June. As of the latest local coverage on May 16, residents were still mobilizing in Sanxenxo against any change to the stone balustrade. (lavozdegalicia.es) (diariodepontevedra.es)