Artxanda is undergoing a significant transformation. The Bilbao City Council is committed to turning this historic peak into a beacon of sustainability, planting hundreds of trees and developing new trails. However, for those living on its slopes, the clearing of undergrowth has brought an unwelcome surprise: the full visibility of a squatter settlement that, according to residents, is becoming a "powder keg" of insecurity and filth.
Residents complain that while municipal workers are making the area "beautiful," reclaiming degraded spaces for public enjoyment, just a few meters away, the reality is starkly different. The felling of old trees and clearing of the space have revealed what was once hidden: expanding wooden shacks, abandoned vans, loose cables among branches, and accumulations of flammable waste.
“"They've been there for years, but now, with the trees gone, everything is visible."
The residents' concern is not merely aesthetic or environmental. Insecurity has become the main topic of conversation in local homes. Residents report increased tension after dusk, describing a "bad atmosphere" that did not exist before. They recount that the sense of danger escalates during weekends due to "squatter gatherings," leading to a constant flow of people wandering through the forest area late at night. In this regard, residents complain that although Municipal Police officers respond to their calls, the situation does not change, and the settlement persists, solidifying a permanent climate of insecurity.
In recent weeks, crime has directly impacted infrastructure. According to reports, parts and materials have been stolen from excavators and trucks working on Artxanda's improvement projects. Residents suspect the settlement serves as a base for petty thefts in neighboring properties, although the lack of nighttime surveillance makes identification difficult. They also report attempts to occupy other farmhouses in the area.
The most common complaint among residents is the feeling of abandonment in the face of the occupation. "We've called countless times, but they do nothing," they assert. The risk of fire is perhaps the greatest threat. The combination of manipulated electrical wires, illegal wooden structures, and accumulated waste in a newly recovered forest environment generates constant concern among residents. They fear that Bilbao's new green lung might disappear in flames even before the new trees have fully grown.
