Building frenzy grips south Alicante province
Developments affect Pilar de la Horadada and Orihuela Costa
A PLAN to construct 1,086 holiday homes close to the coast in Pilar de la Horadada has been put on public display by the town hall.
The development – which includes 903 parking spaces and a commercial area – has been earmarked for land between Riomar urbanisation at Mil Palmeras, the N-332 dual carriageway, Lo Monte campsite at Torre de la Horadada and the coast.
The initial building plan for Lo Monte Playa was given the go ahead in May’s full council meeting by the Partido Popular (PP) local government. According to the promoters, the plot is not in a flood-risk zone – and the only section which could suffer flooding will be turned into a green area as it is a corridor leading to the Río Seco ravine.
The scheme includes twofloor apartment blocks, attached properties and villas.
The development would be divided by a central boulevard. The plan also shows five green areas – one of them along the Cañada de la Costa livestock trail next to the N332 road.
In the council meeting the project was backed by all 11 PP councillors, whereas all seven Socialist party (PSOE) councillors voted against it and Ciudadanos and Vecinos por el Pilar councillors abstained.
The development is being promoted by the company Santamar de la Vega, which is legally represented by former San Miguel de Salinas town planning councillor Sergio Correas.
Pilar de la Horadada’s local economy depends greatly on farming and the building industry, which has boomed in the Torre de la Horadada area.
The initial building plan and the environmental impact assessment for Lo Monte Playa are on public display until August 21 on the Pilar de la Horadada council website.
Residents, locals associations and interested parties can submit objections and proposals until that date.
Environmental association Amigos de Sierra Escalona announced that they will submit objections.
They argued that the land should be saved as a natural corridor, as it stands between the Río Seco, the Sierra Escalona and the coast.
Orihuela Costa
Nearly 230 more holiday homes are being built in Orihuela Costa, according to the agreements reached in Tuesday’s council board meeting.
Local government spokesman and councillor for town planning José Aix announced that they issued the building licences for two apartment blocks with 31 and 47 properties respectively, parking spaces and a swimming pool.
Additionally, building licences have been granted for 146 properties and four villas which were already under construction in Orihuela Costa, which means that the builders will be allowed to complete the works they started before permission was granted.
The increasing number of new properties under construction has been bitterly criticised by residents’ associations and opposition parties, who have warned that basic services are still not being provided.
According to figures from Alicante’s official board of technical architects and building engineers, Orihuela Costa leads the ranking of building licence applications in Alicante province.
In April, Orihuela and Alicante councils reached agreements and common measures to speed up the approval of building licences in their municipalities. The councils claimed that the construction industry is ‘the driving force of the economic recovery after the Covid-19 crisis’.
They announced financial measures to promote building developments and building-related jobs.