‘Dormant’ urbanisation gets lone bidder

Coast company applies to build the 1,303 villas approved – and then shelved – 20 years ago

ONLY one property development firm has bid for the job of building the elusive Pego Golf urbanisation which has lain dormant for 20 years.

CHG (Construcciones Hispano Germanas), based on Denia's Las Marinas road, owns the huge Oliva Nova Golf complex – including the showground used for international dressage and showjumping tours.

It has the experience to get the complex off the ground – and four years to do so.

An extension of up to eight years can be sought, and a 5% deposit lodged with the town hall, according to local sources.

Coming at a cost of €18.3 million, the mountainside urbanisation plans allow for up to 1,303 new villas over 322,400 square metres – or approximately 247 square metres for each property and any adjoining outside space.

At least three in 10 of these homes is required to be social or government-subsidised housing.

The golf course will be just over twice this size, at 673,000 square metres, whilst a further 127,600 is required to be kept as green zones, or parkland and garden areas.

As a condition of the contract, CHG would have to commission an environmental impact survey and seek authorisation from the Júcar river and water authority (CHJ).

This authorisation would cover availability of on-tap supply, volume of waste water, and drainage solutions, including measures for hooking up the villas and subsidiary buildings to Pego sewage plant.

'Bygone era' criticism

Pego Golf was one of two planned housing developments which would, effectively, wipe out the mountain countryside between Pego town and the hilltop residential complex Monte Pego, practically converting them into a conurbation of several kilometres.

The other was the Penyarotja estate, where roads have been carved out of the mountain and surfaced, but no houses ever built.

Both were approved back in 2003, at a time when new urbanisations were springing up all over the province, largely off-plan and involving speculators, and a constant influx of northern European retirees moving to Spain.

Opponents of the Pego Golf urbanisation plans say they hark back to a 'quickbuck concrete jungle' approach which swiftly got out of hand and now belongs to a bygone era.