Simon Wade
EL RASO Urbanisation in Costa Blanca South featured in a special Olive Press article yesterday, where we sang the praises of residents, businesses and even the local council.
Their efforts to maintain unity and promote safety and integration ultimately mean that when UK-based homeowners return, they’ll see a harmonic relatively crime-free urbanisation gleaming in the Mediterranean sun.
El Raso Origins
THE urbanisation is located just inland from the coastal resort of Guardamar del Segura, accessed from the CV-895, also known as the ‘Lemon Tree Road’.
Councillor for Town Planning, Jose Maria Hernandez, told the Olive Press that at the turn of the century, the entire area was devoted to agricultural use.
Like many other urbanisations, early efforts were focused on getting the layout and infrastructure right, which explains why undeveloped areas have streets laid out already with lighting and drainage.
It took three years from 1999 to 2002 to develop the whole area, its location chosen for its accessibility to the coast, nearby natural salt lakes and road connections to Guardamar, Ciudad Quesada and Torrevieja.
Although a few orange and lemon groves remain in the immediate area, the urbanisation is now a mix of many different types of housing, with a commercial area at the northern end.
Building still continues with the ultra-modern complex of apartments at Casa Oasis Beach, at the southern extreme.
A lot of thought went into planning so that heavy rain and even flood waters run naturally into the salt lakes and down towards the sea.
For the love of dog
El RASO has recently had a special park built and sectioned off for the sole use of dog-walkers to exercise their pooches.
The area even has drinking fountains for pets, exercise areas, shaded sitting areas and a unit that dispenses small plastic bags for owners to remove mess.
The move was initiated to encourage pet-owners to act more responsibly and avoid fouling up public areas.
Nearby, is an outdoor gym, recently installed for the area’s health-conscious residents.
Although El Raso is only a short drive from the award-winning beaches of Guardamar del Segura, there are no dog-friendly areas on the coast.
Councillor Jose Maria Hernandez explained that the almost unique nature of their ‘natural’ beaches means dog-walking can upset the sensitive equilibrium of the local environment.
In particular, this includes a number of rare birds – some close to extinction – that nest in the long grasses near the shore.
Nearby Torrevieja has just introduced a special pet-friendly beach for dog-walkers.
Dari’s Story
DARI INGAL lives in El Raso with her partner, Indie Ru, well-renowned international artists and photographers, currently running an online gallery and home interior service.
“El Raso is a wonderful place to live,” says Dari.
“Ru has her studio where she is working on art for her next exhibition, while I love to be able to work on my PC on the rooftop.”
“We were lucky to come here before the borders got closed as we were supposed to go back to Germany in March but since the situation there is not good, we decided to prolong our stay.“
“Even with my experience in travelling, I was surprised how great this area is for spending winter. “
“The prices are also very low and our penthouse costs less than our apartment in Germany.”
“Where would YOU prefer to spend the winter?”
READ MORE: El Raso Feature (part one)
