Alex Trelinski
PILAR de La Horadada council has backed plans for 1,086 holiday homes to be built on 290,000 m2 of rural land at Lo Monte Playa.
The move still has to be ratified by the Valencian government and would end a nine-year campaign by a developer to reclassify the land.
Last Friday’s council vote saw the ruling Partidio Popular support the measure with backing from Vox, while the PSOE councillors abstained.
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The new urbanisation will bring up to 2,700 new residents to boost Pilar’s population to just under 25,000 people.
It will be bordered by Avenida Federico Garcia Lorca in Mil Palmeras, Camping Lo Monte and Avenida Levante to the south, and the coast.
The promoter, Santamar de la Vega, says the plot is wasteland and has not been used for any agriculture for 30 years, and will ‘fill in’ the gap between other urbanisations.
It says there is no risk of flooding, despite the fact that the regional flood plan says there could be a structural risk due to a rambla that crosses the land.
Crucially, the Segura Hydrographic Confederation and the regional government have supported the builder’s environmental impact report.
The Friends of Sierra Escalona group claim there could be problems caused by new buildings stopping excess water from running off.
Santamar de la Vega owns 98% of the plot with an estimated value of €21.7 million.
The Orihuela-based company has plans for a 2,000 home urbanisation in San Miguel de Salinas as well as the Los Naufragos skyscraper promotion in Torrevieja.
