The developer, planning to build 1,500 new houses and apartments on this last kilometre of open, green land on Orihuela Costa, is desperate to get final approval from the Valencia government. Thanks to the intervention of C.L.A.R.O. and the support of the European Parliament, several years ago, he was obliged to delay building in order to carry out an environmental impact study. A revised project was submitted for public consultation in 2014 which purported to safeguard two endangered species, a plant and a rare snail, protected under regional and European environmental law. This proposal met with wide objections. A further revised project was presented at the end of last year but was widely objected to again because it contained no significant changes, continued to provide for 1,500 new houses and did not satisfactorily protect the two endangered species.
However, the developer considers he has now done enough to satisfy the requirements of environmental law and counts on the regional government of Valencia to ignore the objections of Orihuela Costa residents that an additional 1,500 new dwellings which could increase the present population of 30,000 by a further 6,000, or 20%, would put an intolerable strain on the already notoriously deficient services and civic facilities suffered by existing Orihuela Costa residents.
It is significant that the present Popular Party-Citizens municipal government of Orihuela has raised no objections to the latest plan. C.L.A.R.O.’s Bob Houliston and Marta Guillen of Cambiemos, the Orihuela political party most supportive of the cause of saving Cala Mosca, will therefore appeal to the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament which meets in Brussels next week to intervene again and ensure, by all legal means possible, that this last remaining piece of green land with endangered species is not sacrificed to another mega building project which will enrich a developer but impoverish the services necessary for a decent quality of life for those already living on Orihuela Costa.
We are not counting only on this external support and will provide residents and interested parties with an opportunity to express their opposition to this inconsiderate mega project. A peaceful, authorised demonstration will be held on Sunday, 5 March in a final attempt to persuade the authorities that this project should not be approved. Several associations, such as the Federation of Associations of Orihuela Costa and the Podemos political party will join supporters of C.L.A.R.O. and Cambiemos in a protest assembly and walk along the coast of Cala Mosca
Join C.L.A.R.O. on Sunday 5 March. The meeting point is the Esplanade of Playa Flamenca beside the Post Office (Correos), at 11.30 a.m
We need to demonstrate the will of the people of Oriheula Costa that this emblematic green space should not be sacrificed.
