More Orihuela Costa Land Approved for Development

The Official Gazette of the Province of Alicante this week published the final approval of the Specific Modification of the General Plan of Orihuela in the “El Barranco” sector by which more than 33,000 square metres of land on the Orihuela Costa will be reclassified, which will become tertiary use.

The Orihuela City Council stated that the indicated area, close to the Villamartín road “presents a certain deficit of tertiary land, so the objective of the proposal was the increase of land destined for economic activities.” To this end, it was proposed to delimit a new sector of developable land, with an area of ​​33,304.11 m², including 1,155.46 m² designated for primary network roads. This new sector will be located between calles Pimienta and Clavo, the Villamartín road and the Los Dolses urbanisation, very close to the Zenia Boulevard Shopping Centre.

This new sector is located in La Zenia, next to sector E-2, which was developed more than five years ago and included 80 luxury homes.

Thus, the overall planned use is tertiary, and the gross buildability index is 0.455 m²/m². It is contemplated that 51% of the buildable area will be used for special tertiary use and the remaining 49% for commercial tertiary use. This translates into buildings with a maximum of two floors, as contemplated in the project promoted by two commercial companies Estación de Servicio Ciudad Quesada and Espiral de Inversiones.

The Territorial Urban Planning Commission reminds the Orihuela City Council in its resolution that it is necessary that “the partial plan that establishes the detailed planning of the area incorporates a landscape integration study.”

The file was published by mayoral decree of September 27, 2022, when the proposal was submitted to public participation and consultations. During this period, five allegations were presented, one of them presented by Cambiemos Orihuela, which were reported and resolved at municipal headquarters. The Plenary Session of the City Council, on September 28, 2023 and by an absolute majority of its members, agreed to provisional approval, imposing certain conditions, requiring the presentation of a consolidated text that incorporates them and empowering the delegate councillor for urban planning and territory to verify of its fulfilment.

By decree of the delegate councillor for urban planning and housing of January 22, 2024, the conditions of the Plenary agreement of September 28, 2023 are considered fulfilled. Finally, on April 17, 2024, the Orihuela City Council presented the modified technical documentation in order to incorporate the condition contained in the report of the Green Infrastructure and Landscape Service of March 15, 2024. This document was approved by decree of the councillor for urban planning of the City Council of March 16, 2024.