A fatal blow is about to be delivered to the efforts to save Cala Mosca, the last kilometre of green land directly on the seafront of Orihuela Costa .
The department of government for Urbanismo in Orihuela Town Hall, headed by the Ciudadanos Councillor Jose Aix, will put forward for approval at the plenary meeting of the Town Council next week a modified plan to build 2,000 new houses and apartments on this last remaining natural, unspoilt area.
With the votes of the Popular Party, the major party in the present governing coalition, the proposal will no doubt be approved.
This will effectively signal the final go ahead for the Developer (Gomendio) to begin construction of a mega project which will not only cover this area, vital to the environment of Orihuela Costa, with concrete and bricks but will add some 6,000 inhabitants to the population of the coast, equivalent to an additional 20% of those on the local padron.
We can be sure that this huge increase in the population will not be accompanied by an increase and improvement in the basic services vital to the quality of life of residents but will result in a significant deterioration.
The decision of the Councillor for Urbanismo, to put forward the proposal for approval is a controversial move.
He attempted to do so in October last year but failed due to a report by the independent Secretary General of the Council highlighting the illegality of the proposal which not only lacked necessary technical support but also included negative reports
According to C.L.A.R.O’s partners in Cambiemos Orihuela the latest proposal again lacks necessary technical reports and the haste in bringing it forward for approval can only suggest that the two governing parties have caved in to the pressure of the Developer and have put his interests above those of the citizens which they are supposed to represent.
So outraged are Cambiemos and C.L.A.R.O. that Cambiemos have denounced the move in a formal complaint to the Prosecutor for Anti-Corruption.
They complain that the proposal contains irregularities and involves possible criminal offenses including a statement to the national Prosecutors’ Office, which raised questions about the project in May, that the proposal was in order when in fact it contained technical and procedural defects.
C.L.A.R.O. has added to the complaint that there is outstanding a highly critical report by the state Traffic Department on the consequences for congestion on the N332 of a huge increase in the population if the building project were to go ahead.
Thousands of vehicles owned by possibly 6,000 new residents would have only two exits from Cala Mosca both directly on to the already congested N332. There is also outstanding an investigation by the Environment Prosecutor’s office into the Developer’s estimates of the two protected species which exist in Cala Mosca and which the project would have to safeguard.
The future of Cala Mosca is now at a crucial stage and the prospects look exceedingly bleak unless there is a last-minute change of mind by the governing coalition parties or an extremely rapid intervention by the Anti—Corruption Prosecutor.
C.L.A.R.O. predicts that there will be an extremely hostile reaction by those living in Orihuela Costa if this socially and environmentally destructive project were to be given approval in such questionable circumstances.
It has all been said before! such a shame for we local residents.