Friends of Sierra Escalona describe the move by the builder ‘Montepiedra’, next to the Campoamor Boulevard, as “a reckless,” adding that a DANA would see them completely flooded.
As reported in last week’s Leader Newspaper, Environmental groups are alarmed by a new project to build semi-detached houses along the Nacimiento River in Campoamor. This development, now on public display, occupies land at geomorphological risk, as noted in the Sectoral Territorial Action Plan on Flood Risk Prevention in the Valencian Community (Patricova).
See also: More Properties scheduled in Campoamor
Miguel Ángel Pavón, president of Amigos de Sierra Escalona (ASE), states that approximately 5,000 of the 18,000 square meters are affected, potentially impacting around 30 planned houses. He says that, “No houses should ever have been built in this area, which is adjacent to Danger Zone 1, the highest risk area corresponding to the Nacimiento riverbed and its banks.”
Pavón recalls the 2019 DANA, where flooding from the Rambla affected Campoamor. He warns that another severe DANA could flood the entire area, including the 60 existing houses. Pavón advocates for declassifying the affected land from Sector Y-1 to prevent property and personal damage, arguing that prioritising speculative and real estate interests over people’s safety is unacceptable.
He also highlights that the land lies within the Site of Community Interest (SCI), which includes Sierra Escalona and Dehesa de Campoamor, where construction should be prohibited. Pavón suggests connecting this SCI with the one covering the waters around Cabo Roig.
The urban development plan proposes merging three blocks of single-family homes into a single block of terraced houses, increasing the number of marketable homes. To minimize environmental impact, the houses would be set back from the river, creating a narrow green area with a pedestrian path.
This area, home to endangered species like the cat’s head rockrose, would see the species replanted in the new green space and the Rambla de las Estacas.
Pavón criticizes translocation as an ineffective corrective measure, calling continued urbanization of the habitat an aberration. The only effective measure, he concludes, is to halt urbanization in this sensitive area.
