First closure orders are being prepared after inspections uncover alleged planning breaches around Torrellano and El Altet.
Elche City Council is preparing to close the first vehicle storage sites operating near Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport after a major inspection campaign identified facilities that allegedly fail to comply with planning regulations.
The action targets sites in Torrellano and El Altet, where the rapid spread of airport-related car parks and vehicle compounds has triggered growing concern among residents.
Around 60 facilities have been inspected by Local Police, with operators ordered to provide licences and other supporting documentation. Once the formal response period expires, the council says it will begin taking action against businesses unable to demonstrate that they meet the required standards.
Mayor Pablo Ruz said the first closure orders were now being finalised as the authority moves to bring what he described as “absolute chaos” under control.
The controversy centres on the conversion of agricultural and rural land into large vehicle storage areas serving the airport. Residents have repeatedly complained about the scale of the developments, their visual impact and the apparent lack of effective regulation.
The council is drawing a clear distinction between compounds used by car-hire companies and long-stay parking businesses aimed at airline passengers.
“Vehicle storage sites are necessary, but the necessary ones are those used by rental companies, not airport car parks,” Ruz said.
The mayor added that no new sites had opened since changes were introduced to the city’s General Development Plan to regulate the sector.
Residents in Torrellano have called for swift and decisive enforcement, arguing that the problem has been allowed to grow for too long. Opposition group Compromís has also accused the local government of failing to act early enough to prevent the spread of large parking compounds across rural land.
The first closures would mark a significant shift from inspections and warnings to direct enforcement.
Attention will now turn to the final wording of the planning rules and the criteria used to determine which facilities can continue operating and which will be forced to close.
