The council has also announced the tender for the first 40 stalls at the town’s artisan market, warning that traders and fairground operators will face substantially higher fees, and confirmed that Plaza de Capdepont is to be renamed Plaza de España.
Torrevieja’s fairground attractions are expected to return to their traditional location on Paseo de La Libertad in mid-July, Mayor Eduardo Dolón has announced.
Speaking after Monday’s local government board meeting, Dolón said the newly redeveloped area would reopen to fairground operators in time for the Virgen del Carmen festivities. He also confirmed that the new road running through the port area is expected to open to traffic within the coming days.
The announcements formed part of a wider update on the redevelopment of Torrevieja’s port, where the Paseo del Mar leisure complex was recently inaugurated.
The council also confirmed that the first 40 stalls for the town’s long-established “Hippie Market” are being put out to tender. In addition, Plaza de Capdepont will be renamed Plaza de España and will become the site of a memorial to the victims of the August 1938 bombing of Torrevieja.
Completion deadline extended to July 31
The council also reported that contractor Abala, part of Grupo Hozono Global, had requested an extension to complete the redevelopment of the esplanade between the pavement outside the Bahía area and the new road serving the Paseo del Mar complex.
Municipal staff have since approved the extension, moving the completion deadline to July 31.
The area includes the site of the former Paseo de La Libertad, although the council has confirmed that the redeveloped esplanade will retain that historic name. The works were awarded under a contract worth more than €7 million.
According to the council, the extension is not expected to increase the project’s budget.
The contractor attributed the delay to interruptions in the supply of materials linked to the conflict between the United States and Iran, as well as the fact that the new road through the port has not yet opened. Until the road is operational, the company cannot complete paving and other services in the remaining section of Avenida de La Libertad, which is being removed as part of the redesign.
The new road is needed to provide access for vehicles travelling to the Marina Salinas marina car park.
It will not connect directly with Calle Ramón y Cajal, meaning vehicles leaving the port area will instead be directed along Rambla Juan Mateo. The road is expected to open within days.
Despite the extension of the works until the end of July, Dolón said the council remained committed to allowing fairground operators to return to Paseo de La Libertad by mid-month.
That timetable means work could still be under way in parts of the esplanade when the fair resumes operating.
First 40 market stalls expected in October
The council also announced the tender for the first 40 stalls in the artisan market traditionally known as the “Hippie Market”.
The stalls are valued at approximately €22,000 each, with the initial contract carrying a tender price of around €1.3 million.
Dolón said the first units should be installed by October in the area around the former customs building and Muelle Mínguez, close to the section of Paseo de La Libertad where a row of ficus trees previously stood.
Long-standing stallholders will be given priority in the allocation process, following a proposal submitted by the traders themselves.
The council ultimately plans to tender the construction, relocation and installation of up to 160 stalls.
However, traders will have to meet a key condition before they can occupy one of the new units. Applicants must provide an official certificate from the Generalitat Valenciana confirming that the goods they sell qualify as artisan products.
The requirement could affect traders selling items such as T-shirts, toys and mobile phone accessories. Those unable to obtain the certification will no longer be eligible to operate from the market.
Around 25% of the former stalls sold products of this kind, in some cases after trading on Paseo de La Libertad for more than a decade.
Higher charges for traders and fairground operators
The mayor also confirmed that both artisan traders and fairground operators will face substantially higher charges for occupying the redeveloped port area.
The port is not owned by Torrevieja City Council. It falls under the authority of the Generalitat Valenciana, which charges the council a concession fee for its use. The details of that concession agreement have not yet been made public.
Dolón said part of the municipal investment in the port redevelopment, together with the cost of occupying public land, would be reflected in the fees charged to businesses operating there.
Fairground operators will receive new infrastructure, while artisan traders will be provided with newly built stalls at no direct construction cost. However, the occupation fees they previously paid are expected to rise considerably.
The council is preparing two new municipal ordinances governing the operation of the fair and the artisan market, as well as the charges for the use of public land. The fair has not previously had a dedicated operating ordinance.
The higher costs could mean that some self-employed traders and business operators who worked at the former site may no longer be able to afford to return.
Dolón and local government board secretary Federico Alarcón said the associations representing both sectors had been aware of the proposed changes for some time.
The fair has operated from Antonio Soria Park since the summer of 2023. Some operators and visitors had begun adapting to that location, which offered significantly more parking.
Meanwhile, the artisan traders were moved to Avenida de la Estación during Easter 2025.
Plaza de Capdepont to become Plaza de España
Dolón also provided further details about changes to the roads and public spaces surrounding the port.
When asked what the new main road through the port would be called, the mayor said the council had initially considered the name Paseo del Mar. However, that option was rejected because it could cause confusion with the leisure complex of the same name.
He said the road’s eventual name would be linked to the renaming of Plaza de Capdepont, which is to become Plaza de España.
The square will also house a memorial to the victims of the August 1938 bombing of Torrevieja by Italian aircraft operating in support of General Francisco Franco. The tribute was agreed unanimously by the political parties represented in the council chamber.
The former tourist office in the square has also been demolished, although the existing trees and vegetation will be retained.
The square will also be enlarged after the removal of the current roundabout. A new road will connect the port entrance with Rambla Juan Mateo, which will become the principal exit route for traffic leaving the port area.
The chosen location for the memorial is close to the street where the largest number of victims of the 1938 bombing were recorded. The street was historically known as Calle de los Pilonicos and is now called Calle Torrevejenses Ausentes.
