The Generalitat Valenciana has finally granted environmental approval to the Vistabella (Jacarilla golf course), effectively legalising it 15 years after it first opened. Ideally, this process should have been completed before the 18-hole facility began operations. However, the course, surrounded by thousands of residential tourist homes in the Entrenaranjos area, is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary.
A 50-Hectare Attraction
Since its opening, the golf course has attracted thousands of European golf enthusiasts. It spans over 530,000 square meters, including 220,000 square meters in the UPB-5 urban development sector of Jacarilla and 311,347 square meters in the La Asomada Norte sector of Orihuela.
The lush greenery, which requires 300,000 m³ of purified water annually, is maintained alongside three decorative lakes, thousands of trees, including many palms and olives, and a network of roads for golf carts and maintenance machinery.
A Delayed Water Concession
Although the golf course was included in the favourable impact assessments of the mid-2000s for nearby housing developments in Jacarilla and Orihuela, its development was contingent on securing irrigation water from treated wastewater. This requirement was only met in January 2024 when the general director of Urbanism approved the water concession, long after the course had begun operations.
When the Generalitat first reviewed documentation on water resources in 2010, the existing treatment plant could only supply 100,000 m³ of water annually, far short of the golf course’s needs. The developer sought alternative water sources, including contributions from the Benejúzar treatment plant and the Vistabella development. However, the real estate crisis delayed progress, with local occupancy falling below the projected 14,000 residents.
A Long Path to Regularisation
After years of incomplete submissions and procedural setbacks, the developer finally secured two water concessions: 100,000 m³ annually from the Orihuela Costa treatment plant and 200,000 m³ from an expanded Las Asomadas treatment plant. The Generalitat’s approval requires annual monitoring of water usage and includes upgrades such as a driving range, irrigation systems, and a nursery for replacing greens.
Regional Context
The Vistabella course joins eight other golf courses in the region, including La Marquesa, Villamartín, and Las Ramblas. All rely on treated water and have spurred real estate development.
Despite the 2000s’ “brick fever” and subsequent investigations into controversial reclassifications of rustic land, the area continues to attract international residents and tourists.
With legal status now secured, the Jacarilla golf course remains a key driver of urban and economic development in the Vega Baja region.
