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Major housing development approved along Orihuela Costa seafront

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More than 2,000 homes will be built in front of Cala Mosca in Playa Flamenca

Major housing development approved along Orihuela Costa seafront

It’s been an uphill battle but the Superior Court has finally sided with Orihuela City Council and green-lighted a massive development of more than 2,200 homes at Cala Mosca, repeatedly described as the last unspoiled corner of the Orihuela Costa coast.

Located in the ever-popular expat area of Playa Flamenca on the N-332, the future complex was stopped in its tracks back in 2010 when Brussels paralysed construction plans after receiving a petition of 7,000 signatures. Critics claimed the development would threaten two species in the area: the endemic snail (Tudorella Mauretanica) and the Jarilla Cabeza de Gato flower (Helianthemum Caput Felis), as well as other species such as the land hedgehog, the red dragonfly and the Betic lizard.

The project remained dormant until September 2021, when the Orihuela City Council approved the construction of the homes.

However, with various appeals it’s been tied up in court until today.

The developers responsible for the project, the Gomendio Group, have assured that 60,000 square metres of land will be fenced off to create a micro-reserve of flora and fauna, but this is the least of the problems.

Aside from a favourable environmental impact study, the N-332 dual carriageway is hardly equipped to deal with the volume of traffic it already has to cater for, so much so that a 4-kilometre stretch outside nearby Torrevieja is due to be expanded.

In addition, the sewage treatment plant was designed for a much smaller population than the existing one and as a result it overflows every summer, flooding the beaches and forcing their closure.

Neighbourhood groups like Save Cala Mosca are strongly opposed to the development and have promised to keep fighting against it. However, while there is still technically room for further appeals, the diggers and builders already on site tell a different story.

In other news: Plans submitted for ten-storey office block in Playa Flamenca

Image: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela

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