The Naked truth

Campaign groups vow to battle developers invading final green space in Orihuela

CAMPAIGNERS have vowed to fight on, despite Orihuela council finally approving controversial plans to build 2,200 homes ‘for foreigners’ at scenic Cala Mosca.

They are hoping to take their case to Alicante’s regional court, as the Gomendio group now gets set to develop ‘the last virgin kilometre of Orihuela Costa’.

Protest groups, including Salvemos Cala Mosca, are raising funds via a Crowdfunding campaign to contract a team of environmental lawyers to help in their battle.

“We are all very sad at this news, but we are still hoping to stop it,” Salvemos spokesman Angel Barcelo told the Olive Press, this week.

“In particular, we are disap-

THE restoration of the Denia to Gandia tram link that shut in 1974 has moved a step forward.

Regional operator FGV has been authorised to start drafting a viability project.

The Marina Alta and La Safor areas have long been regarded as getting ‘second-rate’ treatment over public transport compared to other parts of the Valencian Community.

An initial FGV study published last

By Alex Trelinski & Alberto Lejarraga

pointed with all the politicians who have made this development possible but we are still hoping to stop it.”

He continued: “The development is an attack on our town, against nature and yet another instance of the council damaging the coast.”

In particular, the group lays the blame at Orihuela town hall and the Valencian Generalitat, which have both been blaming each other instead of listening to the local population.

“It’s simple, the majority of local people do not want this. They want to keep it natural and a place to enjoy nature, without concrete,” he continued.

One step closer

May said reopening the line was ‘feasible’ at an estimated cost of around €250 million. The Public Works ministry has given the go-ahead for project procedures to restore the service which would extend the Line 9 Alicante line which currently terminates at Denia.

Hand S Off Our Costas

LOOK OUT: Naturists are lining up for battle

“All the expats we know around the area are in total support of our campaign. We are going to crank it up over the next few months.” He explained the project had already once been suspended by the European Parliament in 2007 in an attempt to protect the endangered species of the area. He pointed out that current mayor Carolina Gracia had actually been to Brussels to oppose it at the time.

“But now she is approving the development, ignoring unfavourable reports from the Spanish Ministry of Public Works,” he continued. Ironically, Gracia had claimed to be against the project when taking office last year.

She even claims to have appealed to the giant developer to see if it would be prepared to take another local site instead, but was rebuffed. It did, at least, lead to a slightly changed Gomendio plan submitted for public consultation in February.

The tweaked project includes an expansion of a protected micro-reserve area for the cat head plant and a reduction in the number of homes to be built. After this, Gracia insisted she could not refuse to submit the project for approval after technical reports saw no grounds to block it. She claimed she was being harassed by Gomendio's solicitor to speed up approval as work on the site had to start before the end of May to ensure building permits did not expire.

Nudist

And she admitted that blocking Gomendio would have made the council liable to compensation payments of allegedly around €200 million. Other protest organisations joining the battle include the Spanish Naturist Federation. President Ismael Rodrigo told the Olive Press: “Cala Mosca is a lovely area, very natural and one of the last areas for nudists on the coast,” he said. The group has already held a number of naked protests in front of a group of apartments also built by Gomendio nearby.

VALENCIA’S deputy mayor wants a cap on cruise ships docking at the port.

It comes after an alarming increase in ships docking in the city, with double the number last year on 2019.

Sandra Gomez would implement a quota in association with the Port Authority ‘for the well-being of residents and for the satisfaction of all tourists’.

Gomez said she wanted to stop overcrowding caused by day-trippers in some parts of the city.