Spain: The Concrete Threat
30-minutes, 2006
Ref: 487

The last stretches of unspoiled Mediterranean coastline in Spain are becoming more threatened by senseless building developments even though the EU has already taken Spain to task for the threat to nature areas and national parks. We visited the stretch of Mediterranean coast between Almeria and Murcia. Here, 13% of the coast is built up the lowest proportion in Spain. Now a highway linking the two areas threatens to spur runaway urban development. Today's desert areas and greenhouses are likely to be swept away by housing estates and golf clubs. So far, both areas have escaped the building boom that has ruined much of Spain's shores. But the municipalities are eager to jump on the tourism bandwagon and are drawing up projects as if there were no tomorrow. If all the projects presented by Almeria's municipalities were approved, the province's population would soar from its present half million to seven million in just ten years. Things are little better in Murcia, where there are plans to build 300,000 dwellings and 40 golf clubs in an area that is plagued by drought and may well become desert as global warming takes hold. Several months ago, the L'Algarrobico hotel in Almeria's Cabo de Gata Nature Park, was at the center of a battle to conserve virgin coastal areas. Ecologists protests led to a judge issuing a restraining order. After years of turning a blind eye to developments of this kind, the authorities said they would do everything in their power to demolish the hotel. The report opens on the very beach where 7 hotels, 1,500 dwellings, and a golf club were planned. While European and Spanish public opinion is largely responsible for stopping this huge project in its tracks, villagers are furious. They hoped that development would bring a lot of money into the area. Carboneras is not the only municipality in the Nature Park heeding the siren voices of the developers, but ecologists believe that such developments will wreck attempts at nature conservation and sustainable development.

The report also looks at the village of Alhama in Murcia. There are plans afoot to build 6 massive housing estates totaling 60,000 dwellings and 8 golf courses. The conservative Partido Popular is in power there, but one of their councilors has joined the opposition and has voted against the scheme. Everything hinges on the rebel's vote. If the plans are carried out, they would turn a village of 18,000 inhabitants into a sprawling city of 180,000 in under 20 years. The village is split down the middle by the controversy, not least because the scheme involves creating gated communities and would cater mainly to foreigners.

Spain's Mediterranean coast could easily become a European version of Florida with pensioners from northern Europe flocking there to spend their golden years. The danger is that retirement in Sunny Spain could easily become a nightmare as the water runs out and health services collapse under the strain. The latest ruse by the developers is to offer desalinization plants to municipalities in exchange for planning permission. The picture could hardly be bleaker.