The government of the Valencian Community (PP and Vox) has presented a new bill that will increase urban pressure on the Costa Valenciana. The proposal reduces the minimum distance for the construction of hotels on the coast and allows new residential areas from 500 metres away.
This means that the proposal significantly weakens the existing Pativel Act of 2018. The Pativel Act was introduced in 2018 to protect approximately 7,500 hectares of coastal area from excessive urbanisation. That is why the new bill from the coalition between PP and Vox is encountering a lot of resistance from environmental organisations and opposition parties. They fear the consequences for the environment and the fight against climate change.
Controversial elements
The bill also provides opportunities for recreational activities on non-urban coastal land. Moreover, it can legalise illegal coastal villages. “We want to develop our regional competence to protect private property and various commercial activities, but also to defend and protect our beaches,” was the justification for the proposal from Valencian President Carlos Mazón.
Return to destructive construction practices
The future standard has not yet been approved by the Consell, so its processing is at a very early stage. However, opposition groups raised the alarm after a first reading. Politicians such as María José Salvador of the PSOE and Paula Espinosa of Compromís fear a return to the destructive construction practices of the past.
Concern about climate change
Antonio Montiel of the Universitat de València warns that the law ignores the vulnerability of coastal areas in the face of climate change. He sees the aim as merely attracting investments at the expense of the public domain. Experts point out that the bill not only undermines coastal protection, but also contradicts European directives and national laws such as the Coastal Act on Environmental Protection.
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