Costa Blanca

Plan to legalise a Guardamar market is rejected by Generalitat

The Guardamar Town Hall’s special plan to regulate Campo’s well-known Sunday market, which was started in 1993 on non-urbanizable land and includes a portion of the Natural Park of the Lagoons of Torrevieja and La Mata’s Natural Resources Management Plan, has received a negative opinion from the Generalitat.

The environmental assessment committee signed the resolution over a year and a half ago, but the General Directorate of Urban Planning of the Generalitat has only just mandated its public release.

The market’s owners and the Association of Vendors of Campo de Guardamar have both filed appeals, but the administrative judgement jeopardises the activity’s continued existence.

According to the study, the special plan is deemed unfeasible in light of the local characteristics and has a substantial environmental impact.

The Generalitat specifically raises concerns about the lack of clarity in the resolution of the activity’s impact on traffic congestion and the disregard for the rules of the Sectorial Plan for Commerce of the Community (Patsecova) and the Territorial Action Plan against the Risk of Flooding (Patricova). Despite being outside the Natural Park’s boundaries according to the special municipal plan, the technicians’ reports—particularly those of the protected area’s director of conservation—show that a portion of the ongoing activity does have an impact on the Natural Resources Management Plan strip. Because the actual activity that happens on the ground every Sunday is far larger than the municipal proposal that is displayed on the surface.

The group of sellers, the landowner who oversees it, and sources from the City Council’s own governing team have explained that the precautionary measures taken by the court that decides whether the installation is legal are still in effect even though the allegations in the unfavourable report that was sent to those impacted in mid-2023 have not been addressed.

After an appeal, the court declared that it would not rule on the matter and that these precautionary measures would be maintained with authorisation to open until the regional administration determined whether the special plan would allow their legalisation, in response to a 2015 TSJCV ruling ordering the closure.

In 2021, the City Council presented a specific plan for “a private provision of a tourist street market with complementary public use” for sporting and cultural events. There are also public initiatives aimed at protecting the activity. Another municipal special plan was started in 2014, however it was archived in 2016 after suffering the same fate.

Three prior attempts to get a declaration of community interest, an urban planning tool that would have also permitted the activity to be legalised, were denied between 1993 and 2013. The facility’s closure would have a severe financial impact on dozens of families, according to those impacted. In the peak season, up to 600 companies open on Sundays, and in the winter, at least 450.

About 27,000 square meters make up the market and the parking lot. It offers the typical market fare, which includes fresh produce, clothing, and fruits. In this instance, however, it is accompanied by a showcase of over 60 eateries featuring kitchens and terraces. In addition to finding a wide range of services like cable television, home furnishings, and even real estate, thousands of visitors wind down their Sunday mornings with lunch.

The same sellers have been using the permanent installations for decades; many of them utilise this location for their primary weekly sale because weekend markets are far more popular than conventional ones. In addition to purchasing supplies, users come here for leisure and entertainment.

José Cánovas, a businessman, notes that the Association of Vendors and the management are prepared to invest the required funds to carry out the special plan. They are also willing to give up the use of the land for public events and build a roundabout on CV-895 to give access to the Los Curros path, which is where the market is located.

The same source questions how the Administration could have permitted a development like El Raso, “with houses on the shore of the La Mata lagoon,” while refusing to permit the market. This is a reference to a contentious one-million-square-meter development that, following a protracted legal battle, one of the primary advocates of Vega Baja was able to remove from the Natural Park’s highest protected area.

With thousands of tourist-residential homes that are primarily drawn by the views of the protected lagoon, the last stage of building is currently under way. Additionally, according to the same sources, commercial activity was in operation long before the Plan de Ordenación de Recursos Naturales was approved in 2010, and the regional administration rejected a specific request to remove it from that area.

Another sizable, private market is being hosted next to the N-332, across from the Santa Ana industrial complex, in addition to this Sunday market in Guardamar.

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Related Topics:Community Council Court Land Local Market N-332 Public Sale Show Torrevieja Tourist Traffic Visitors

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Costa Blanca

Consum announces the opening of new stores in Aldaia, Alaquàs, Sueca, Xàtiva, Massanassa and Torrevieja

Consum expands its operations in the Valencian Community and announces the opening of additional stores in six towns throughout Valencia. The Valencian cooperative’s comprehensive network of supermarkets in the region is further enhanced by these new openings.

New Consum stores are scheduled to open in Valencia in 2025

The following are the new stores that Consum will establish in the towns of Valencia:

Alaquàs

Aldaia

Massanassa

Sueca

Xàtiva

Torrevieja (Alicante)

Three of the stores that were acquired from Kuups last year have enabled the establishment of some of these new supermarkets. These have already been assigned an estimated opening date:

Massanassa (C/ Medi Ambient), which is scheduled to commence operations at the conclusion of May.
Alaquàs (Av. Blasco Ibáñez) and Aldaia (Av. Miguel Hernández) will launch under the Consum brand in the middle of the year.
Consum intends to maintain its pace of establishing 53 new supermarkets in 2025, including 18 of its own stores and 35 Charter stores, as well as to execute 31 renovations and expansions.

In 2024, Consum achieved revenues of €4,707.03 million, a 7.3% increase, and profits of €108.7 million, a 7.5% increase from the previous year. These figures substantiate the business model advocated by the Valencian cooperative, which is founded on price competitiveness, a diverse selection of leading brands without sacrificing the quality of its own brand, and a steadfast dedication to ensuring customer savings through discounts and gift vouchers. More than €62.2 million has been allocated to this initiative.

Antonio Rodríguez Lázaro, the CEO of Consum, stated that “these results are indicative of the dedication of our entire team, the confidence of our customers, and our capacity to adjust to change while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and innovation.”

It maintained its sixth position in the national classification of distribution companies by surface area throughout the year, increasing its market share by 0.1% to 4.7% of the national market. Nielsen reports that its market share by sales in its area of influence is 13.45%.

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Costa Blanca

The El Raso, Guardamar celebrates with a Tapas Route and concerts between May 15th and 17th

The programme for the third edition of the Guardamar del Segura City Council’s festivities has been unveiled in collaboration with the residents’ association of the El Raso Urbanisation, an area that is home to a significant number of international residents.

Between May 15th and 17th, the El Raso Urbanisation will commemorate its festivities with a Tapas Route and concerts. The festivities will take place on Thursday, May 15th and Friday, May 16th, and will feature an International Tapas Route featuring twelve establishments, which is two more than the previous year. María Venerdi, the Councillor for Festivals, has announced that participants will be able to experience tapas and a drink for 3.50 euros. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to participate in a drawing for a variety of rewards and vote for their preferred tapa on the “Tapaporte.” Last year’s edition saw the sale of over 7,000 tapas, as emphasised by the local organisers.

José Luis Sáez, the mayor of Guardamar, has emphasised the significance of “neighbourhoods becoming increasingly integrated into the dynamics of the municipality,” and he has noted that this event has “consolidated itself and become a great gastronomic celebration for the municipality.”

The city council will also offer a transport service that will travel to all participating venues in order to simplify the process of travelling.

Auditorio del Campo will host a grand celebration on Saturday, May 17th, commencing at 6 p.m. The event will feature a variety of musical groups, including the Costa Blanca Singers, who will serve as the opening act.

The charitable nature of these festivities has been emphasised by the Guardamar councillor for Festivals. The El Raso festival committee has sold T-shirts for the Tapas Route at a price of 10 euros. The proceeds of these sales, in addition to those from the bar service on the 17th, will be donated entirely to charitable causes, including the ‘El Milagro de Ver’ Foundation, which is dedicated to enhancing eye health in developing countries, and to those impacted by DANA in Valencia.

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Costa Blanca

Elche joins the national protests for Palestine on May 10th

Tomorrow, Saturday May 10th, the Elche Palestine Solidarity Committee has scheduled a demonstration in accordance with the national mobilisations under the slogan “Move for Palestine.” The march will commence at 7:00 p.m., and the rally will be held at the Chimeneas de L’Algeps in Elche at 6:30 p.m.

The initiative aims to denounce the situation in Gaza and Palestine as a whole, and to encourage citizens to demonstrate their solidarity and demand genuine action to halt the violence. The Elche Palestine Solidarity Committee extends an invitation to all individuals, irrespective of their gender or age, to participate in this collective demonstration.

As part of a coordinated campaign to increase awareness of the situation in Palestine and demand an end to the violence and occupation, this mobilisation is one of a series of demonstrations that have been organised in various cities throughout Spain.