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

Sticky Vicky’s daughter quits mum’s iconic Benidorm show

Adhesive the stage act has been sensationally abandoned by Vicky’s daughter, who has followed in her late mother’s footsteps, thereby leaving behind her family’s Benidorm legacy.

The unexpected decision was made after María Gadea Aragón assumed responsibility for the adult-themed magic performances following the passing of her mother, Victoria María Aragón Gadea, in 2023 at the age of 80.

María, who had been employing her mother’s stage identity in the well-known Spanish resort, has now discontinued her performances after a decade on stage.

María performed frequently at venues including the Palladium, Zodiaco, and Rockerfellers, as well as Benidorm which is a popular destination for British expatriates and vacationers.

Des Bellamy-Wright, an employee at the Benidorm Palladium, verified that María is no longer employed in the lively Spanish city. Des stated, “Sticky Vicky is no longer operational in Benidorm.” The ‘Carmen Snake – Sticky Show’ is a similarly entertaining program that is broadcast every night at 12:45 a.m. “

The official reason for Maria’s retirement was not disclosed, and her final performance was in November 2024.

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Costa Blanca

Elche’s H&M shop closing

The Swedish retail chain H&M announced in 2024 that it would be reducing the number of stores and employment it has in Spain due to “organisational, productive, and economic” reasons. Around 50 layoffs were the result of the closure of stores in the L’Aljub retail centres in Elche, Ociopía in Orihuela, and Habaneras in Torrevieja, which had consequences for the province of Alicante.

Additionally, these were the sole instances in the Valencian Community that were impacted. The Torrevieja store was the first to shut its doors in May 2024 since that time. The Orihuela store was subsequently closed on September 14th of the same year. Currently, the Elche store has shuttered its doors. The facility was closed to the public on March 14th, following its final day of operation on March 11th. It will be entirely shut down on March 22nd. Approximately 20 employees are being laid off at this Elche store. It is the final establishment in the province of Alicante that will not reopen, and the circumstances of the dismissal were negotiated in October. The employees have departed the company with an agreement as a result of these negotiations, according to Yolanda de la Casa, the general secretary of the CCOO Services Federation in Alicante.

The dismissal terms that were established following the October negotiations were 45 days until 2012 and 33 days until the present. A gratuity of 3,500 euros was granted for the first five years, 4,000 euros for the next ten years, and a maximum of 4,500 euros for the subsequent years.

Furthermore, three relocations have occurred among the 50 individuals who were laid off in the province, spanning Elche, Orihuela, and Torrevieja. Lely Fernández of UGT l’Alacantí-La Marina informed this newspaper that these were part-time employees from the Habaneras shopping centre in Torrevieja who were transferred to the La Zenia shopping centre, which continues to operate and is accessible.

H&M initiated 2024 by announcing the closure of 28 stores and approximately 588 collective redundancies. The figure was reduced to 521 reductions in a subsequent revision.

The Torrevieja store closed its doors to the public on May 17th, 2024, and the lease expired on May 24th, never to be reopened. Nevertheless, numerous employees at this establishment were granted the opportunity to relocate to other nearby stores that were still operational. In September 2024, Ociopía followed suit, and Elche followed suit in March 2025.

The H&M group operates over 100 stores and employs nearly 4,000 individuals in the country. This decision was made by the Scandinavian company in order to “adapt and perfect” its stores in a “changing” shopping environment for its consumers. Additionally, Spain would be responsible for 17% of the brand’s global closures, as indicated by the data that the company disclosed months ago when it presented its 2023 financial year.

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Costa Blanca

Man stole fire extinguishers to sell as scrap metal

A 20-year-old male is currently under investigation by the Guardia Civil for the purported theft of ten fire extinguishers. The fire extinguishers were discovered by Seprona officers during an inspection of a scrap metal establishment in Torrevieja. The store manager and the criminal are both the subject of an investigation.

The fire extinguishers, which were in near-new condition and completely charged, were discovered by the Servicio de Protección a la Naturaleza (Seprona) officers during the inspection. The investigation was initiated due to the fact that this material is “uncommon” in this form of business, as explained by sources from the Armed Forces.

Upon discovering the fire extinguishers, the officers enquired about the scrapyard manager’s documentation regarding the extinguishers’ arrival. The manager responded that he did not possess any proof of ownership. Additionally, he disclosed that a woman and her son had abandoned them there without his permission.

The company responsible for maintaining the fire extinguishers was identified by Seprona officers after they analysed the evidence and proof acquired. This verified that the extinguishers were located in a building in Torrevieja. The missing equipment was reported by the property manager of this community of proprietors shortly thereafter.

Fire extinguishers were recovered

Officers were permitted to confiscate the fire extinguishers and transport them to the Torrevieja Civil Guard barracks as a result of the formal complaint. Upon verification of their origin, they were returned to their legitimate owners.

The individuals implicated have been identified as a result of the operation. The 20-year-old man who is supposed to have stolen the fire extinguishers is being investigated for theft, while the 23-year-old proprietor of the scrap yard is being investigated for receiving stolen goods.

The Guardia Civil emphasises the necessity of reporting these types of incidents and reminds all individuals of the significance of doing so. In order to prevent the acquisition of stolen material, scrap metal dealers must establish rigorous controls, such as document checks on sellers and items received.