Costa Blanca

2024 saw the most housing construction in Torrevieja, Alicante, and Orihuela

With 4.9% fewer house starts by the end of 2024 compared to the previous year, the province’s construction sector is in a state of stagnation. Permit figures from the Official College of Technical Architecture of Alicante (COATA) show that 8,353 dwellings were started in Alicante last year. In the past fifteen years, it has been the second-best figure.
Torrevieja, Alicante, and Orihuela are still in the forefront of this.

The charity says: “2025 and 2026 will be dramatic years due to the rise in housing prices”
Due to the “saturation” of pricing, foreigners residing in Alicante are “putting on the brakes” when it comes to buying and selling property.
While it is “significant” that supply has not been increased despite high demand and price stress, COATA notes that house development has maintained a “high level of activity” in 2024.

Compared to the same quarter in 2023, the number of home starts in the last quarter of 2024 has been lower. On the other hand, there were 1,828 home starts in the third and fourth quarters, a 3.2% rise over the same period last year.

The level of activity varies by region. Its reduction in the Alicante area is 14.4%, while in Vega Baja it is 13.4% and in Las Marinas it is 5.8%.

In spite of everything, the president of this professional association, Carlos Casas, is hoping that the current levels of activity will continue into 2025 so that the province’s housing needs can be met. He asserts that “they are not covered” and requests a “analysis” of the situation from both public and private organisations.

This is still lower than the average cost of execution in 2023. The cost per square metre has dropped to 543 euros, marking a relief from hikes of more than 5% during the previous two years.

With 3,315 dwellings started last year, despite a 13.4% decrease from 3,826 in 2023, La Vega Baja remains the most active region. This decline happened in the second quarter, but there has been an upward trend in activity in the third and last quarters. There was a 23% increase from the previous year, and the 724 homes sold in the last quarter are the largest quarterly total since 2019.

Inland municipalities such as San Miguel de Salinas, Almoradí, Dolores and Benijófar have shown increases, which do not compensate for the decline in the coastal area, but leave the reduction for the region as a whole at 511 homes.

There were 2,191 housing starts in Las Marinas in 2024, a decrease of 5.8 percent from the previous year. The volume of activity in this area is stable, 990 homes were started in the second half of the year, while in the same period of 2023 there were 974. The fourth quarter’s year-on-year variation is a mere 0.8%.

There are a variety of designs in this area as well. Denia, with 593 homes, is the municipality with the most activity. In the south of the region there are falls in activity; between Villajoyosa, Finestrat, Benidorm and Alfas del Pi the decrease is 654 homes compared to the figure for 2023; the decreases in Benidorm and Villajoyosa stand out, reaching 80%.

In contrast, the rest of the region has increased the number of housing starts by 514, with Calpe standing out, going from 62 in 2023 to 328 in 2024.

Elche and Alicante

The Alicante area ends 2024 with 1,508 homes started, a 14.4% decrease compared to 2023. In the fourth quarter, 260 homes were started in the area, a 57% drop compared to 2023, so the annual drop compared to last year is entirely due to the fourth quarter. This behavior is concentrated in the capital, which goes from 520 homes in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 87 in the same period of 2024 and from 1,099 in all of 2023 to 695 in 2024.

The Elche area continues another quarter with very positive data. In the fourth quarter, 184 homes were started, 111% more than the 87 in the fourth quarter of 2023. It has accumulated six consecutive quarters with a positive trend and leaves the total for 2024 at 767 homes, 34% more than in 2023 and close to the highs of the last 15 years that were reached in the first quarter of 2020.

The interior
The interior of the province also presents very good figures, 128 homes have been started in the fourth quarter, 94% more than in the fourth quarter of 2023. This figure allows growth to be maintained for the entire year at very high figures. The 572 homes in 2024 represent an increase of 91% over the 299 in 2023, they are 51% higher than the average of the last seven years and the best figure since 2008.

The cities of Torrevieja, Alicante and Orihuela

At municipal level, the data show no changes compared to 2023, with the municipalities with the highest volume of housing starts: Torrevieja with 748 homes, Alicante with 695 and Orihuela with 676. However, these three municipalities have accumulated a fall of 1,059 homes compared to 2023. Taking into account that the decrease for the province as a whole in the year is 420, the rest of the municipalities have grown by 629 homes during 2024.

In fourth place was Denia with 593 housing starts, in fifth Elche with 495, in sixth San Miguel de Salinas with 471, in seventh Pilar de la Horadada with 371, in eighth Mutxamel with 340, in ninth Calpe with 328, completing the municipalities with more than 300 housing starts in the year.

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Related Topics:Alicante Construction Housing Orihuela Torrevieja

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Man arrested for robbery with force in Elche hospital and another for assault

National Police officers have arrested a 43-year-old man for allegedly perpetrating a burglary within a hospital in Elche. The private security personnel were aware of the suspect, who had broken into 14 containers in various locations he had visited, and they notified the police.

Although the individual fled to a nearby neighbourhood, patrols promptly apprehended him. Among his possessions, they found a variety of medical supplies and instruments purportedly used to break into the lockers.

This individual was apprehended by officers for the purported offence of burglary, as determined by the information gained. Following the police investigation, the detainee appeared before the investigating court on duty.

Arrested for an attempted assault at a different facility in Elche

An incident of violence against medical staff occurred at another local hospital in the wake of an attempted assault by a 34-year-old man who had recently been discharged.

The private security team of the centre was compelled to promptly intervene in response to the attacker’s aggressive behaviour, thereby preventing the situation from escalating and causing additional harm.

The individual was promptly apprehended by a police detail, who identified him as the alleged perpetrator of a crime that involved the assault and damage of healthcare workers. They subsequently arrested him.

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FGV will allocate 1.4 million euros to cleaning the rolling stock and workshops of the Alicante TRAM

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana (FGV) will allocate €1,415,203.59 to clean the rolling stock and workshops of Alicante TRAM for a period of one year from the commencement of the contract, which also includes the possibility of an additional year’s extension.

The contracted services ensure the quality and frequency of the necessary cleanings, both daily and non-daily, as well as any unforeseen incidents or problems, such as graffiti or any other form of vandalism, by considering all the requirements associated with the cleaning of TRAM d’Alacant’s rolling stock and workshops.

At present, the rolling stock of TRAM d’Alacant comprises 37 units: 22 Bombardier 4200 series trams; 9 TRAM trains from the former Vossloh España company, which is now Stadler Rail Valencia; and 6 dual-drive (electro-diesel) trains from Stadler Rail Valencia, which are manufactured in Albuixech. These trains were retired after the modernisation work on Line 9 between Benidorm and Dénia was completed.

The 37 units for maintenance are housed in the three facilities that are currently available: El Campello, Benidorm, and Dénia.

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Costa Blanca

Police in Alicante train officers to patrol on motorcycles with greater safety and efficiency

This week, nearly twenty agents from Alicante, Elche, Benidorm, Castellón, and Valencia have participated in a National Police course on motorcyclist safety specialisation.

The objective of the course developed in Alicante by the national police’s road training unit is to “ensure that all colleagues are safer and provide a more efficient service to the “citizenship,” according to officer Jose Manuel Paniagua, one of the four instructors from Madrid, Valencia, and Castellón who have taught the course.

The instructors have been instructing fifteen unit agents of prevention and reaction (UPR) on how to patrol more safely on their large-displacement motorcycles, which weigh between 160 and 200 kilogrammes each.

Paniagua has emphasised the importance of technical mastery of the vehicle in various scenarios, as well as visual planning and anticipation.

In order to achieve this, they have been conducting closed-circuit exercises on a track and on provincial roads with curved sections. Some of the exercises that are practiced in the course include emergency braking, changing direction and curve paths, getting on and off moving motorcycles and stops, and conducting low-level escorts while maintaining balance without putting your feet on the ground.

The instructor asserts that the course enables the participants to “improve the defects or vices they have when driving,” despite the fact that the majority of them are seasoned agents who provide service to the Alicante Motorcycle Groups and other cities in the province.

The course is derived from the English Driving Style, which has been embraced by numerous security forces and organisations worldwide. “It is a model that prioritises anticipation, security, and vehicle control, without compromising efficiency or reaction capacity,” explains Paniagua.

Instructors prioritise three fundamental aspects in their interactions with the agents: the agents’ feet and their position while driving, the use of brakes, and the gaze. The gaze is considered crucial for safety, as it provides the driver with anticipation.

Motorcycles enable the National Police to respond more promptly to emergencies; however, they also pose a greater risk to police officers. The objective of the course is to guarantee the safety of officers while they are serving and travelling. Consequently, the instructors emphasised to the police that they are unable to assist anyone if they do not arrive at the correct location.

The officer also concludes that the agents have been trained in the fundamental skills of stress management, decision-making under pressure, and reading the environment, which are necessary to intervene in actual scenarios without compromising the safety of oneself or others.