The Generalitat (Catalan Government) will request that the Ministry for Ecological Transition (Miteco) temporarily halt the destruction of traditional dwellings on Babilonia beach in Guardamar del Segura, in accordance with the Valencian Coast Protection and Planning Act of the Consell.
Marc García Manzana, Director General of Coasts, Ports, and Airports, verified this after meeting with residents affected by the Ministry for Ecological Transition’s plans to demolish traditional dwellings. The regional administration’s proposal to the government means that the Generalitat cannot make the choice to demolish.
Furthermore, the demolition would have to be paid for by the residents who were evicted, and they have until September 15th to do so freely.
During his uninvited media tour, Marc García Manzana stated that the Generalitat will continue to oppose the Ministry’s position, recognising that there are alternatives to deportation or demolition.
Along these lines, the Director General stated that this group of dwellings can be conserved as a coastal region of ethnological value under the Valencian Coast Protection and Planning Act of the Valencian Council. According to INFORMACIÓN, residents affected by the demolition have already applied to qualify for the alternative. Parallel to this, the Regional Ministry has presented for public consultation the regulations governing the procedure of identifying a region having ethnological value.
City hall
Article 17 of the Law allows the Generalitat to designate urban centres with special ethnological values based on a request from the city council. This includes groups of residential or commercial buildings or traditional economic activities that meet two criteria.
Aside from the fact that the Generalitat (Catalan government) currently lacks the authority to carry out the protection, the City Council opposes it and prefers demolitions, which, in its opinion, would “gain” 600 linear meters of beach by connecting it to the dune ridge and the pine forest.
Cultural, historical, and ethnological qualities must be preserved, especially intangible cultural heritage. However, they must be integrated into the coastal environment to avoid losing cultural, historical, or ethnological qualities.
To be effective, in addition to the rule presently being draughted, the Generalitat must get the majority of the Coastal Authority powers from the State, which has yet to happen. The Director General emphasised this to clarify that the Generalitat wanted the transfer of cost-controlling powers, because with the transferred powers, “the decision to demolish or seek other alternative solutions would not be the Ministry’s, but ours.”
Traditional houses
The buildings on Babilonia Beach in Guardamar were erected on the sand in the early twentieth century. They are part of the municipality’s historical legacy and have a basic, popular style. Engineer Francisco Mira (1862-1944), a Guardamar native, made their existence possible by supervising significant dunes reforestation, which prevented the sand from drowning the town and allowed for the development of the coastal strip.
Beach regeneration
Thus, the Director General of Coastal Affairs has once again urged the Ministry to complete beach regeneration projects and ensure “the proper continuity of sediment at the mouth of the Segura River.”
It should be noted that in March 2024, the Senate passed an amendment to the state Coastal Law that included the notion of nuclei with ethnological significance, “which has not been brought to the Congressional table for a vote since then,” according to the director general.
Similarly, in June 2025, Congress adopted by absolute majority the Popular Party’s proposal to change the state Coastal Law in the same manner. The Congressional Bureau has likewise not referred this suggestion to the Environment Committee for change to the statute. García Manzana argued that the Congressional Bureau is preventing the state Coastal Law amendment from being voted on, effectively hijacking the will of Congress and the Senate.
Author: Derek Appleton
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