Before regaining the mayoralty in 2019, one of the primary electoral pledges was to promptly resolve the redevelopment of the Torreta III neighbourhood. The abandoned municipal structure of the mud spa, “La Caracola,” and thousands of terraced houses, constructed in the 1980s, are situated adjacent to the Torrevieja lagoon. The latter was subjected to yet another act of vandalism in April. The governing team has not reported on the damage or the state of the infrastructure, despite the fact that it was part of the municipal heritage and represented an investment of over one million euros at the time, subsidised by a tourism excellence plan.
As the opposition to the left-wing coalition government that governed the city from 2015 to 2019, the promise to redevelop Las Torretas was one of their most significant campaign promises. The region has remained remarkably unchanged for seven years. The Department of Services is the sole entity that has been able to commission the road maintenance contractor to construct a perimeter pavement. This pavement is particularly noteworthy due to its recent construction in contrast to the dilapidated urban environment that surrounds it. The City Council has concentrated on the implementation of multi-million euro infrastructure projects in the city centre for the past few years, with the exception of investments in San Luis Park and La Mata.
In January, the sanction of the urbanisation works project in Las Torretas was announced by the governing team. The total cost of the endeavour exceeds 9.6 million euros. Nevertheless, it will be implemented in stages if it is approved. It is surprising that the initial phase’s objective is to establish a green space of approximately 35,000 square meters, rather than to resolve the redevelopment of the residential area.
The developer has submitted a project to construct co-living rooms with shared common areas on a 40,000 square metre developable property adjacent to the aforementioned plot. The mayor maintains that the residents requested that the project commence in the green area, rather than with improvements to their roads, lighting, and basic utilities, which are all located within the outer perimeter of the residential complex. He maintains that the land within the complex is privately owned.
The City Council, as is its customary practice with specific projects, initially awards the contract for the drafting of the plans, which is estimated to cost half a million euros. Subsequently, it requests the requisite permits from the appropriate authorities. Permits are issued by the Ministry for Ecological Transition in this instance, as the park is situated adjacent to the public coastal domain. The law safeguards the lagoon’s shores as an extension of the littoral.
The Generalitat, the regional administration responsible for the management of the natural park, must also approve it. Three primary areas of intervention are intended, as indicated by documentation from Vielca, the engineering firm that developed the project. The recent fire at the structure resulted in substantial material damage, which further complicates the implementation of the plan.
Basic infrastructure is provided across an area of 40,000 m² during the second phase, which entails the renovation of approximately 50% of the extant roads within the development. This encompasses the enhancement of pavement and road paving, as well as a comprehensive overhaul of urban services, such as electricity, sanitation, street lighting, and drinking water. This phase will be implemented in the medium term, following the completion of the park.
The residential area, which is one of the calm in the municipality, continues to exhibit the same neglected appearance, with only a few modifications. This region has also been affected by the proliferation of tourist residences. The white facades and video surveillance of a small number of the minuscule townhouses have been recently renovated, resulting in a gleaming appearance.
Absence of fundamental services
However, the neighbourhood continues to be devoid of fundamental municipal services, including parks, gardens, and cleansing and maintenance. The water and sewage system’s repairs are a nightmare due to the fact that the pipelines were not designed with individual connections to the street. They are situated beneath terraced residences. Agamed, the municipal water and sanitation corporation, is unable to get involved when there is a problem, as it affects everyone.
The residents continue to maintain the property individually, without establishing a community of owners. This results in a state of organised chaos, in which the proliferation of weeds and illegal urban development actions to extend homes are unavoidable. However, there are also numerous instances of neighbourly solidarity on a daily basis, and the residents make an effort to maintain their plot of “public” park to the best of their ability.
Despite the fact that this residential complex, along with Torreta II—which is equally deficient as Torreta III, which lacks a project—are among the earliest developments in the municipality, they continue to have the sole unpaved streets in Torrevieja. At the most, there is a bitumen layer over a layer of gravel. At its most detrimental, it is merely soil.
Despite the government team’s previous commitment to also enter these private common areas, which are accessible to all, it has since shifted its stance and is now advocating for the establishment of homeowners’ associations as a solution to these deficiencies, as other owners have done, such as Torrealmendros or Torreta I.
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