Urbanisation back from the dead
A developer’s plans to restart works on an urbanisation which was abandoned over a decade ago look set to proceed. The Penya Roja urbanisation in Pego, which overlooks the Pego-Oliva marshes, had been zoned for 1,200 properties. Building work started but was stopped in 2008 during the height of the financial crisis after original developer Martinsa Fadesa went bankrupt. Now the Benissa based VAPF Group have said they could be selling houses as early as 2021 with the first phase of housing completed in 2022.
They have announced an investment of 200 million euros to build 170,000 square metres of new housing. The sight of the half built houses in one of the areas beauty spots has long been a symbol of the housing crisis in this area. While many will welcome the progress, others had hoped that the remains would be demolished and returned to nature, saying permission to build in such an eco-sensitive area should never have been granted at the start of this century.
