Guardamar included in regional measures to protect the coast

Guardamar del Segura is part of the Generalitat Valenciana’s strategy to protect the coastline, which includes measures to address coastal erosion in the municipality and in Elche. The plan also includes filing 35 appeals relating to coastal boundary-demarcation procedures in the Valencian Community, as announced by the third vice-president and regional minister for the Environment, Infrastructure, Territorial Planning and Recovery, Vicente Martínez Mus.

The proposal has three strands: calling on the central government to carry out coastal protection and regeneration works; appealing boundary-demarcation procedures affecting coastal municipalities; and developing the Valencian Law on Coastal Protection and Planning. Guardamar, in the Vega Baja district, is therefore among the municipalities covered by the regional measures to address coastal erosion.

According to the Generalitat, more than half of the planned measures for the coastline have yet to be carried out. The Consell estimates that around 70 kilometres of the Valencian coast are affected by procedures relating to boundary demarcations. This figure applies to the region as a whole, not specifically to the municipality of Guardamar.

Martínez Mus argued that decisions on the boundaries of the maritime-terrestrial public domain should be based on technical and scientific criteria, objective data and historical records. At the same time, the Consell remains opposed to the amendment to the General Coastal Regulations promoted by the Spanish Government. The regional administration says some of the changes could create legal uncertainty for residents, businesses and municipalities.

In the cases of Guardamar and Elche, the strategy links regional support in response to coastal erosion with the development of Valencian legislation. The plan was presented by Martínez Mus. What measures will ultimately be specified for the Vega Baja municipalities included in the strategy?