Graffiti targeting homes in Babilonia reignites debate over the future of the coastline

Several homes in Playa Babilonia, Guardamar del Segura, were daubed with graffiti calling for their demolition on Sunday 1 November. The messages have reignited debate over the future of the neighbourhood and beach erosion, while the residents’ association is calling for action along the coast and a review of the Coastal Law.

The mayor, José Luis Sáez, and the regional director general for Coastal Affairs, Ports and Airports, Marc García Manzana, condemned the graffiti. Sáez criticised this form of protest and said he wanted to restore the coastline’s appearance, protect it and encourage investment. He also recalled that the homes’ concessions expired in 2018. He said the council had proposed either keeping them through repairs or reclaiming them for demolition, and that the Ministry chose the latter option.

La Colonia Babilonia, established in 1934, comprises around a hundred homes. The dispute over its future has continued for years and reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in February 2023. In 2025, a planned demolition due to take place in September was suspended as a precautionary measure after residents sought heritage protection.

The association attributes some of the erosion to the breakwater at the mouth of the Segura and argues that the homes should not be held responsible for the coastline’s retreat. A CEDEX report cited in the debate over the coastline put the retreat following the creation of the new river mouth at around 35 metres and recommended removing part of the southern breakwater to help sediments return. The council, for its part, has said that the concessions were terminated on the basis of technical reports.

On 22 September, residents’ representatives met with regional minister Vicente Martínez Mus. The Generalitat said any change to the legislation should be based on technical criteria and argued that priority should be given to restoring and regenerating the beaches. On 22 October, the Constitutional Court partially upheld the central government’s challenge to Valencian Law 3/2025: it annulled some provisions where they affected the public maritime-terrestrial domain, while recognising the regional government’s powers to protect cultural and historical assets.

The proposal to amend the Coastal Law, which the Senate agreed to consider in March 2024, remains at the amendment stage in Congress. For Guardamar residents, the debate concerns the protection of the coastline, the future of the homes and the measures that could slow the loss of sand in the area.

Article produced by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.