A DEAL has been reached this week between the owners of Benidorm’s Hotel Pueblo market and major developer Enrique Ortiz that will see 667,000 square metres of rustic land in the Armanello zone developed into a huge urban zone with 4,000 new homes.

The plan, which was first put forward in 2001, had been held up due to legal action against the developer by the owners of the popular weekly market. Under the deal reached this week, all legal action will be dropped in exchange for a site within the development where the market can be located.

Those in favour of the plan see it as an ideal way to clear out the vagrants, drug dealers and thieves that use abandoned properties in the area.

In recent months confrontations between police and drug dealers have led to the shooting of one officer and many people who have their bags, purses or wallets stolen on the market have seen the pickpockets heading off into the area, where for years they have become almost untouchable.

Opponents say that the development project will destroy what is considered to be one of the major green zones in the town although the developers say that the project will enhance it.

With a deal now in place, Enrique Ortiz can begin the project whenever he likes.

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Disclosed - Certain Denia town councillors collaborate closely with private developers.

POSSIBLE links between the two councillors that run Dénia’s urban development department and promoters seeking to build up to 5,000 new homes, have been disclosed.

Rogelio Mira and Jesús Escolano both run companies that have close ties to a company called Blauverd that owns large tracts of land in the town.
Sr Escolano is the administrator for a civil engineering company and also an advisor for Meridian Gestión Urbanística part of the Blauverd group.

With that in mind opposition parties in the town have said that the council will soon be deciding on a number of development projects put forward by Blauverd.

The most high profile of these is the PAI Almadrava-Molins plan parcial project that could see 3,954 homes built alongside the River Alberca.
The project was rejected by the former PSPV-Bloc coalition but many suspect that the new council made up of PP, GD, CU, PSD and turncoat councillor Juan Collado will accept the plan. Rogelio Mira runs two companies dedicated to real estate that are housed in the same building in Pedreguer. One of these has carried out projects for another company, Patrimonios de Levante SL, which has been actively involved in development projects in Dénia over the past few years.

Councillor Pepa Font sent out a press released claiming the developers’ links were false and accusing the PSPV of ‘contaminating the press’. Despite highlighting their concerns, opposition parties have been met with a wall of silence from the council and say promised investigations into matter have not been carried out.

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