A report has revealed that the new works planned for Alicante Airport, including a second runway and railway connection, will result in the 55 businesses settled on undeveloped land, some irregular and others with a provisional license, being relocated to other sites.
The report states that in 2003 the local Council gave businesses the opportunity to operate on undeveloped land, and if they complied with a series of conditions, the local executive granted them a provisional license. At this time, many of the 55 businesses that are still trading only have provisional permits, while there are others that carry out their activity irregularly.
This leniency has resulted, as the City Council itself recognises, “in the uncontrolled occupation of the land, generating a negative impact on the environment.”
Until now, the City Council has allowed this situation to develop, but now, the planned new developments for Alicante-Elche airport are going to severely restrict the businesses that can still operate.
The second runway is still at the environmental assessment phase, while the construction project for the new access road to the airport is well advanced.
But these established businesses must also be able to fit in with the new railway route, which has been proposed: between the current Alicante-Murcia line and the Torrellano variant.
To legalise many of these businesses, the Elche City Council proposes the allocation of an area of common rural land on which they will be relocated, after agreeing to comply with basic rules.
For now, however, there is little that is clear in this process that has just started, other than the new regulations will provide far more protection to landscape integration, in order to prevent uncontrolled building.
However, the airport is close to areas of great environmental value such as the Agua Amarga salt marsh and the Clot de Galvany, and the regularisation aims to avoid and impact of business on these sensitive lands.
In the municipal report, the highest concentration of plots destined for vehicle rental and short- and long-stay parking, are located in the north-western area of the airport.
The Council intends, once it clarifies where and how many of the 55 existing companies will be relocated, to create a network of urban services and necessary public facilities.
