The fight to save Cala Mosca received important political support on Tuesday 22 June when a majority of political parties in the Environment Committee of the Valencia regional parliament voted in favour of a motion to provide major additional protection to Cala Mosca in the face of a plan to build 1,500 new houses on this last unspoiled natural area on Orihuela Costa.
The motion was presented by the Vega Baja member of the Valencia Parliament, Antonio Estañ. The parties supporting the motion include parties in the coalition which governs the Valencia region. This is particularly relevant in the expected follow up to the motion. The only party which voted against was the Popular Party which, unfortunately heads the municipal government of Orihuela.
The Popular Party of Orihuela and its coalition partner, the Ciudadanos Party, have not lifted a finger to prevent this emblematic last green area of the Orihuela coast being covered in concrete.
They continue to approve new building projects which result in much additional revenue for the municipality but they do not invest this revenue in Orihuela Costa which is becoming a concrete jungle with a constantly increasing population but deficient services and infrastructure.
The important protections which the motion recommends include an independent environmental impact study to be carried out by the Valencia government. This was the principal recommendation of the European Parliament Petitions Committee at its meeting in February attended by C.L.A.R.O’S Bob Houliston and Marta Guillen of the Cambiemos Orihuela party.
The unanimous view of the Petitions Committee, which has given constant support to the efforts to save Cala Mosca since C.L.A.R.O. presented a petition supported by over 7,000 signatories in 2010, was that the environmental impact study carried out by the developer, although legally legitimate, could not be considered objective since the developer’s interest is to justify the project to build 1,500 new houses.
Another recommendation in the motion of 22 June was a wider economic impact study to consider the consequences of adding up to another 5-6,000 or 20% to the population of Orihuela Costa with the need to provide corresponding services such as household water in an area where water is a scarce resource, sewage facilities which are not expanded and upgraded, adequate streets and pavements, as well as street cleaning, rubbish removal and park maintenance, which are notoriously deficient.
The motion also includes recommendations to increase the protection of the two endangered species which are present on Cala Mosca and to define the animal right of way which follows the coastline of Cala Mosca and has only been defined by the Developer. An official definition could reduce the area potentially available for construction.
There is good hope that these recommendations will be followed up by the regional Valencian government which is the political authority for deciding on the future of Cala Mosca. C.L.A.R.O. and Cambiemos plus other political parties and groups and Associations such as the Federation of Associations of Orihuela Costa have formed a very effective Platform to Save Cala Mosca. They will continue the campaign. 
Their most recent initiative is a new petition to show public support for this important local cause. Already, in a few days the petition has received over 600 signatures. We urge maximum support for this initiative which should impress on the regional government of Valencia, as well as the local government of Orihuela, popular determination to save this last green area of our coast which has not yet been concreted over and never should be.
The link for signing the petition is:
