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Date Published: 19/05/2022

ARCHIVED - Villas Caravaning campsite has its operating licence revoked and may be forced to close

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The popular motorhome site in La Manga has ten days to come up with a fire safety plan after having its licence taken away

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Villas Caravaning campsite has its operating licence revoked and may be forced to close

Villas Caravaning in La Manga del Mar Menor had its operating licence suspended on Wednesday May 18 by Cartagena City Council, whose jurisdiction it is in, after the company that manages the campsite failed to present the requisite safety and emergency plans that the City Planning Department had demanded.

The La Manga motorhome site is home to many expats and is a popular holiday destination for caravanners, but has been blighted by a series of fires, the most recent of which claimed the life of one person just last month.

Residents, City workers and firefighters have all pointed out the dangerous lack of safety measures to prevent such disasters from happening. There are not enough water pumps or fire hydrants in the campsite, and firefighters had to use water from a swimming pool to put out the fire that occurred last October 3. This was just one of the defects identified in an investigation surrounding that fire.

Villas Caravaning, formally known as Caravanings Costa Cálida SL, is majority owned by the French company Capfun, which had an open file to legalise the situation of the campsite, but this expired in 2018.

In 2020, Cartagena City Council again urged Capfun to regularise the legal standing of Villas Caravaning, and the management company submitted a new licence application. However, this was denied last March due to various shortcomings and safety deficiencies which, according to technical reports, “pose a significant risk in terms of fire protection and for the safety of users and residents of the campsite and private plots”.

Having failed these safety checks and not meet the requirements for an operating licence, the caravan site now has ten days to appeal the decision and present its arguments to be able to keep operating. This was communicated to the representatives of the management and the residents’ and owners’ associations in a meeting in which they undertook to approve a resolution to solve the health and safety deficiencies.

This proposal will be put to a vote at a neighbourhood meeting scheduled for May 25. The cost of implementing the security measures demanded by the City Council is estimated at around 250,000 euros, and will mean an increase in the quarterly fees for this year, from 260 to 300 euros for the more than 2,000 residents who live there.

Both residents and the company that manages the campsite have informed the City Planning authorities that within a week they will present this plan, which promises to supply the campsite with sufficient fire hydrants, as well as an approved electrical installation.

If the new project does not meet their demands, the campsite, which has been in operation for 37 years, will be forced to close.

The next ten days will be key for the future of Villas Caravaning, and many holidaymakers and residents will be eagerly awaiting the results of the appeal.

Images: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena

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