Date Published: 27/05/2022
ARCHIVED - Murcia begins forced acquisition of El Carmoli to create protected wetlands and help save the Mar Menor
ARCHIVED ARTICLE Once the land has been expropriated, the marshland will be restored to form a natural barrier that stops freshwater entering the Mar Menor
On Thursday May 26, the Governing Council of the
Region of Murcia approved a declaration of “urgent need” for the environmental recovery of the
Marina del Carmolí, which will speed up the procedures for the acquisition of this 310-hectare area next to the Mar Menor and allow them to create a wetland that will serve as a natural barrier to stop fresh water from entering the saltwater lagoon when there is heavy rainfall.
The land currently belongs to the Ministry of Defence and private individuals, and already back in October the Murcia government announced its intention to acquire the land by means of expropriation.
Now, this current declaration of urgent need for environmental recovery comes after having concluded the mandatory public exhibition phase on the list of assets and rights of the land to be expropriated, as well as the individualised notifications to the owners.
With this step, the land is guaranteed not to pass into private hands, and the Government will now continue to work on the project to reclaim the land to create a large wetland to the tune of 1 million euros.
The environmental restoration project will be carried out through the application of what are known as ‘Nature-Based Solutions’ (NBS) for the recovery of deteriorated and degraded spaces, in line with the European Union’s Green Pact and the Sustainable Architecture and Construction Strategy of the Region of Murcia (EACS).
The land at El Carmolí has been abandoned since the 1980s, when it ceased to be used as a seaplane hangar by the Ministry of Defence. The land is currently in the process of being returned to their original owners and, for this reason, the regional government will begin the process of forced expropriation this Saturday. Most of the plots still belong to the Institute Housing, Infrastructure and Equipment, while Cartagena City Council also has part ownership.
The area of the Mar Menor around El Carmolí has long been an eyesore due to the accumulated seaweed and other detritus swilling around in the water off the beaches. While this move by the Regional Government is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, and probably did require this “urgent” intervention given the
current state of the Mar Menor, it’s just a shame that it’s taken this long to begin to solve a problem that has been dragging on for decades.
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