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Date Published: 27/04/2023

Murcia politicians have 50 days to decide whether to extend Mar Menor planning and building moratorium

The ban on new construction in La Manga del Mar Menor expires on August 3, but parliament has broken up for the next month and a half

The parliamentary activity of the Regional Assembly in Murcia has come to an end for this legislature, and in the midst of the hustle and bustle of initiatives that have remained stuck in limbo is the extension of the urban planning moratorium in La Manga and the area around the Mar Menor.

This moratorium on urban development projects on the Mar Menor coastline prohibits the granting of planning permission and building licences for new construction projects in the area, in an attempt to safeguard the environmental and aesthetic integrity of the Mar Menor (although this doesn’t stop the construction of projects which were already given the green light before this law came in).

Last March, the House considered an initiative to modify the Mar Menor Law and extend the deadline, but work in the regional parliament has been suspended until after the regional elections on May 28, so the initiative has finally lapsed.

The problem is timing. The moratorium expires on August 3, three years after the Mar Menor Law came into force, and if they want to prevent unfettered, free-for-all construction around the protected lagoon, they will have to vote to extend it.

The next legislature of the Regional Assembly will begin on June 14. That means there will be 50 days in which the newly elected parliamentarians must reach an agreement on whether or not to extend the veto on urban development in the Mar Menor.

Given the track record for opposing political factions with something to prove to come together across the divide for the common good, it does not look promising for the poor old Mar Menor.

Image 1: Archive

Image 2: CARM