When coastal development and conservation collide: Platja Llarga, Vilanova
There are economic benefits and environmental
costs to coastal development which influence the success of the development
equation. Platja Llarga at Vilanova, near Barcelona provides a rare case study
where the costs were perceived to outweigh the benefits and coastal development
pressures were blocked by local action.
Platja Llarga, Vilanova Barcelona (February
2008)
Until 1881, Platja Llarga was a large area of
coastal wetland and dunes, forming part of the delta of the River Foix. Today,
although badly damaged, it remains one of the last undeveloped sites along the
Catalan coast.
In June 2004, the local Vilanova i la Geltrú
town council passed planning permission for the construction of 300 apartments
and an hotel on the site, less than 30 metres away from the sea. The zone had
been earmarked for urban development since the 1960s and according to the town
mayor, "the Council acted properly". The planning process forced the
promoter, Grup Subirats Berenguer, to replenish the beach, create a groundwater
lake and build four breakwaters to protect the sand. The breakwaters required
50,000 tons of boulders, an expensive undertaking.
Planned Platja Llarga apartment blocks
Aerial view of the planned Platja Llarga
development
A local citizen's action group collected 5000
signatures to stop the development. The environmental campaign group Salvem
la Platja Llarga helped coordinate the protest action with the support of
Greenpeace. But it was a report from Dr. Maria Àngels Marquès, a professor in
the Department of Geophysics and Geodynamics of the Faculty of Geology at the
University of Barcelona, that won the day. Her study concluded that the Platja
Llarga is a wetland zone "by virtue of low lying morphology and proximity
to the sea". Building on such land would contravene planning laws.
Following Dr. Maria Àngels Marquès' work, a
government report by the Directorate General Medi Natural de la Generalitat
concluded that "in Platja Llarga there are natural areas that meet the
biological and hydrological characteristics of wetlands." The report stated
that "all wetlands must be preserved and protected from activities likely
to cause recession and degradation."
With the breakwaters already constructed and the
beach replenished, the town Council was forced to negotiate a way out with the
promoter.
Platja Llarga will now be protected as an 'Espai Natural' (natural area)
to provide a rare example of a traditional Mediterranean wetland and dune
landscape.
A promenade extension along Platja Llarga was planned
Greenpeace Platja Llarga action campaign
Background
Urbanisation is almost continuous along the entire 672
kilometres of Catalan coastline. Between 1981 and 2001, the construction of
houses along the coast grew at double the rate of population. The population
increased by 36%, whereas the number of houses increased by 60.5%. Half of the
houses are second homes, with the highest percentages in the Costa Dorada
(71.3%), and the Costa Brava (64.6%).
Saturation point has evidently been reached: there are now 75
coastal municipalities where practically 100% of the land is urbanised. In a
further 30, the figure is 75%. Catalonia has one yachting marina for every 10
kilometres of coastline - which rises to one every 5 kilometres in the Costa
Dorada.
The Spanish Government is finally fighting back against the
coastal concrete and its 'Strategy for Coastal Sustainability' (2007) aims to
buy up unoccupied coastal land, recategorise as protected areas land already
approved for construction, and demolish buildings and recreational ports that
occupy public beaches. The plan also demands the enforcement of an existing law
that requires the first 100 metres of shore be kept free of all construction.
All in all, the proposal is expected to cost €5 billion and to affect more
than 400 miles of coastline.
New legislation in Catalonia has established a system of
protection for non-urbanised land located within 500 metres of the sea in 50
coastal zones. This affects 23,500 hectares of coastline.
