PROPERTY SEARCH
San Javier puts the brakes on new building in La Manga with a one-year moratorium
The pause on new permits is the first step towards permanently banning residential development on undeveloped land along the 15km strip
San Javier Town Council has approved a one-year moratorium on new land subdivision and building permits in La Manga, marking the beginning of what the local government hopes will be a permanent shift in the way the iconic 15km strip is developed.
The freeze applies to new permits only and won't affect developments already under construction, but it's a significant move given that 504 new homes were approved in 2024 alone, taking advantage of a temporary window created by the end of the moratorium on the Mar Menor Protection Law.
According to Councillor for Urban Planning Antonio Martínez Torrecillas, the one-year suspension is the maximum period permitted under regional Land Law and is the first step towards modifying Subsidiary Regulation 79, which would permanently prohibit collective residential use on undeveloped land along La Manga's stretch within the San Javier municipality.
The goal, according to Mayor José Miguel Luengo, is to free up around 336,000 square metres for hotels and tourist apartments, while scrapping plans that would have allowed roughly a thousand more high-rise apartments to be built, reducing residential building area by 100,000 square metres in the process.
The road to making that change permanent won't be quick. The draft modification has to go to the General Directorate of the Environment, which will open a public consultation period running alongside the council's own.
If the administrative process drags on beyond the one-year moratorium, Mr Martínez confirmed the council is prepared to extend it.
"We will approve another one-year suspension, as it can be extended for up to two years," he said.
The councillor also acknowledged that the planning legacy of previous years has created problems that won't be easy to unpick.
"Reversing the pronounced seasonality generated by the previous planning is very complicated," he told the plenary session, adding that the reason the change hadn't been made sooner was that "the appropriate legal conditions now exist to propose a change in the urban planning model."
For more local events, news and visiting information contact the tourist offices of San Javier (main contact number 661 572285) or go to the home page of San Javier Today.
Address
Calle Padre Juan. Centro Cultural Principe de Asturias 30720 SAN JAVIERTel: 968 571 704
Oficina de Turismo de San Javier
The municipality of San Javier has three main offices giving tourist information to visitors, as well as two information points. The tourist offices are located in Santiago de la Ribera, on the ground floor of the town hall in San Javier and at the start of La Manga. There is also a summer tourist information point located on the seafront in Santiago de la Ribera as well as one at kilometre 12-13 of La Manga del Mar Menor next to Playa Mistral.
Due to its location on the fringes of the Mar Menor and Mediterranean, San Javier has a period of intense summer tourism activity during the peak summer months, although it is popular with retirees of all nationalities out of peak season.
Tickets for the annual San Javier Jazz Festival can be purchased at the Festival office in San Javier Town Hall, Plaza de España.
Timetables summer 2024:
Tourist office Santiago de la Ribera (Calle Padre Juan 30720, Santiago de la Ribera)
Weekdays 9.00 to 14.00 and 18.00 to 21.00
Weekends and public holidays 10.00 to 13.00
Telephone: 661 572285
Email: turismo@sanjavier.es
La Manga del Mar Menor (Gran Vía Km. 0 30380, La Manga del Mar Menor):
May 1 to September 30:
Weekdays 10.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 19.00
Weekends and public holidays 10.30 to 13.00
Telephone 968 128955 ext. 2
Tourist information point of San Javier (Plaza de España, 30730 San Javier):
Weekdays 9.00 to 14.00
968 573 700 ext #5351
Email: concejaliadeturismo@sanjavier.es
Tourist information point of Santiago de la Ribera (Paseo Colón on the seafront)
Weekdays 9.00 to 14.00 and 18.00 to 21.00
Weekends and public holidays 10.00 to 13.00
Tourist information point of La Manga del Mar Menor (Playa Mistral, km 12)
Weekdays 11.00 to 18.00
Weekends and public holidays 11.00 to 14.00
Contact Spanish News Today: Editorial 966 260 896 /
Office 968 018 268
