The citizens' platform Salvem el Litoral (Save the Coastline) has publicly denounced the presence of excavators and heavy construction machinery operating in Patmore, considered the last unspoiled stretch of the Benissa coastline, as well as the installation of large advertising banners announcing a real estate development that, they claim, "lacks a license." construction».
In the images released by the group, they denounce "clearing work, earthmoving or logging within the wooded plot on rural land located next to Avenida de la Marina and on the descent to Cala Pinets."
Salvem el Litoral also shows the placement of large vertical banners along the perimeter wall of the property. These banners, they specify, display the names of Patmos Resort and Patmore Residences, "as well as the logos of TQ Invest Pro, Alicante Global Group, and The Casas Company."
According to the platform's complaint, several of these structures have been installed "right on top of the signage for the Benissa coastal ecological walk." The group describes this as "especially symbolic due to the contradiction of intervening in this last remaining untouched stretch of the Benissa coastline."
For Salvem el Litoral, the installation of this advertising constitutes an advance marketing action that projects the image of a "tourist complex already underway, generating a sense of a fait accompli" even though, they claim, "the project does not have a building permit."
Questions addressed to the City Council
Given this situation, the citizens' platform is requesting explanations from the Benissa City Council regarding three specific issues: the current status of the project's urban planning file, the nature the exact details of the work being carried out on the plot and the mayor's position, Arthur Pocket, regarding a possible license grant.
"We wonder how this situation is allowed when we're talking about the last stretch of undeveloped coastline in the municipality. The mayor must clarify his motivation for permitting this commercial strategy that presents the project as if it were already underway," the group stated.
Salvem el Litoral believes that the reported events contradict the statements made by the mayor at the International Fair of Tourism (FITUR), where he presented the municipal project Benissa Natur Esport.
The platform highlights the following message: “Today we present Benissa Natur Esport, a firm commitment to sustainable sports tourism. A project that showcases our natural environment, respect for the landscape, and an active and responsible way to enjoy Benissa. Here, sport is experienced outdoors, in harmony with nature, and with an eye toward the future. Because protecting the land is also the best way to promote it.”
The platform finds it "striking, hypocritical, and disrespectful to the public to speak of sustainability, respect for the landscape, and protection of the territory while allowing development on the last remaining untouched stretch of coastline in the municipality." Furthermore, they state that images of La Llobella cove, where Patmore is located, were projected on the screens of the Valencian Community's stand, which they describe as a clear "contradiction between institutional rhetoric and the reality of municipal management."
Complaint regarding advertising and media coverage
The platform has also denounced the content of an article published by a local media outlet, which describes the placement of advertising on flags as the "starting gun" of the Patmore project, claiming that it would have institutional backing.
Salvem el Litoral believes that both the development company and the website are engaging in "propaganda and journalistic malpractice by claiming that, unlike other developments on the Mediterranean coast, Patmore's viability rests on strict compliance with current legislation." According to the platform, this assertion is false, "given that the project lacks a building permit." They also point out that the developer deposited a guarantee that, they say, "was not formally requested, which they interpret as an attempt to reinforce a strategy of presenting the project as a fait accompli."
Finally, Salvem el Litoral urgently requests that the mayor of Benissa clarify the published statement that "with the validation phase successfully completed, the complex has gone 'from plan to reality'." The group demands an explanation of the specific administrative procedure on which this statement is based and what official steps would confirm that the project has passed this phase.
