|
A new law will only allow the construction of “golf housing” if the land has already been designated for building in the area’s PGOU urban plan.
The development of residential tourism on the Andalusian coastline has gone hand in hand with the appearance of new golf courses surrounded by a cluster of residential complexes. However this type of “first line” golf course property - as they are often advertised - could become an endangered species following the new Junta de Andalucía decree due to come into force next year. Sources from the regional department of Public Works have told SUR that the Junta aims to “disassociate” the granting of planning permission for golf courses from the construction of housing around them. In other words the new law will prohibit construction next to golf courses unless building on the land in question is already envisaged in the local PGOU (development plan). Therefore the existence of a golf course will no longer be an advantage when it comes to the creation of a new housing development. The change totally opposes what has become common practice. Of the 303 golf courses planned for this year in Spain, 150 are in Andalucía and property developers or builders are behind 80 per cent of them.
Until now a golf course has been the key to being able to build apartment blocks and endless rows of townhouses on a large area of country land where otherwise construction would have been prohibited. Some call these projects financial investments that are vital for the development of a municipality and the region itself, while others describe them as mere breeding grounds for speculation and corruption which, what’s more, contradict the policy of sustainable development promoted by the regional President, Manuel Chaves.
What the Public Works Department would like to achieve is the location of a golf course in a more suitable country setting and residential developments a short or medium distance away, but on land already designated for building properties.
On October 25th the Andalusian Parliament approved the POTA, a general land plan for Andalucía, which is another document that will affect the future law regarding golf courses. With this plan the Andalusian Parliament calls for the regional government to establish a regulation during the first half of 2007 to regulate the installation of golf courses in Andalucía, “disassociating” them from urban development and establishing restrictive guidelines regarding their size and environmental impact.
No longer viable
Meanwhile it’s not surprising that the Junta’s planned new decree has not gone down well with the associations of developers working in the field of residential tourism. They point out that the construction of a golf course costs between nine and 12 million euros - not to mention the cost of its upkeep - making the project no longer viable if it is not accompanied by residential development.
|
