Alicante and developers of 1,000 La Albufereta homes clear the path for construction in one year
City Council and AIU (Aliseda & Culmia) sign urban development agreement
The City Council and the AIU, composed of Aliseda and Culmia, sign an urban planning agreement to advance the pending land reallocation project so that urbanization of the sector can begin in 2026, and construction in 2027. The sector—with towers of up to 10 stories—includes 100 public housing units, a large green area, and reserved land for an archaeological park.
The urban development of Partial Plan 1/4 of La Albufereta, identified as Nueva Albufereta, receives new momentum through this agreement, with the aim of starting urbanization works within a year, around mid‑2026, and beginning construction of future buildings in the first half of 2027. This marks the starting point of works in a sector whose processing began more than 20 years ago—first under Profusa, and later Nozar—and which now, with the drive of Aliseda and Culmia as members of the Urban Interest Group (AIU) inheriting the plan, includes the promotion of 1,000 homes distributed in towers of up to 10 stories, in line with the maximum heights allowed under the current PGOU. Of those 1,000 homes, 100 will be public housing, based on the reservation of 10% of the sector’s buildable land agreed with the AIU.
This was made clear on Wednesday during the signing of the urbanization agreement, a key milestone that leaves the plan’s processing awaiting the land reallocation project and licensing procedures. Nueva Albufereta is not a minor urban plan, either in size or impact. It spans the streets Caja de Ahorros (extension of Vía Parque), Flora de España, and the roundabout of Engineer Pedro Torres, covering 128,087.38 m², with an estimated buildable area of 135,380 m² (108,933 m² residential and 26,446 m² tertiary). Its development foresees an investment of approximately €20 million.
Beyond accommodating 1,000 homes—concentrated in the western wing of the sector, across five plots totaling 36,420 m², and located away from the influence of the Juncaret ravine—the plan reserves a large tract of land as a green area and archaeological park of 28,806 m² (split into two plots of 23,884 and 4,922 m²) around the BIC of Cerro de las Balsas, anticipating possible archaeological remains like those that halted works in the early 2000s. In addition, after the latest modifications to the partial plan, space has been set aside for future public facilities (still undefined) on another 10,000 m² plot. Finally, a 6,503 m² plot is designated for tertiary use compatible with hotel development, with the expectation of promoting a building for accommodation.
What specific commitments are included in the agreement signed by Mayor Luis Barcala and AIU president and vice president Isabel Cortés and Noelia Pérez? The agreement ends the urban programming phase and regulates the rights and obligations of the City Council, the developer, and the associated property owners, in order to achieve the legal objectives of the PAI. It thus provides a boost to the plan’s development, accelerating the processing of the land reallocation project and pending authorizations. The mayor emphasized that the partial plan will help “address Alicante’s housing problem, by generating affordable housing, social housing, and at the same time the private sector is betting on Alicante with projects like Nueva Albufereta, which will bring life and activity to an important area of the city.” He thanked private initiative for “joining the municipal drive at a time when the city is growing, when housing is a pressing issue, by investing in the city, in housing, and in Alicante’s development.”
For her part, AIU president Isabel Cortés thanked the City Council for its work in unlocking the sector’s development and stressed that both Aliseda and Culmia are “committed” to executing the partial plan, which has been stalled “due to various circumstances” for more than 20 years. She considered the signing of the agreement an example of “public‑private collaboration” and welcomed the fact that it can “resolve the problems the sector has faced for many years,” with the involvement of several municipal departments. Both Barcala and Cortés highlighted that the plan is located in a “sensitive area” due to the archaeological site of the BIC Cerro de las Balsas, so “special care” has been taken to ensure proper soil study.
Cortés noted that archaeological excavation works were halted at the time by the previous developer after the discovery of the first remains, and added that contact has been re‑established with the archaeological companies that were carrying out that work, to resume it “with the regional government and the City Council.” She stated that work is underway “on the inventory of archaeological remains” to resolve that area and “enhance” the site. Barcala added that a condition of the City Council was that “the developer be committed to respecting everyone’s heritage, which is the archaeological heritage.” He pointed out that “the entire area is susceptible to archaeological finds, as we saw in La Almadraba.” “In the various surveys carried out at the time, works were halted; all of that has been resolved by relocating the buildable area, which largely prevents impacts and preserves the environment from whatever may appear.” He also emphasized that flood risk has been addressed by reorganizing the buildable area to “higher elevations,” in addition to channeling the Juncaret ravine.
Unlocking of the sector
The Partial Plan 1/4 Albufereta sector has had approved zoning since 1991, although since then it has undergone numerous urban planning actions and programming initiatives which, for various reasons and difficulties in their processing, have not completed the urbanization of its area of action. To address this issue, it was decided to sequentially develop the urban area and to divide Execution Unit 1 (Polygon A) of the sector into two sub‑units, A.1 and A.2. In this way, urban management of the sector is streamlined, according to municipal sources in a statement.
In this first sub‑unit, A.1, the aim is to complete part of the urbanization works of the previous developer, filling out the current urban fabric provided for in the approved zoning. Thus, the plan for the second sub‑unit is postponed, with the intention of organizing the area through a planning modification that reduces building pressure in the sector, defining a green infrastructure that can connect the area with the beach and with the more interior parts of the municipality, while also integrating the surroundings of the BIC ‘Cerro de las Balsas,’ according to the same sources.
Other residential sectors
The development of the Partial Plan for Nueva Albufereta adds to the progress of other urban sectors where both free-market and subsidized housing are also planned, as highlighted by Barcala himself. This includes, for example, the new neighborhood of Lomas de Garbinet, where the construction of 930 homes is planned, 40% of them public housing, as well as advances made toward completing the Cerámica Santo Tomás sector in the north of the city, which, in addition to 500 homes (some already consolidated), will include a commercial area, an educational facility, a socio-cultural facility, and several green spaces. Added to this is the processing of the detailed planning for Parque Central, one of the city’s key development projects, which foresees the construction of 1,433 homes.
Work is also underway on the development of Sector 2 of PAU 5 in Playa de San Juan, with 465 homes: 322 free-market and 143 subsidized. And in PAU 3 (located north of the Partial Plan for La Albufereta, between Padre Ángel Escapa Avenue, Vía Parque, and Avenida de Denia), the development of 1,642 homes is planned: 1,150 free-market and 492 subsidized, still in the planning and study phase by municipal technicians.
Meanwhile, under the framework of the Plan Vive, an agreement has been signed with the Generalitat to build 220 subsidized homes on five municipal plots (on Jaume I Avenue and the streets Padre Arrupe, Banda Los Claveles, Médico Ricardo Ferré, and Enfermera Angelina Ceballos). This initiative is still pending the call for the corresponding public tender so that interested developers can apply to manage those plots in exchange for delivering the subsidized housing once built.
Finally, Barcala also recalled that several affordable rental housing projects are being developed, such as the refurbishment of the former teachers’ homes in San Gabriel, or the El Portón homes in the Old Town, to which the planned homes on Ceuta Street, in the San Blas neighborhood, are expected to be added. In addition, he noted that in the 2026 municipal budget—of which no draft has yet been previewed—the amount allocated to youth rental subsidies will be doubled compared to the 2025 accounts, in order to meet the demand recorded in this year’s call, in which applications were submitted for twice the planned amount of €120,000.
