Orihuela: plan for a 2.2 million m² business park

Orihuela’s council meeting on 29 October was due to consider the initial plan for a park for agri-food industry, renewable energy and logistics: about 2.2 million m² north of the town, alongside the A-7.

The land next to the La Matanza road is currently mostly citrus groves; the plan would turn it into an industrial and commercial area. The environmental documents take into account studies on flood risk, traffic and fire prevention. If the council approves them, a 45-day public consultation will open: the file will be available on the council’s e-office and anyone can submit objections. In parallel, the council will request 28 sector reports from public bodies and utility companies.

For Vega Baja residents this is one of the largest industrial land projects in the area and could bring jobs in logistics and food processing along the A-7. But construction is still a long way off: after the consultation the plan needs a strategic environmental statement from the Generalitat. The project dates back to 2013; the first attempt to revise the general plan lapsed in 2018 and the file was reopened in 2020.