Elche approves the E-16 district plan for 900 homes

Elche’s council executive has given final approval to the urbanisation project for sector E-16: it includes 900 homes, land for the IES La Torreta secondary school and new green areas. The sector was first set out in the 1998 town plan.

Deputy mayor Francisco Soler called it a decisive step after more than 20 years: the process began in 2002 but stalled several times over objections from the regional culture department. It moved forward after a ruling by the Valencian High Court and a heritage impact study. The plan restores old tracks and irrigation channels (acequias), traditional watering of the palm orchards and the Hort de Sansano and Casa del Arsenal houses.

The next and final paperwork stage is the reparcelling project, which redistributes the plots; the council says it is “very advanced”, but there is no firm start date for works yet. For people looking for a home in Elche, new supply on this site will not appear overnight: roads, utilities and parks come first, then the housing. The council gives no price forecasts.