Lawyers acting on behalf of Spain’s Ministry of the Environment have gone to the high court of Valencia to try and stop the Dolores Golf development from going ahead, citing insufficient water resources. The project has been given provisional approval by the regional government in Valencia.

The plans for Dolores Golf, near the town of Dolores in Alicante (South Costa Blanca), include a golf course and 2,600 properties on 160 hectares of what was traditional farm land.

In its legal action against Dolores Golf, the Ministry of Environment is asking for the project to be suspended until sufficient water resources can be established. If sufficient water resources cannot be found, the Ministry will seek a permanent ban.

The mayor of Dolores is defending the project, arguing that other developments in the area have been given the go-ahead on the promise of water from a new desalinisation plant in Torrevieja. The mayor also argues that provisional approval does not require proven water resources.

Environmentalists opposing Dolores Golf claim it will damage the wetlands of the Hondo Natural Park, will destroy unique farmland, and will be built on a flood plain.