The Regional Government of Valencia – infamous for its “land grab” laws – has given the go-ahead for a golf development of 2,600 properties on a floodplain near Dolores, an inland town on the South Costa Blanca that has attracted foreign retirees.

Set to cover 160 hectares of traditional farm land with a golf course and thousands of houses, the development does not appear to have access to sufficient water resources under present circumstances, according to the local water board.

As a condition of receiving definitive planning permission, the developers of Dolores Golf have to get a positive report from the water board before they can start building.

Last year the Ministry of the Environment in Madrid took the Valencian Government to court to try and stop it giving Dolores Golf the go-ahead. The case is still in court.

The developer behind Dolores Golf, a company called San José Inversiones, filed for protection from its creditors last year. San Jose Inversiones is also the developer of the massive golf urbanisation Santa Ana del Monte Jumilla Golf (a.k.a. Jumilla Golf & Country Club), in Jumilla, Murcia.

Clients who have purchased property off-plan from San Jose Inversiones but do not yet have a home to show for it could lose some or all of their stage payments. San Jose Inversiones failed to provide many of its clients with bank guarantees, despite a legal obligation to do so.