When most people buy a holiday home on the Costa Brava, they picture waking up to the gentle sound of waves, enjoying serene Mediterranean views, and soaking up the peaceful Spanish sunshine.
That dream, however, has turned into a nightmare for a group of British holidaymakers who invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in properties on the El Faro estate.
Instead of calm mornings filled with birdsong and sea breezes, residents are now greeted by the deafening roar of heavy machinery and the constant pounding of construction work.
A View Destroyed Overnight
Dave Marshall, who has owned his cliffside property for 25 years, recalls the shock of one morning when his tranquil view was replaced by chaos.
“One day we turned up, and there was an earth mover right outside our patio,” he told the Daily Mail.
“It’s destroyed what used to be lovely green land. Now it’s just piles of rubble. I’m looking at the start of a construction site.”
The relentless work has caused sleepless nights and even vibrations inside homes, leaving families questioning the future of their holiday escapes.
“It’s gone from a panoramic view of the sea and mountains to a place where someone could be looking into your patio,” Marshall explained.
“This has been our family retreat for 25 years. If this building goes ahead, we’ll have to consider selling. The property’s value will plummet—it’s heartbreaking.”
Promises Broken by the Council
The Gran Alicante estate was created in the 1980s as a holiday home development, and most plots were sold off.
A small section at the cliff’s highest point was earmarked for a hotel, but residents claim they were assured by Santa Pola council that the land would remain undeveloped.
Now, they allege the council has secretly approved what looks like a massive apart-hotel—self-catering flats with hotel facilities—completely changing the character of the area.
Dave Marshall described the project as “a monstrosity… just overdevelopment on an epic scale.”
Residents say they had only 10 days to lodge formal complaints and suspect the council is trying to bypass planning rules by disguising the development as a hotel.
Hidden Details in Planning Papers
Archie Madden, a holiday homeowner since 2019, highlighted the misleading nature of the project.
“Originally, it was presented as a four-star hotel with 98 rooms,” he said.
“But we discovered it’s actually a block of self-contained holiday apartments.
In the planning documents, there’s a request for 98 cookers, extractor fans, and fitted kitchens—proof this is just an apartment block pretending to be a hotel.”
Residents Fight Back
United in opposition, the community has taken the matter to the local public prosecutor, arguing that no valid planning permission exists for the development.
Despite this, construction continues at full speed.
“By the end of August, heavy machinery was on site from six in the morning until seven at night,” Madden said.
“The noise travels through our homes—it’s unbearable. All our neighbors are being driven mad. Why are they destroying this beautiful hillside?”
A Council Under Pressure
Residents believe the council is deliberately ignoring legal concerns and misleading them.
“It’s obvious the council is terrified of challenging the developer,” Madden added.
“They know there’s no proper planning permission, and they know this isn’t a hotel—it’s an apartment block. But they’re pushing this project through anyway.”
For these holiday homeowners, what was meant to be a tranquil retreat has turned into a daily battle against noise, dust, and the fear that their treasured family property will never be the same again.
