Marina de Cope given go-ahead

A tourism development, described as one the largest and most important in Europe, has been given the go-ahead by Spanish officials.

The €3,800 million project, known as the Marina de Cope, is set for the coastal town of Aguilas in Murcia. Murcia's regional government claims the 21 million square metre scheme - which it is hoped will provide a total of 2,000 moorings - has been planned to be as environmentally-friendly as possible.

The development will be 'high-quality, low-impact' and, as well as the marina, will feature five golf courses, ten football fields, 22,000 hotel beds, homes for 60,000 people and a congress centre, a spokesman said.

The vision is that it will attract investment interest from around the world and be popular with upmarket tourists, even celebrities who have tended to shun Spain in recent years. The marina in particular is aimed to attract luxury yachts such as those that go to Cannes and Nice in France.

However there has been opposition to the development. It is being built on 11,000 hectares of once protected, virgin coastline. Politians have declassified the land which means this part of Cope no longer has national park status.

Environmentalists and worried residents are still trying to oppose the project. 'The regional government has not considered the environment when they decided to declassify the land. The developers will get a lot of money out of this and the poor will pay,' said local chef David Sánchez.

Those in favour point out that the project will be environmentally friendly. 'It will follow a model of quality development and sustainability,' the town council said in a statement.

Concha Conejero, a nurse from Murica, said: 'There is a lot of interest in the coast. If these construction projects create money and employment for people in run-down towns like Aguilas then I am in favour.'

Cope is known by locals as the jewel in Murcia's crown. Within the area there are eight habitats protected by the European Union. The area is also home to one of the few remaining populations of spur thigh tortoise (Testudo graeca) in Spain.

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