article_detail

Years after it was first proposed, Alovera Beach has begun to take shape. The site handover report was signed on Wednesday October 21, and building work on the artificial beach and water park in Guadalajara province should continue until March 2028, with the opening planned for that summer.

 

Plans for the beach were already being reported in 2022, when it was billed as Europe’s largest urban beach, due to open in 2023 on an initial budget of €15.6 million. The developers said in August this year that all the permits were in place and that work would start before the end of 2026. Two months later the machinery has arrived.

 

The project is led by businessman Félix Abánades López through the joint venture Ablanquejo-Rayet Medio Ambiente, under a 40-year concession. The investment is now more than €29 million, and the developers expect around 150,000 visitors a year and over 150 direct and indirect jobs. The 2022 plans had originally pointed to between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors a year and around 350 jobs.

 

The 104,000 m2 site will be built around a 21,000 m2 lagoon of “crystal clear waters”, as the promoters describe it, with a 16,000 m2 white sand beach, palm trees and relaxation areas. There will be a main beach with a bar by the water, an area for families and a 2,000 m2 Beach Club for adults with restaurants and chill-out zones. Paddle surfing, kayaking, beach volleyball, paddle tennis and aqua fitness are all planned, along with water attractions for different ages.

 

The developers want it open for most of the year, so there will be a 6,000 m2 central plaza for events of more than 4,000 people. A separate 1,000 m2 building with a panoramic terrace, its own entrances and parking will host events independently.

 

Getting there is simple enough. The site is reached from the A-2 and R-2 motorways and will have more than 1,000 parking spaces. The C-2 and C-8 commuter lines stop at Azuqueca de Henares station, and intercity buses run from Madrid and Guadalajara.

 

Water use is the obvious question. The lagoon will use technology from Crystal Lagoons, a company involved in more than 1,000 projects worldwide, in a closed circuit that only replaces what evaporates. The project documents put annual consumption at about the same as 80 homes, which the developers say is 40% less than an equivalent park.

 

Not everyone is on board. The only political opposition has come from United Left (IU), which has called it an “environmental disaster” and fears it will push up local housing prices. Alovera’s population has tripled in recent years to more than 14,000. The developers point to support from the Ayuntamiento, apart from IU, and favourable reports from the Castilla-La Mancha government and the Tagus River Basin Authority.

 

 

Image: Archive