Salobreña housing row: Almost 1,500 signatures challenge major development

More than 1,300 people have signed a petition opposing plans for 108 new homes at the entrance to Salobreña, as a local residents’ association steps up its campaign against the controversial development.

The Cal y Caña association handed over 1,343 signatures to Salobreña Town Hall on Friday, October 30, calling for the proposed development at UE-S3 to be reconsidered before it receives definitive approval.

The petition includes 321 signatures collected on paper and another 1,022 submitted through Change.org. The campaign ran between September 13 and October 28, according to the residents’ association’s petition campaign.

Why are residents opposing the 108 homes?

The proposed development concerns a site close to Salobreña’s historic centre and castle, where residents fear the scale and height of the new buildings could change the town’s traditional appearance.

Under the proposed Plan de Reforma Interior (PRI), the 14,409-square-metre site could accommodate up to 108 homes, including 21 designated as protected housing.

However, Cal y Caña argues that the original 2001 General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) envisaged 77 homes, with buildings restricted to two floors.

The new proposal would allow buildings of up to three floors on one plot and five floors on another, raising concerns about the impact on views of the historic town and its castle.

The association previously submitted 24 objections to the planning proposal, arguing that the development could affect the appearance of the historic town and its protected surroundings.

Road changes and environmental concerns

Objections also concern the proposed road network and its impact on the surrounding area. The plans include new road connections intended to improve access and traffic circulation, but campaigners have questioned the proposed changes around Cuesta Caracho and the potential consequences for nearby agricultural land.

The association has also raised concerns about the planning process and the decision that the scheme does not require a strategic environmental assessment.

Mayor defends plans for Salobreña

Mayor Javier Ortega has defended the development, arguing that it is about more than providing additional housing. In September, the mayor explained that plans for a new avenue and improved access to Salobreña formed an important part of the project.

The town hall says the scheme would reorganise one of Salobreña’s main entrances, improve traffic circulation and create new public spaces and facilities.

It maintains that the proposed housing density complies with the existing PGOU, with residential development accounting for around 31 per cent of the overall area. Of the 108 proposed homes, 21 would be protected housing.

The mayor has also pointed to a decision by the Junta de Andalucia’s environmental authorities in April 2026 that the plan did not need to undergo a strategic environmental assessment. The council’s full explanation is available in its response to concerns about the UE-S3 development.

Will the petition stop the development?

The delivery of 1,343 signatures does not automatically suspend the planning process or prevent the scheme from progressing.

The association wants the signatures added to the existing planning objections and is asking the town hall not to give the project definitive approval while the issues it has raised remain unresolved.

The scheme received initial approval through a mayoral resolution dated August 3, 2026, followed by a 20-day public consultation period.

The official planning notice published in Granada’s provincial bulletin confirms that the development is still subject to the administrative planning process.

Cal y Caña also says it does not know what further steps have been taken since the initial approval, claiming that information about the progress of the application has not been made available through the town hall’s transparency portal.

For now, the future of the UE-S3 development remains a subject of disagreement between the residents’ association and the council.