The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal lodged by the company Deborja S.A. regarding the land occupation in the Las Salinas area. In February last year, a ruling by the High Court of Justice dismissed the claims of the company Deborja S.A., which was seeking compensation of €61,651,947 on the grounds that the privately owned salt flats were occupied for public uses and services. The company appealed against this ruling to the Supreme Court, which has ruled that it is inadmissible, making the decision final.
Deborja's initial appeal was brought against Calp Town Council, the Alicante Provincial Coastal Service and the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition on the grounds that the privately owned salt flats were occupied for public uses and services, including the drainage and pumping of seawater into the lagoon.
The Salinas de Calp are included in the catalogue of wetlands of the Valencian Community and have the municipal classification of special protection non-developable land. However, in order to maintain the water level of the area and guarantee its biodiversity, a water pipe was built to bring water from the sea that runs under Luxemburgo Street, not over Las Salinas or on land owned by the company.
Last year's Supreme Court ruling determined that the City Council should remove the installation of elements such as signposts with explanatory signs, waste bins, a bench, a footbridge and a wooden screen placed to allow ornithological observation.
That ruling dismissed the company's exorbitant claims for compensation, but as it was not final, an appeal could be lodged, which has now been dismissed.
The Mayor, Ana Sala, has expressed her satisfaction with the outcome of the appeal and has stated that ‘our interest has always been to protect the Las Salinas wetland and to guarantee the ecological value of this ecosystem. This resolution reinforces the municipal actions in terms of the protection of the area’.