In October 2007, we reported on the launch of Gran Monovar Ecociudad, near Alicante, Costa Blanca, Spain. Now, five months later, as part of an ongoing focus on the project, we bring you a short film that shows how the completed development will look, and the latest news of progress onsite.

Construction

As planned, construction of the structure of the houses in the first phase of development has commenced.

It is expected that two showhouses (semi-detached villas) will be built by summer. They will be operational models that will demonstrate the range of sustainable technologies being implemented.

The renovation of the old finca (farm house), which will be the sales centre, is continuing, so it can be ready for this summer too. The restoration of the roof has been finished, and the internal finishings are now underway

Infrastructure

Roads: all the roads are prepared and smooth, the only pending work before adding the asphalt is the conductions for the utilities.

Utilities: the gas and telecommunications networks for the whole of Gran Monovar (GM) are under installation.

Drainage system: is finished. The only pending work is to be connected to the municipal network.

Rainwater collection: the network is now 80% completed.

Camino de Matamoros (perimetral road to Gran Monovar): land movements to enlarge it to a 16 meters wide road is finished as well as the drainage.

Contracts with the main suppliers (Iberdrola for electricity, Telefónica for telecomms and ENAGAS for gas) have been signed off.

Contact with the municipal water supply company (Aqualia) has been made in order to serve the first 100 homes and, at the same time, build the pipe from the municipal deposits, as already agreed with the town hall and the water supply office and inline with the project presented and approved for GM.

Commercial Activity

March has been extremely busy, and 45 families that have decided to move to GM. Most of them are local people from Monovar. The focus hereafter will be on the nearest cities of Elda, Novelda, Elche, and also on attracting more overseas buyers to view the development.

The first British buyers, Robert and Jacqueline Bell, from Epsom, Surrey, have bought a four-bedroom villa with the living accommodation on the ground floor, two bathrooms, a separate shower room and large wrap-around terraces.