The Generalitat Valenciana has finally granted environmental approval to the Vistabella (Jacarilla golf course), effectively legalizing it 15 years after its inauguration. Ideally, this process should have been completed before the 18-hole facility began operations. However, the course, surrounded by thousands of residential tourist homes in the Entrenaranjos area, is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary.
A 50-hectare attraction
Since its opening, the golf course has attracted thousands of European golf fans. It has an area of 530,000 square meters, of which 220,000 square meters are in the UPB-5 urban sector of Jacarilla and 311,347 square meters in the La Asomada Norte sector of Orihuela.
The lush vegetation, which requires 300,000 m³ of purified water per year, is maintained alongside three decorative lakes, thousands of trees, including many palm and olive trees, and a network of paths for golf carts and maintenance machinery.
A delayed water concession
Although the golf course was included in favorable impact assessments in the mid-2000s for nearby housing developments in Jacarilla and Orihuela, its development was dependent on obtaining irrigation water from treated wastewater. This requirement was only met in January 2024 when the general director of Urban Planning approved the water concession, long after the course had begun to operate.
When the Generalitat first reviewed the documentation on water resources in 2010, the existing treatment plant could only supply 100,000 m³ of water per year, far below the needs of the golf course. The developer sought alternative water sources, including contributions from the Benejúzar treatment plant and the Vistabella development. However, the housing crisis delayed progress and local occupancy fell below the projected 14,000 residents.
A long road towards regularization
After years of incomplete submissions and procedural setbacks, the developer finally secured two water concessions: 100,000 m³ annually from the Orihuela Costa treatment plant and 200,000 m³ from an expanded Las Asomadas treatment plant. The Generalitat’s approval requires annual monitoring of water use and includes improvements such as a driving range, irrigation systems and a nursery to replace the greens.
Regional Context
The Vistabella course joins eight other golf courses in the region, including La Marquesa, Villamartín and Las Ramblas. They all depend on treated water and have stimulated real estate development.
Despite the “brick rush” of the 2000s and subsequent investigations into controversial rural land reclassifications, the area continues to attract international residents and tourists.
With legal status now secured, the Jacarilla golf course remains a key driver of urban and economic development in the Vega Baja region.