"Families battle to protect long-standing Costa Blanca beach homes from demolition"

Beach-Houses of Guardamar del Segura Face Demolition After Decades of Summers by the Sea

For nearly a hundred years, the beach-houses of Guardamar del Segura have stood against both time and the sea, preserving an early glimpse of life along Spain’s Costa Blanca.

For generations, families from inland Alicante have gathered in these modest homes on Babilonia beach each summer, sharing meals, swimming, and forming lasting bonds. Many friendships and relationships began on their verandas under the warm coastal sun.

But now, unless a last-minute solution is found, 60 of these houses will be demolished in mid-September after legal efforts to renew their land agreements failed. Authorities claim their presence has contributed to coastal erosion.

The houses, first built of wood and later with sturdier materials, appeared between the 1930s and 1950s after efforts to stabilize the nearby sand dunes. Officials initially supported their construction, believing they would help shield the town from shifting sands. Over time, families secured long-term land use rights, creating a summer community where they returned year after year. A few residents stay there permanently.

“This is a close community, now in its fifth generation,” said Víctor Sánchez, who is fighting to preserve the houses. “My best friend lives next door. His mother was friends with my uncle, his grandmother with mine, and now his nieces are forming friendships with my cousin’s daughters.”

Sánchez, now living in Essex, treasures his yearly visits to Babilonia to reconnect with loved ones. Unlike busier spots such as Benidorm, he says, the beach has remained much the same since his childhood, when his mother and uncle arrived by donkey cart.

Many houses still reflect their 1930s origins, including small patios once used for poultry. His parents’ home retains its 1970s décor, like the orange-tiled kitchen.

“When people think of Spain’s Mediterranean coast, they picture Benidorm—tall buildings, crowds, tourists from Madrid or abroad,” said Sánchez. “That’s the image, and it’s fine. But here, it was never like that.”

He remembers children swimming at dawn, teenagers sleeping after late nights, elders playing dominoes, and neighbours exchanging stories.

But time is running out. Legal attempts to prolong the land grants, which expired in 2018, have been unsuccessful, and Spanish courts have ordered the demolition for 15 September.

Environmental authorities argue the houses sit on valuable Mediterranean dunes, disrupting natural sediment flow and worsening erosion. Even minor storms, they say, now threaten the coastline severely.