After the case of Tavolara, the Apulian coast also ends up at the center of the debate on land consumption and the use of the accelerated procedures provided for by the Special Economic Zone (Zes Unica).
At the center of the story, this time, is the project for the construction of another luxury resort in the Mogale district, along the coast of Ostuni, an investment worth around 100 million euros which has obtained the single authorization from the Zes but which, as is obvious, continues to encounter strong opposition from environmental associations, committees and residents.
The last chapter is the appeal presented to the TAR of Lecce by Legambiente, by the Free Committee for the protection of the natural habitat of the coastal strip of Ostuni (Lesc) and by the Ostuni speleological hiking group (Geos), which ask for the suspension of the authorization documents.
An ultra-luxury resort on over 8 hectares of coastline
The project involves the construction of a tourist-hotel complex in an area of ​​approximately 8.8 hectares in the Mogale district. The resort is expected to include dozens of hospitality buildings, swimming pools, retail spaces, guest services and a reception hall, under the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts brand.
Behind this mega real estate initiative is the Merletto Srl company and the Omnam real estate group is involved, a holding founded by the Israeli entrepreneur David Zisser, already active in the luxury hospitality sector in Italy. Bill Gates is also among the majority shareholders of the Four Seasons chain, through his stake in the hotel company.
@Omnam Group
The crux of Zes Unica
The most controversial point concerns the ways in which the project obtained the green light. The authorization came through the Zes Unica, the instrument introduced to encourage productive investments in the regions of Southern Italy through a simplified authorization procedure.
According to the appellants, however, the procedure was used improperly. In fact, the associations maintain that the Zes was conceived to encourage production settlements and activities with direct economic and employment implications, not to approve real estate and tourism-accommodation operations that involve urban planning variations.
For this reason, the appeal contests, in addition to the Single Authorisation, also the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and the related monitoring plan.
Goletta Verde’s protest
In recent days, Goletta Verde, Legambiente’s historic summer campaign, also stopped in Mogale. The activists displayed a banner with the words “Hands off the coast”, denouncing what they define as a distorted use of the administrative simplifications provided by the Zes.
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Now, the Lecce Regional Administrative Court will decide on the request for precautionary suspension of the contested acts. The decision could affect not only the future of the Mogale resort, but also on the interpretation of the use of the Zes Unica for large tourism-real estate projects.
A story destined to become an emblematic case in the increasingly heated confrontation between attracting investments and protecting the landscape, in one of the most prized coasts of Puglia.
