Spain: Britons Prefer Pricy Sea-view Homes

Britons still prefer to buy beachside homes, despite the fact that properties located on the Spanish coasts are generally much more expensive than inland homes. The most popular regions lie along the South and East Coast of the main land in Andalucia, Valencia, Murcia and Catalonia, as well as the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands according to homesworldwide.co.uk.

Due to the appeal of Mediterranean and Atlantic ocean views, it’s unsurprising that more than 40 per cent of the population of Spain lives on the coast, in addition to more than six million holiday homes, many of which are owned by British investors and are only occupied for part of the year.

This phenomenon is nicknamed Muro Med – or ‘Mediterranean wall’, and is the focus of a report titled The Mediterranean and the Horizon 2020, which reveals that heavily built-up areas account for more than 50 per cent of the Spanish Mediterranean coastline.

Scientists are concerned that this excess of development could affect the country’s coastal flora and fauna, eventually leading to dangerous levels of erosion, and in an effort to protect the wildlife of the pine forests, sand dunes, and wetlands, regional governments are taking steps to preserve some of the country’s natural highlights.

Murcia, one of Spain’s property hotspots, has banned all building within 500 metres of the beach, and other regions are set to follow sit in a bid to protect the country’s coastline and ensure that it remains a draw for overseas property investors, as well as tourists.