Industrial land expansion is urgent in Alicante, where a clear demand from businesses is pushing for more space. The Federation of Business Parks of the Valencian Community (Fepeval) argues that the province must grow its total area by about 25 percent to meet current needs, equating to roughly 11 million square meters of new land. On Monday, Minister of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism Nuria Montes acknowledged this challenge. Her department, while aiming to accelerate land development, warned that the existing regulatory framework creates delays that can stretch over many years. The remarks came during an event that celebrated the Las Atalayas industrial zone in Alicante and the Cotes Baixes zone in Alcoy as the only two areas in the region classified as developed industrial zones.
Under Valencian policy, the status of advanced industrial zones is granted to areas that meet strict criteria for infrastructure, facilities, and services within the framework of the Law on the Modernization of Industrial Areas. The process begins with establishing Management and Modernization Assets (EGM) and continues with the preparation of mobility and safety plans. There are six zones across the Valencian Community that have achieved this recognition, including locations in Alicante and in Cotes de Algemesi, Juan Carlos I de Almussafes, Fuente del Jarro, and Tecnológico de Paterna.
In Las Atalayas, Alicante, the City Council recently rolled out a project financed by the Valencian Institute for Business Competition (Ivace). The upgrades covered traffic surveillance cameras, environmental quality and safety measurements, and the expansion of fire hydrant networks. Other improvements included widening parking areas, repaving and upgrading lighting, installing digital information panels, enhancing garden areas, and a recent refresh of the main access routes. The initiative also included roundabouts, landscaped zones to ease traffic at intersections, improved bus service accessibility, and even a children’s play area for workers’ families. All of this is aimed at elevating the experience for companies and their staff.
Such measures are considered essential because the demand for land continues to outpace supply. Fepeval’s Vicente Seguí emphasizes that expansion is necessary not only for current companies but also to attract new investments. A plan to add 650,000 square meters to Las Atalayas, bringing the total to about 1.85 million square meters, remains under review by the Ministry of Environment. Seguí cautions that the regional need extends beyond Las Atalayas, with a roughly 20 to 25 percent increase in the province’s industrial land likely required to avoid bottlenecks. In practical terms, this translates to roughly 11 million additional square meters above what is presently available.
Aliaxis, a company based in Las Atalayas, illustrates the push for more space. Financing chief José Quiles notes that the firm expects to expand by about 50,000 square meters to support its growth ambitions.
Turning to Cotes Baixes in Alcoy, substantial investments have also been directed toward fiber optic networks, lighting upgrades, camera systems, and cycling infrastructure, along with better access and charging points for electric vehicles. Yet 580,000 square meters of the polygon are already saturated, leaving little room for expansion. Ramón Juan, who heads the management unit, stresses that major steps are needed, including a new southern industrial zone and a joint regional industrial zone, to prevent companies from relocating due to land constraints.
Elche Business Park has not yet earned the developed industry status, but it is pursuing it. Executive director Raquel Rosique explains that changes to the law are allowing the mobility plan to be finalized soon. The land expansion envisioned here totals 600,000 square meters to augment the existing 2.7 million square meters, with a projected implementation in the last quarter. The core challenge remains the slow pace of procedures, which Rosique notes as a major obstacle.
During the same awards ceremony at the Alicantina Fair Institute (IFA), Montes highlighted that of the 166 million square meters of available industrial land in the Valencian Community, only about 5.5 million square meters are currently usable. This underscores the need for proactive planning with city councils and industry professionals so that new companies can establish operations quickly. Officials emphasize speed in processing times and the ongoing work on a new regulatory framework designed to streamline bureaucracy.
Fepeval president Diego Romá noted Ivace’s investment of 140 million euros in the modernization of industrial areas since 2017, while local mayors cited the ongoing involvement of municipal councils in improving industrial sites. Alcoy’s mayor was also present at the event, underscoring a shared commitment to expanding land and upgrading infrastructure to support business growth.