Land reclamation begins off the coast of Gibraltar to develop the new East End Marina – Spanish protesters claim all the waters around the Rock of Gibraltar belong to them

Reclamation works on Gibraltar’s controversial 150,000 square metre East End Marina project are about to begin and will continue throughout August.

It will add a massive port and business park, changing the character of the rock and the surrounding waters on the Mediterranean side.

A floating barge will be moored to be filled with rocks and other debris for the new development.

The Gibraltar Port Authority has advised vessels sailing in its waters to keep lights and manned at night.

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It added: “Marine users (including paddle boards, kayaks etc.) are asked to stay away from the construction site.”

The month-long reclamation project will pave the way for luxury apartments, offices, shopping malls and restaurants, as well as a new marina, which could add 3 billion euros to the region’s economy.

The €330 million project will also see the creation of additional parks, playgrounds and community centres in Gibraltar’s less populated eastern area.

The land filling will make use of the long-unwelcome pile of rubble near the Hassan Centennial Tower.

However, activists, including local Gibraltar residents and Spanish ecologists, were quick to condemn the project for the potential damage it would cause to protected wildlife habitats east of Gibraltar.

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Spanish group Action Ecologists claimed that the rubble dug up to build the Kingsway Tunnel contained traces of aviation fuel, heavy metals and petrochemicals.

Protests against the eastern district project are also growing in Spain.

The combative mayor of Algeciras, Senator José Ignacio Landaluce of the Popular Party, raised the issue in Madrid.

Landaluce asked: “How does the Spanish government intend to ensure compliance with environmental regulations, not only national regulations but also EU regulations, and protect the citizens of Campo de Gibraltar in this regard?” Southern Europe.

Landlus also argued that land reclamation off the coast of Gibraltar fell within Spanish territorial waters and demanded to know whether his government considered the development to be a violation of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.