A plan to build an underground car park beneath Plaza Encarnación Puchol in La Mata has prompted renewed warnings about the potential loss of valuable archaeological heritage. The local council recently announced its intention to create 126 parking spaces as part of a wider effort to improve mobility and modernise the public square.

Historian Sergio Boj argues that the project risks destroying remains linked to La Mata’s salt-trading past, which is documented from at least the third century. Previous urban works in the area uncovered archaeological material that was later reburied, and the plaza sits near the Torre del Embarcadero, listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1995.

Boj says any intervention close to the tower requires prior authorisation from the regional culture department under Spanish heritage law. He is calling for a full archaeological excavation before construction begins, warning that valuable medieval remains could otherwise be lost.

The area around the plaza once formed a key hub for salt commerce from the sixteenth century onwards, with a coastal watchtower, loading quay and other facilities now absent from view. Earlier works revealed tapial walls possibly linked to these activities, and experts believe further finds could shed light on Torrevieja’s economic and maritime history.