Several streets in the SN-7 Lo Marabú sector of Rojales are without street lighting, despite new residents moving into recently built homes. Lamp posts in avenues including Lérida, Gerona and Jerez de la Frontera have open and empty electrical boxes, with cabling either never installed or removed.

The development, first approved in 2000, forms part of a wider 1.3 million square metre urban expansion linking Ciudad Quesada with the edge of the Torrevieja and La Mata lagoons natural park. Although parts of Lo Marabú were urbanised during the early 2000s property boom, much of it stalled for more than a decade after the financial crisis.

Mayor Antonio Pérez has said the council is examining whether the sector has been formally adopted. If it has, the local authority would have to fund the replacement of the missing wiring. If not, responsibility would remain with the developer, although ownership of the land changed several times during the кризis.

In recent years construction has resumed, with hundreds of homes approved and many now on the market for between 300,000 and 500,000 euros. However, the lack of basic services has raised concerns among new homeowners and could leave local taxpayers facing a significant bill.