"The original project, which began in 2006, was dubbed La Joya de Planes (The Jewel of Planes) and envisioned as a large residential development of 435 homes facing the Beniarres reservoir, a few miles from the existing village of Planes. The plot of land had previously been owned by the family of Esteban Gonzalez Pons, a politician with Spain's conservative Popular Party (PP) and a member of the European Parliament between 2014 and 2023."
"It remained that way for 16 years until May 2025, when a Norwegian influencer named Belinda Jakobsen and her husband bought the enormous plot of land to build a self-sufficient community of like-minded people that they've named The Modern Eco Village (MEV)."
"Jakobsen and her husband Iancu Ilies, who is from Romania, are the driving force behind the project, which they are promoting on social media. Their posts, some with millions of views, began two years ago when, as they explain in numerous messages, they decided to build a housing development and, with it, a community that would be self-managed, with smart homes, EMF and toxic free."
La Joya de Planes, a 500,000 square meter residential project in Alicante's mountains, was approved in 2006 on land previously owned by a European Parliament member. The area was rezoned before receiving protected environmental status in 2007. Construction began but halted when Spain's property bubble burst in 2008, leaving the site abandoned for 16 years. In May 2025, Norwegian influencer Belinda Jakobsen and her Romanian husband Iancu Ilies purchased the land to develop The Modern Eco Village (MEV), a self-managed community featuring smart homes and sustainable, toxin-free living. The couple has been promoting the project through social media for two years, garnering millions of views.
#eco-village-development #sustainable-community #abandoned-real-estate-project #influencer-led-initiative #self-sufficient-living
Read at english.elpais.com
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