After years of significant dynamism, the real estate sector in Dénia showed a moderate but notable decline during 2025. According to the budget execution report, the Dénia City Council collected over 115,000 euros less in urban planning revenue compared to the previous year, confirming a phase of stabilization or slight decrease.
This downward trend is reflected in both the Tax on Constructions, Installations, and Works (ICIO) and urban planning license fees. The ICIO, considered a barometer of private investment, dropped from 2,000,000 euros collected in 2024 to 1,928,000 euros in 2025, a decrease of 72,000 euros. As for urban planning licenses, revenue fell from 1,050,000 euros in 2024 to 1,006,000 euros in 2025.
Overall, construction activity contributed 3,050,000 euros to municipal coffers in 2024, a figure that decreased to 2,934,000 euros in 2025. This 3.8% drop, while not dramatic, could signal a change in cycle compared to previous years.
“"There are concepts that have not reached the initial projected amounts, such as the ICIO, with a forecast of 2.6 million and actual revenue of 1.9 million."
The Councillor for Finance, Paco Roselló, contextualized these figures, pointing out that the main problem lies in the failure to meet municipal expectations. The 2025 budget was designed with forecasts that the market did not achieve, such as the additional 672,000 euros expected from ICIO that did not materialize. A similar situation occurred with capital gains, which amounted to 2.2 million compared to the 2.4 million projected.
Despite the decline in local urban planning, municipal accounts do not show a negative balance thanks to other revenue streams. Roselló highlighted the contribution from State Tax Participation, which provided Dénia with 16,922,919 euros, significantly exceeding the 15.4 million budgeted. This state surplus of almost 1.5 million euros has offset the cooling of a sector that, after being an economic driver, has slowed its activity in 2025.
This trend is not exclusive to Dénia but is observed throughout the Marina Alta region. Data from the Alicante Architects' Association confirm that new construction in Marina Alta fell by 17.3% in 2025, to 399,071 square meters, although it remains above 2022 and 2023 levels. Rehabilitation also experienced an 18.9% decrease compared to the previous year.
