Villa for sale in Tarifa, Cádiz €600.000

A coastal estate on the Strait of Gibraltar, where a historic watchtower still looks across the water to Africa and the land around it has never been built on. Torre de Guadalmesí sits on the shore between Tarifa and Algeciras, inside the Parque Natural del Estrecho, the protected stretch of coast where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. The tower was one link in the chain of Andalusian coastal defences, passing signals east to Algeciras and Gibraltar and west to Tarifa, and it gives the estate its name and its identity. Arriving here, the sensation is of open country running down to the sea. Pasture, wild olive and cork oak, the Rif mountains on the horizon, and the shipping of the Strait passing silently below. The land is a working finca, historically under wheat and chickpeas, and it is classified as especially protected land within the park. That classification is what keeps the setting intact, and it also defines what can be done here. The existing buildings may be renovated within their present footprint, and the planning position allows them to be arranged as three independent units, two studios and a principal residence, which suits private use, a family compound or a small retreat run under the park's rules. The historic tower may itself be restored, subject to the relevant permissions. Agricultural and livestock use continues to be permitted, with provision for a farm building and a dwelling tied to the holding, and a licence to keep animals can be applied for. The owner reports that process runs to around six months. Irrigation reservoirs, the traditional albercas, are authorised in support of the agricultural use, and planting is limited to native species, so the estate will always look as it does today. The house offers three bedrooms and three bathrooms, with a terrace facing the sea, and an architect is preparing renovation drawings ahead of the licence application. A buyer therefore takes on a project whose scope is already understood, in a location where nothing further can be built around it. We hold the planning detail and the owner's confirmations on file and will walk any serious buyer through them. Two covered parking spaces sit beside the house. KEY FEATURES Coastal estate inside the Parque Natural del Estrecho Historic Torre de Guadalmesí within the grounds Panoramic views across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco Renovation permitted within the existing footprint Planning position for three independent units Agricultural and livestock use, licence route in place Native planting only, wild olive, carob and oak Complete privacy between Tarifa and Algeciras LOCATION Guadalmesi cove and shoreline | at the edge of the estate Tarifa town and beaches | approximately 10 km | 12 minutes by car Algeciras and Hospital Punta de Europa | approximately 15 km | 18 minutes by car Gibraltar Airport | approximately 30 km | 35 minutes by car Sotogrande, golf and international school | approximately 45 km | 40 minutes by car Jerez Airport | approximately 120 km | 80 minutes by car Marbella and Puerto Banus | approximately 110 km | 75 minutes by car Malaga Airport | approximately 155 km | 100 minutes by car