Baroness’s private path from avante-garde villa to the beach was built on specially-protected land and been demolished

ROSA MARIA CASTELLVI, Baroness de Torres-Torres, owns the much-photographed house perched over Javea’s Cala Sardinera.

The house has been used as a backdrop for Dior and Zara videos and adverts amongst others but four years ago the town hall ordered the baroness to remove a set of steps built into the cliff face that leads to the cove below.

These have now been removed, together with a septic tank and paving installed at another of her properties, an old fisherman’s cottage just above the beach that is used as a summerhouse.

The private path, bordered with railings and lighting, was installed on land covered by a protection order and could not be legalised owing to the zone’s environmental and scenic value, the town hall explained.

An application must be made to coastal authorities, Costas, to legalise the cottage although this is unlikely to be met with a demolition order, municipal sources revealed.