Space crunch: Monaco plans to build into the sea

Monaco, world's most densely populated country with a population of just over 32,000, seems to be running out of space -- the tiny nation is now planning to build into the sea to create more area.

Prince Albert II of Monaco has launched a drive to reclaim land from the Mediterranean Sea and create an area around 12.5 acres -- roughly the size of five football pitches, with a ground-breaking scheme to allow the tiny population to expand, The Daily Telegraph reported.

It will extend from the Fontvieille district at the western foot of the 'rock', where Monaco's palace and historic centre are situated.

The 10 billion-pound plan was first floated last year but dropped because of the financial crisis and the 'green' Prince's concerns it would damage the marine environment.

But the Prince has now decided the time is right to try again and is planning a smaller development that will include a mixture of luxury property, offices and industry and public buildings.

The land reclamation will be made fiendishly complex by the eco-conscious Prince, as he has insisted the entire extension should be built on stilts like an oil rig in order not to disrupt the marine life beneath.

The 'green' Monarch, who drives an electric car and travelled to the North Pole to measure the effects of global warming, said he wanted the vast project to be an eco-showcase that would set an example to the world, the newspaper said.

In an interview to Le Parisien, Prince Albert said the new project must be a 'model of sustainability'.

Image: Prince Albert II of Monaco