Demolition Orders Issued for 8 Houses in Albox
Three British families had a surprise visit from their "Spanish Santas" when the Civil Guard called and presented them with demolition orders on their houses last week. Five other home-owners await the same fate. According to the Mayor of Albox, Jose Garcia, eight demolitions were ordered some time ago by the courts and he has a legal obligation to carry them out.
Last week Sr. Garcia invited the AUAN, which represents the interests of over 250 households in the area with precarious legal status, to attend a meeting in early January together with the owners of the eight affected properties. He said he would supply a list of addresses and asked us to contact these home-owners in order to prepare them for a visit from the Civil Guard with the demolition orders. However, the Town Hall failed to supply us with the promised list and the Civil Guard began notifying people anyway. Two years ago the home of Len and Helen Prior was illegally demolished in front of their eyes in Vera and these pensioners are still living in their former garage without mains water or electricity. They have received no compensation whatsoever. Despite international media outrage at the incident, the authorities still fail to recognise the enormous damage that this scandal has caused to Spain's reputation both at home and abroad. If Town Halls have granted licences they were not authorised to issue it hardly serves the cause of either justice or good relations to destroy the homes of those who purchased in good faith. The AUAN will be co-hosting a candlelight vigil on the 9th January in the ruins of Len and Helen's home to mark the second anniversary of its destruction. The AUAN states that this is an act of solidarity and support for all victims of urban abuse in Spain.
Demolition Economics? The Provincial Commission has just approved the re-zoning of 26 hectares of land in Albox for the construction of 400 houses in Santa Cruz. With hundreds of houses in the area standing empty, unsold or uncompleted, why are they approving further construction? Meanwhile the Junta de Andalucia has given its backing to a new business scheme to try to attract foreign buyers back to the province in apparent acknowledgement of the mistrust that exists among potential investors due to bad press. Given that over half of house sales in the province were, until recently, made to UK nationals, further publicity over illegality and demolition tragedies will be extremely difficult to counteract. If you purchased your home in good faith and have received a demolition notice the AUAN asks that you contact them urgently at: info@almanzora-au.org
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Article First Published: Sunday, 27th December 2009, 14:42 CET
Last Updated: Sunday, 27th December 2009, 14:49 CET
Author: News Rover
