Building blight on Spanish coastline
Thousands of illegally built homes could be demolished
Giles Tremlett in MadridThursday July 7, 2005
The Guardian
Tens of thousands of illegally built Spanish holiday homes, many bought by unsuspecting Britons, could be demolished as the country tries to limit the destruction of its Mediterranean coastline.
Local authorities on the Costa del Sol said yesterday that demolition was being seriously considered, though attempts would have to be made to compensate people duped into buying illegal properties.
Greenpeace says more than 44,900 houses and flats have been constructed illegally in recent years. About 20,000 of those have been built in one town alone - the southern Costa del Sol resort of Marbella.
Building blight on Spanish coastline Thousands of illegally built homes could be demolished Giles Tremlett in MadridThursday July 7, 2005The Guardian Tens of thousands of illegally built Spanish holiday homes, many bought by unsuspecting Britons, could be demolished as the country tries to limit the destruction of its Mediterranean coastline.
Local authorities on the Costa del Sol said yesterday that demolition was being seriously considered, though attempts would have to be made to compensate people duped into buying illegal properties.
Greenpeace says more than 44,900 houses and flats have been constructed illegally in recent years. About 20,000 of those have been built in one town alone - the southern Costa del Sol resort of Marbella.
The buildings were either put up by developers who did not have proper permits or who had been awarded licences by town halls that deliberately ignored their own planning laws.
Many owners were unaware that they had bought flats or houses built on greenfield or protected land, Juan Sánchez, the president of the association of western Costa del Sol towns, told the Guardian yesterday.
"Those who have bought apartments in good faith should not be punished. The costs [of compensation] should be assumed by developers or town halls," he said.
Mr Sánchez said Greenpeace's figures for the number of illegal buildings probably fell short of the actual total.
Marbella's town hall, which has turned a blind eye to much of the development over the past decade, was reported to be lobbying against demolition yesterday. It was hoping for a blanket amnesty on illegal buildings.
Greenpeace said that would set a terrible precedent, "showing that impunity rules on the coast".
Illegal building continues in Marbella without anyone doing anything about it, the organisation said.
A town hall spokesman refused to comment yesterday.
Greenpeace said that illegal holiday homes were just one of a series of problems caused by an explosion of building up and down Spain's Mediterranean coast in recent years.
Developers had sought permission to build some 750,000 new houses and flats over the next few years.
As space ran short, the building boom was now threatening the last few protected coastal areas, including the Cabo de Gata and Doñana parks.
"The last corners of the coast are now being built on," said Juan López de Uralde, the head of Greenpeace in Spain.
A new hotel complex on the Algarrobico beach in the semi-desert at Cabo de Gata, which won planning permission from a local council, was proof that even the most valued ecosystems were no longer safe, Greenpeace said.
Second-home owners from Britain and elsewhere, unscrupulous developers and town halls dependent on income from building licences have fuelled the construction boom.
International drugs money and the profits from the illegal arms trade are also said to have been sunk into Spanish coastal real estate. Some Costa del Sol town halls are so used to living off the proceeds of building licences and land deals that they receive between 50 and 70% of their income from construction, Mr Sánchez said.
The 11 former fishing villages that stretch west along the Costa del Sol from Torremolinos to Manilva are expected to have a permanent population of 1.5 million within ten years. That does not include the millions of visitors who come each year or those who live part of the time.
A plan to control and organise building on the Costa del Sol has finally been drawn up more than 20 years after it was first called for.
"Some things are too late to fix," said Mr Sánchez. "But we should not be afraid to grow as long as we do it in an organised, orderly way.
"Private enterprise and public initiatives work at different rhythms," he said. "It may take three years to put up a housing estate, but it takes 20 to build a motorway."
A recent Costa del Sol survey showed that hoteliers, who predict a fall in business, are among those most worried about overbuilding.
Greenpeace said that one of the biggest strains on coastal infrastructure was the building of new golf courses that each consumed as much water as a town of 15,000 people.
More than 20 of these were being opened each year, meaning that the country would have about 500 golf courses within a decade.
Giles Tremlett in MadridThursday July 7, 2005
The Guardian
Tens of thousands of illegally built Spanish holiday homes, many bought by unsuspecting Britons, could be demolished as the country tries to limit the destruction of its Mediterranean coastline.
Local authorities on the Costa del Sol said yesterday that demolition was being seriously considered, though attempts would have to be made to compensate people duped into buying illegal properties.
Greenpeace says more than 44,900 houses and flats have been constructed illegally in recent years. About 20,000 of those have been built in one town alone - the southern Costa del Sol resort of Marbella.
Building blight on Spanish coastline Thousands of illegally built homes could be demolished Giles Tremlett in MadridThursday July 7, 2005The Guardian Tens of thousands of illegally built Spanish holiday homes, many bought by unsuspecting Britons, could be demolished as the country tries to limit the destruction of its Mediterranean coastline.
Local authorities on the Costa del Sol said yesterday that demolition was being seriously considered, though attempts would have to be made to compensate people duped into buying illegal properties.
Greenpeace says more than 44,900 houses and flats have been constructed illegally in recent years. About 20,000 of those have been built in one town alone - the southern Costa del Sol resort of Marbella.
The buildings were either put up by developers who did not have proper permits or who had been awarded licences by town halls that deliberately ignored their own planning laws.
Many owners were unaware that they had bought flats or houses built on greenfield or protected land, Juan Sánchez, the president of the association of western Costa del Sol towns, told the Guardian yesterday.
"Those who have bought apartments in good faith should not be punished. The costs [of compensation] should be assumed by developers or town halls," he said.
Mr Sánchez said Greenpeace's figures for the number of illegal buildings probably fell short of the actual total.
Marbella's town hall, which has turned a blind eye to much of the development over the past decade, was reported to be lobbying against demolition yesterday. It was hoping for a blanket amnesty on illegal buildings.
Greenpeace said that would set a terrible precedent, "showing that impunity rules on the coast".
Illegal building continues in Marbella without anyone doing anything about it, the organisation said.
A town hall spokesman refused to comment yesterday.
Greenpeace said that illegal holiday homes were just one of a series of problems caused by an explosion of building up and down Spain's Mediterranean coast in recent years.
Developers had sought permission to build some 750,000 new houses and flats over the next few years.
As space ran short, the building boom was now threatening the last few protected coastal areas, including the Cabo de Gata and Doñana parks.
"The last corners of the coast are now being built on," said Juan López de Uralde, the head of Greenpeace in Spain.
A new hotel complex on the Algarrobico beach in the semi-desert at Cabo de Gata, which won planning permission from a local council, was proof that even the most valued ecosystems were no longer safe, Greenpeace said.
Second-home owners from Britain and elsewhere, unscrupulous developers and town halls dependent on income from building licences have fuelled the construction boom.
International drugs money and the profits from the illegal arms trade are also said to have been sunk into Spanish coastal real estate. Some Costa del Sol town halls are so used to living off the proceeds of building licences and land deals that they receive between 50 and 70% of their income from construction, Mr Sánchez said.
The 11 former fishing villages that stretch west along the Costa del Sol from Torremolinos to Manilva are expected to have a permanent population of 1.5 million within ten years. That does not include the millions of visitors who come each year or those who live part of the time.
A plan to control and organise building on the Costa del Sol has finally been drawn up more than 20 years after it was first called for.
"Some things are too late to fix," said Mr Sánchez. "But we should not be afraid to grow as long as we do it in an organised, orderly way.
"Private enterprise and public initiatives work at different rhythms," he said. "It may take three years to put up a housing estate, but it takes 20 to build a motorway."
A recent Costa del Sol survey showed that hoteliers, who predict a fall in business, are among those most worried about overbuilding.
Greenpeace said that one of the biggest strains on coastal infrastructure was the building of new golf courses that each consumed as much water as a town of 15,000 people.
More than 20 of these were being opened each year, meaning that the country would have about 500 golf courses within a decade.
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