Demolition - yet for 8 years property owners never told

[Jool]

This just makes me want to give up as it is so illogical and so unjust - David is there no law that requires direct contact between the Courts and the poor property owner? Two of these properties on demolition list are re-sales so clearly there was nothing on paper anywhere, unless solicitors and notaries failed in their duty of care again

http://www.thereader.es/en/almeria-news ... ences.html

[Jool]

Also now in the Daily Mail

We're only finding out now that the building licences issued by the town hall were challenged by the regional government and nullified. No-one ever told us or our builder.

'If the bulldozers turn up we're going to get as many people inside the house as we can to try to stop them.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... z0b6zT9yT3

Great thinking by the Junta, set up our own Estate Agency to reassure buyers whilst simultaneously carrying out more demolitions on properties where the property owner was unaware of an issue and has no time to appeal before order is executed.....!!!

So demolition in Vera on 12 January and then more in Albox before mid April.....and papers and orders were served before Christmas with 10 or 15 day limits on for home owners to respond - great timing, really inspires confidence in the legal system eh?

[lenox]

The local AUAN (property owners association for the Almanzora Valley) has called for a demonstration in Almería City on 11th January against the demolitions. Write for details at [email protected]
Or see their webpage at http://www.almanzora-au.org/.
Expect (once again) a large throng of elderly Brits in carpet slippers and walking canes interrupting the traffic of our fine city of Almería. Many of the demonstrators will stop somewhere for a beer or a pee-break, but the speeches promise to be good.
Also expect a full Spanish press black-out about the event. If you want to see it on TV - you'll probably have to tune, once again, to SKY...

[julian]

"Also expect a full Spanish press black-out about the event"

not really full ,they have covered it in the past

http://www.ideal.es/jaen/20090108/local ... 81756.html

[scampicat]

This is really quite outrageous and not only are the lives of the innocent people concerned being ruined, but Spain is shootong itself in the foot, as no-one will buy ANY Spanish properties knowing that even if it has a Building licence it may still not be legal.

Why on earth the EU does not do something about this, I have no idea. I thought we had basic human rights in Europe? Not Governmemts that just ride roughshod over them, keep people in the dark and make up the rules as they go along?

Appalling, truly appalling.

[Beachcomber]

Note that the British Labour government expressed outrage at China regarding its handling of a convicted drug smuggler but remains tight-lipped over the disgusting treatment routinely meted out to innocent, mostly elderly, Britons at the hands of the corrupt national and regional Spanish governments and judicial system.

[Julie]

Well said Beach !!!

[Jool]

And even worse people local to the Albox area have written to their MP´s who have said they do not want to get involved and it is an MEP issue.....disgusting...all greedy **** with noses in trough, there is a march on 11 January, a vigil at the Priors on 9 January and petitions all over the place.........to be submitted on 11 January in Almeria, another disaster for Andalucia in 2010.....

[Jool]

This is the info being put out in writing spanish and english...

8 houses near Albox, Almeria have been issued with a demolition order by the Junta de Andalucia.
All were issued with the correct licenses in 2002 but the building licence was reversed by the Junta de Andalucia in 2003. However, the owners of the houses were never told of this until the 22nd December 2009.
YOUR business future is under threat. Because if demolition orders on property in Spain continues:
· There will be less people here to buy your products
· There will be fewer jobs for local people
· There will be hundreds less people living here (they will move away)
· There will be less money being spent in shops and local businesses
· There will be no one buying houses in this area
· It affects ALL residents not just the foreigners
These demolitions must be stopped to safeguard your business
They attract very bad publicity for the region. And visitors, potential buyers of houses, will go to other parts of Europe. North Europeans are being told not to trust Spain
Everyone living in Spain must join together to persuade the various Junta that these demolitions will destroy the economy of your region.
Speak to the mayor of your town and ask him to help. Tell the media about the problem here.
Do nothing and we all lose millions of Euros from the lack of sales in our shops and businesses..........
This is worse than the economic crisis, let us fight together to save our future
Unemployment for Spain 2005 = 13% in 2009 = 18% In Almeria it is 30% and getting worse
Please sign the petition to stop the demolitions

[Beachcomber]

The socialist propaganda is that they do not need tourism because the mainstay of their economy is farming and fishing. They don't seem to want to accept that it is going to take more than the sale of a few mackerel and tomatoes to get the country out of bankruptcy.

[mhic]

I believe farming and fishing were the mainstay of the economy before the tourists began visiting and from what my neighbours tell me compared to today life was pretty grim for the majority in Andalusia.

Mhic.

[Devils Advocate]

What I can't get my head around here and it's not unusual for me with the way the Spanish do things...............but if they want to to knock some houses down then why not start on a few without paperwork, and properties that have never paid a slab of purchase tax or yearly IBI bills.......if what we're lead to believe is correct all the properties so far earmarked have paid their dues.

Although the powers that be are slimy,lying cowards surely they cannot be stupid so what is the ulterior motive

The uproar and sense of injustice caused by knocking down "legal houses" could easily be avoided by picking on genuine illegal builds, so what are they up to?, it doesn't seem to make sense..........or does it.

As I've thought for the last few years we are gearing up to a windfall tax IMHO. I think letters will be sent out on mass to 100s of thousands of legal (but deemed illegal) properties asking for 20k to legalise or" you'll get what the Priors got", I honestly believe this.

Problem is for them if they write to the likes of me they can *beep* off, and I'm sure many others will say the same too

I still think it's a tough guy act to intimidate the weak.............pure total bastrad third world philistines

[Beachcomber]

Apparently it is easier for the authorities to summarily declare building licences illegal because they leave a 'paper trail' whereas properties built with no paperwork whatsoever do not legally exist so no action can be taken against them!

This twisted logic is probably applied because totally illegal properties are more likely to have been built by Spaniards and they don't want to upset their potential voters whereas foreigners are expendable especially as they know that the British government is going to do nothing to try to help them.

This is why the illegally extended finca owned by a PSOE delegate remains intact whilst the legally built neighbouring property owned by the Priors was declared illegal and demolished.

Mugabesque or what???

[Laslomas]

As I've thought for the last few years we are gearing up to a windfall tax IMHO. I think letters will be sent out on mass to 100s of thousands of legal (but deemed illegal) properties asking for 20k to legalise or" you'll get what the Priors got", I honestly believe this.

Problem is for them if they write to the likes of me they can **** off, and I'm sure many others will say the same too

I still think it's a tough guy act to intimidate the weak.............pure total bastrad third world philistines

This has already happened in the Lake Vinuela area. Letters went out to home owners asking for varying amounts to be paid to 'legalise' their house. Some people paid amounts up to 20k, many did not. When people started to look into this and visit the Town Hall they denied all knowledge of the letters, or the money that had been collected. I never did hear what the outcome was, whether it was a clever scam or really the Town Hall. I do know the Mayor is in trouble there. Anyone know the outcome of this?

[lenox]

The demonstration in Almería City on Monday 11th is make-or-break. I know that buses from the Axarquía and Valencia are coming to help swell the ranks.
Even if your house is legal, it's still going to lose value as that large market of Northerm Europeans will not be investing in Spain if they think they will be entering 'pirate territory'. You need to join the protest!
The authorities are getting nervous - yesterday they shortened the permitted route of the march.
It starts at the Puerta de Purchena at 12 noon, at the top of the 'paseo'.

[Jool]

That´s interesting, they are getting nervous.......

Anyone from Malaga area able to go, we need as many people as possible as this affects everywhere in Andalucia.......

[julian]

"Also expect a full Spanish press black-out about the event"

there is a FULL PAGE article about AUAN , including the "event", in spanish, in the spanish paper EL MUNDO today.....but keep it a secret in case "they" rush out and destroy all the copies in the kiosks!!!

[Beachcomber]

Maybe because it is one Spanish newspaper that is not controlled by the PSOE. It would be interesting to see a similar article in El País or some other left wing rag.

[avellana]

Julian
Can you put the link please?
I've used the paper's search engine to no avail.

[julian]

"Maybe because it is one Spanish newspaper that is not controlled by the PSOE. It would be interesting to see a similar article in El País or some other left wing rag."

there´s no pleasing some people, be grateful for small mercies !!