Prosecutor asks for demolition of 13 houses in Partaloa

HOMEOWNERS in Spain have suffered another setback in the continuing saga of planning chaos that plagues various parts of Spain. 

This time it is not only the British who are affected but also Belgians, who purchased houses in the hamlet of Piedra Amarilla, Partaloa, where the State Prosecutor is asking for the demolition of 13 houses.

The prosecution is not accusing these EU citizens of any wrongdoing.  A criminal case has been brought against the promoter and the company, Lakes Vega SL, and other individuals for alleged planning crimes and corruption. 

As obliged to do so by the Penal Code, the prosecutor is asking for demolition of the houses and states that the promoter should compensate the buyers. However, the normal chain of events is that the house is demolished first and the victims then start an uphill struggle to obtain compensation. The problem is that, as seen in Vera and Cantoria, in practice the victims are left without a house and without compensation.

Maura Hillen, President of the homeowners association, AUAN, said: “This nonsensical scenario is set out in Article 319.3 of the Penal Code. We are asking for this article to be changed. It does not make sense that the only people who are really punished for these types of crimes are the victims. We petitioned Señor Esteban Gonzalez Pons and other senior figures of the Partido Popular on this issue when we met with them several weeks ago. They promised to study our proposed change but we have heard nothing. We have made the same proposal to other political parties; the PSOE have promised legislative changes to resolve all this legal and planning uncertainty.  

“However, we are still waiting for concrete results. At the moment the only ones who seem likely to see results, in this case disastrous ones, are the victims, when the case goes to trial at Friday 13.”

Anyone who feels they may affected by these proceedings may contact AUAN on info@almanzora-au.org.