April 2011
Hello everyone. It seems that everybody has got very excited about the various press articles about a so called amnesty in the Axarquia. Far too excited in my opinion because what sounds like good news at first sight quickly diminishes on closer inspection.
The headlines heralded “Junta to legalise 11,000 homes in the Axarquia” but there are many reasons to leave the bubbly in the cellar.
Firstly, it is not an amnesty in any shape or form. The Junta haven’t called it an amnesty only the press have called it one. To be fair to the Junta it is simply a reiteration of what they have been telling us for months – that if the house isn’t built on protected land then they will try to regularise it.
The figures are based on the completion of an inventory of houses in two thirds of the town halls in the Axarquia. But what about the other third which include the very notable examples of Alcaucin, Canillas and Viñuela? The dull truth is that to produce the figures they have they need two things, the inventory and an agreed PGOU, and the omitted pueblos don’t have them. Don’t be alarmed they are being done but they aren’t ready yet.
So if the process is only partly completed then why have the Junta made an announcement now? I suspect that it is because the municipal elections are only a couple of months away and the PSOE mayors of the Axarquia need something positive to tell to the worried expats who have begun to register to vote in numbers.
And what about the 859 houses on protected land (which we can assume will rise to significantly more than that when Alcaucin and Viñuela are added) which will remain under threat of demolition? Do we just say “oh well, we did our best”, no, of course we don’t. We will continue to fight tooth and nail for the rights of owners who bought in good faith.
One interesting point, the Junta stated in the announcement that the Ayuntamientos will decide which houses will be demolished. Which means it is imperative that we are represented there.
Before I go I would like to mention that on the afternoon of Sunday May the 8th SOHA.ES will be hosting a hog roast by the lake with live music and a bar. Hope you will all be able to join us – more details next month.
