The 14th of November came and went and the owners on Carmenes del Mar are no closer to saving their homes.
The fact is they feel that they are being “had” and the construction company is simply stalling with no intention of spending another penny on securing the Cerro Gordo hillside to prevent further damage, much less actually repair the damage or compensate the property owners.
They’re not overly impressed by the different public administrations, who all appear to be washing their hands of the situation whilst beating their chests in mock anguish.
According to the Spokesman of the Carmenes de Mar association, Ricardo López, neither the Sevilla (Junta) or Madrid (Central Government) have shown signs of life on the matter.
The next date before the judge is in January and there is a risk, with the coming rains, that there won’t be any urbanización to repair by then. In the meantime, Sr López feels, the relevant administrations dedicate their time to looking the other way and whistle.
Editorial Comment: In articles like these, you must use “alleged guilty party” if you don’t want to be sued, but the reality is that there are over 400 dwellings clinging to a moving hillside that weren’t there before – and it wasn’t an act of God that put them there.
Somebody supposedly carried out geological studies on the land and approved the project; somebody gave building permission and somebody built the urbanización, in other words, some or all of those involved in the development of Carmenes de Mar are responsible for failing the property owners big time.
Why is it that somebody playing their piano at home can face seven years in prison, or slapping a cream pie onto a politician’s face can earn you nine years’ imprisonment yet such an abomination as the Carmenes de Mar botch job lingers on without anybody being sent to prison or being ordered to cough up?
What the devil is wrong with the Spanish judiciary system nowadays?
(News: Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)
In 2003 we bought an apartment in Las Terrazas an urbanization within Carmenes del Mar but thankfully unaffected by the geological problems.
Since our purchase, I have been astonished at the amount of corruption within the Spanish construction industry, all with the connivance of central,regional and local government.
Having been involved in the U.K. building industry for 30 years, I am aware that corruption and abuse of power can exist any where;M.P.s’ expenses etc, but I am shocked that a member of the European Union could have allowed this abuse to continue for so long, with only the excess brought to an end by the world economic crisis, and have done nothing since to help or compensate the victims.
It is sad that the Spanish people have tolerated for so long an establishment that seems only to exist to proliferate – is this a left over from the Franco years? I can not see the problems at Carmenes del Mar being solved in the foreseeable future, whilst we have a system in Spain which does not acknowledge its failure to protect those who bought in good faith in Carmenes del Mar.