Property Amnesty Finally in Sight

Those properties bought in good faith (often by Brits) across Andalucía in the early years of this century and later – once the cheques had cleared – to be deemed ‘illegal’ by the Junta de Andalucía have long been a most disgraceful scandal. Leaving aside, for one callous moment, the three hundred thousand property owners and their families, how much money and reputation did Spain lose by this evil arbitration? How many potential jobs were lost? How many small municipalities lost their chance of withstanding their current demographic decline? A few of these homes were demolished (one remembers Len and Helen Prior in Vera in January 2008), while many others were eventually deemed to be ‘alegal’ (a word which doesn’t exist in the Spanish dictionary but means ‘legalish’ or ‘Aw hell, it’ll do’). How many confused elderly folk had to live on batteries, or generators, or a line plugged into a neighbour’s home? How many were connected to a hosepipe, and how many were unable to pass the property on to their children in inheritance?  A good news story comes from Tuesday’s ABC: ‘The Junta announces a plan to regularize the 300,000 “alegal” dwellings in Andalucía’. The item says that, ‘wherever possible’ the homes in question will be amnestied. While things will no doubt take their time, ‘...in all these cases, the regulation will prevail in a clear and firm balance between the general interest and the preservation of the environment and the rights of the owners of these properties’. 
Much of the change in attitude by the planners in the Seville government can be traced to the sterling efforts of the AUAN.