Marbella Property

2008 Report (index)

This report on property in Marbella has been written by Barbara Wood of The Property Finders Andalucia. The Property Finders are buying agents who represent the buyer, not the vendor. For Barbara Wood's contact details see The Property Finders.

The Marbella Property Story Continued

Fortunately, the dust is starting to settle on the damaging corruption and illegal building scandal that broke in early 2006. 

The new schedule of planning laws, the PGOU or Plan General for short, has been agreed at local level and is now before the regional government in Seville for final approval, expected during 2008. 

It was the lack of regional approval for the many revisions of the 1986 Plan General submitted by the former mayor in Marbella, Jesús Gil, during the 1990s that led to the chaos in the first place; when his revisions were rejected in Seville, he just granted building licences anyway, although the projects clearly contravened the planning regulations as they then existed, usually in respect of development of green zone land and density levels. 

Marbella's New Urban Plan

The new planning regulations now awaiting ratification will set out how the western Costa del Sol develops for the next decade and beyond.

We now know that the overwhelming majority of the estimated 30,000 illegally built properties are to receive retrospective licences but uncertainty still hovers over approximately 750 and there may yet be some symbolic demolitions. 

Also, in return for legalising the illegal properties the Marbella Town Hall is seeking compensation from the original developers who benefited and there is concern about what will happen if this is not forthcoming if, for example, the developer has gone out of business.

The worry is that the authorities will then make financial claims on the residents of these developments.  So the story still has some way to run, but the worst is over for the majority. 

© Barbara Wood (The Property Finders)

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