With a new draft of Marbella’s town plan on her desk for approval, Ángeles Muñoz, the lady Mayor of Marbella, has reaffirmed her campaign pledge not to knock down any occupied homes amongst the 18,000 illegal properties in the municipality.

“We will change the document so that it reflects our political pledges” Muñoz told the Spanish press this week, whilst admitting that she is at odds with the regional town planning authorities that drafted the new plan.

The latest draft, sent this week to Marbella’s town council for its second provisional approval, expected in July, envisages a planning amnesty for all but 1,000 of Marbella’s illegally built properties. 400 of them are “especially sensitive” having already been bought and occupied by innocent third parties, explained Muñoz. They include 300 apartments in the Banana Beach complex, and 2 new developments in El Alicate and Río Real.

Marbella recently demolished two illegal developments, but neither of them had been finished and sold onto innocent third party buyers.