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Illegal homes on the market
Rural properties sold and occupied in Catral

By Dave Jones

ILLEGAL homes recently completed by builders on rural land in Catral are now up for sale on the internet.

CB News reported in February that an urbanisation of more than 100 illegal villas was being built at La Partida de Santa Águeda, close to El Hondo natural park

Previously, in October last year, the regional government had stripped Catral council of its powers to run the town planning department, stating that it had failed to stop 1,270 illegal homes being built.

And former land and housing department chief Esteban González Pons stated at the time that there would be zero tolerance of illegal building.

But in the last five months many of houses in La Partida de Santa Águeda have been finished.

CB News visited the urbanisation this week to find that at least half a dozen of the properties have been sold and occupied by the buyers.

The builders have moved offsite but houses are up for sale on internet websites – along with similar recently-finished illegal properties in other areas of Catral.

The three-bedroom villas are being offered for 252,000 euros and are advertised as being in a ‘rustic area of Catral’.

The regional government has already started legal proceedings to demolish 45 homes in Catral.

A spokesman told CB News that 20 of these houses, which are inside the protection perimeter of El Hondo natural park, are unlikely to be saved.

With the other properties, he said there was a possibility that they could be legalised.

The regional government has revealed that aerial photographs have been taken of Catral which show up the buildings alleged to be illegal.

These photographs are currently being used by inspectors operating in the municipality.

It was announced this week that Catral’s new mayor Aurelio Albero and the regional government had agreed to form a consortium to draw up the new Town Plan (PGOU).

Residents are hoping the document will sort out the illegal building problem and legalise some of the houses which have been built without licences.

djones@cbnews.es

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