Within the Alicante province, home to the most concentrated numbers of expats in Spain, lie three ancient and typical Spanish towns, Teulada, Alfaz del Pi and San Fulgencio, travelling from north to south.
Each of those ancient towns lie a few miles inland from the coast, with a large stretch of coastline within their municipal borders, the sort of coast appealing to both Spanish town people and the incoming foreigners, with sun, sea and sand.
Post Franco and Spain’s joining of the EU, the foreign hordes descended on those coastlines and the building started, furious stuff with no regard for the environment whatsoever. The three satellite towns of Moraira, Albir and La Marina sprung into existence, full of foreigners and mostly English.
La Marina is probably the biggest and newest, and the foreigners now outnumber the Spanish in San Fulgencio.
It has caused resentment, how could it not, but the locals have been overwhelmed by sheer numbers, just like the Isle of Dogs in London.
The local council in San Fulgencio are now fighting back, sort of, encouraged by the national government’s attempt to claw back taxes. The council is skint, like most others, but they could afford Google Earth and did an aerial survey of their town and La Marina.
They discovered 580 illegal swimming pools in their tiny municipality, all of them foreign owned. They are now sending out additional property tax demands and fines, threatening action if they are not paid.
Their ten Policia Local are going to be busy, they’ll probably buy them shovels.
It’s the case everywhere…. locals have been saying for years that the catastral and Google earth don’t match up 😉
Doesn’t stop websites/agents selling properties which ‘don’t exist’…… Go to any town hall and check out those in charge of the catastral, poor weary looking person….
Just that now it’s euro signs for the Juntas to fine everyone 🙁
Funny you should say that. My wife was asked by a friend to telephone a Spanish number which was advertising a house for sale there and after shouting Que at the phone a few times handed it to me.
I couldn’t understand the lady either, but when I asked ‘Rusa?’, she replied ‘Si’. She was obviously a Russian comedienne when she told me the price, but it made me laugh.
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