The Mayor of Almachar, José Gámez (IU), has responded to criticisms by the environmental group Gena-Ecologistas en Acción concerning the municipal ordinance to regulate or legalise housing in rural areas.
The Mayor said that everything was in strict compliance with the law in order to avoid uncertainty and arbitrariness without curtailing the rights of the residents.
The ordinance covers houses built on rural or non-developable land, of which there are thought to be around 300 dwellings, and basically seeks to legalise their status.
Based upon the new ordinance, the ‘adjustment’ of the first dwelling has been completed, the adjustment involving the payment of a fee of €16 per square metre by the owner. Other cases are now pending.
The aim, said the Mayor, is put some order into matters and to remove the uncertainty felt by many residents that one day, their homes could be demolished.