The Minister of Public Works and Housing of the Junta de Andalucia, Josefina Cruz, has said that the government is looking at possible solutions with regard to 86.5% of buildings constructed on rural land in the Axarquia and currently considered illegal.
Cruz has met with 14 mayors of municipalities in the Axarquia where inventories are being made of illegal dwellings. A further 8 municipalities are participating in the inventory but the mayors were unable to attend the meeting. Nerja, Torrox and Vélez-Málaga are not participating as their populations exceed 5,000 inhabitants.
There are 12,760 homes in these 22 municipalities which have been built on rural or protected land. There are 859 buildings on protected land and a further 976 have been built within the past four years and for which a more complex procedure will apply.
That leaves roughly 11,000 homes with a chance of being legalised by one means or another. A decree would have to be drafted to place these dwellings outside the established ordinances and the municipal councils would have to incorporate them into their plans.
Once such a decree came into effect, it would be up to the owner to apply for legalisation of their home.
With regard to the 859 buildings on protected land, there is no way to legalise these and demolition would be the only option.