Comments on: Mark Stucklin: expat home demolitions

By: Linda Palfreeman

Linda Palfreeman — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:29:34 +0000

Hi Mark Matthew and all. I’d like to join in the conversation, if I may, above all, to thank you all for continuing to keep these issues on the public agenda. I live in Catral, the small Alicante town at the centre of one of the biggest housing scandals in Spain and where the illegal housing situation has caused, and is continuing to cause, very real anguish for many innocent people. However, I must point out that, whilst the ‘burying heads in the sand’ syndrome may have earlier been the case, this is very definitely no longer so. Thankfully, we share the support of the local British press (Costa Blanca News, as well as the free newspapers) who publish weekly comments on the issue (not only with regard to Catral but wider afield, in Almería, Albo, Vera, etc.) As well as the many pressure groups now established in Spain, and led by tireless campaigners such as Charles Svoboda, we also have leading public figures such as Margarete Auken and Marta Andreasen to thank for bringing our plight to the attention of the rest of Europe. Of course, there is a long way to go and the struggle(s) will be hard – but, hopefully, we will get there.

By: Paul Gailey

Paul Gailey — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:08:45 +0000

the systemic corruption of the urban planning system which is amplified during boom years as you discuss is at the core of the problem, but as you note, it does not fundamentally get addressed. demolitions are politically suicide, apart from some basket cases and i suspect we will see ghost town urbanisations unfortunately as the next wave of bad news of spanish property reporting. I cannot see how Spain can revive the property growth years of the 90´s again in the new economics of 2010+

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:19:33 +0000

Tim.you like many others,have hit the nail on the head(if it´s possible for such a mass hitting) re the burying their heads.The whole country,ok a few stand out as different,as we see in Edward Hugh´s blog and most expats ot new arrivals ask-”are they all in denial?”

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:30:20 +0000

Gentlemen, thank-you for the interview. Mark, I would like to thank-you for your candor in recognizing that Spain has some problems to overcome to recover the faith of potential buyers. One of the things that stuns me is how poorly covered the issues of illegal houses and demolitions by the mainstream press here in Spain. I have brought the topic up a number of times with my friends in Madrid and not a single one of them will even acknowledge that such a thing can exist here in Spain. I don’t know if it’s apathy for “foreigners” or a case of burying your head in the sand to avoid seeing the problem. In any case, the information is coming out and hopefully some long needed reform will be enacted. Matthew, again, thank-your for your time at bringing us timely information.