Carmenes del Mar

5 months on, and the residents of Carmenes del Mar are still waiting for a decision

The residents of Carmenes del Mar are spending yet another summer of uncertainty and fear, more than 5 months since the Andalucian parliament approved a proposition to carry out emergency repair works to halt the deterioration of the urbanisation. The February parliamentary vote proposed the formation of a technical panel of experts comprised of representatives from the three administrations, (the Almuñecar town hall, the Junta de Andalucia and Spain's central government). Since then the panel has met just once, in April, and both the Carmenes del Mar residents and the Almuñecar town hall have submitted their technical reports to the group. However, neither the Junta de Andulacia nor central government have responded with reports of their own. "Until that happens, the political panel who will have to begin provide solutions to the 415 affected families, cannot meet", according to Ricardo Lopez, spokesperson for the Carmenes del Mar residents.

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Parliament approves proposal for Junta to carry out repairs in Carmenes del Mar

The Andalucian Parliament has approved a resolution asking the Junta de Andalucia to carry out emergency repairs in Carmenes del Mar. The resolution, proposed by the Peoples Party (PP) and debated in Parliament, was supported by Podemos and Ciudadanos, while the Socialists (PSOE) voted against and Izquierda Unida did not attend the debate.

Both Podemos and Ciudadanos proposed amendments that were accepted by the other groups who voted in favour: Podemos asked for assurances that alternative housing be found for any residents who have to leave their homes as a result of the repair works, while Ciudadanos asked that the work be coordinated by a joint technical group that includes representatives from the Almuñecar Town Hall, the Junta de Andalucia, and Central Government in Madrid.

The mayor of Almuñecar, Trinidad Herrera, expressed her satisfaction that the resolution was approved, and she thanked Podemos and Ciudadanos for the "sensitivity" they have ...

Andalucian Parliament to debate Carmenes del Mar intervention on February 18th

On February 18th next, a commission of the Andalucia Parliament will debate whether to declare the ongoing landslides in Carmenes del Mar a social emergency. At a press conference today Juan Ramón Ferreira of the Popular Party (PP) announced that his party has submitted a non-binding resolution asking the Junta de Andalucia to assume its responsibility to the residents of Carmenes del Mar, and to collaborate in the emergency repairs approved by the courts in 2014. In the more than 18 months that has passed since the judge ordered the emergency repairs to be carried out, nothing has been done because the defendants in the case have appealed every step of the judicial process.

Sr. Ferreira is confident that the proposition will be supported by all of the political groupings in the parliament. An estimated 4 million Euros is required to prevent further landslides on the hillside and to ensure ...

Number of houses designated "in ruins" increases to 24

The number of houses in Carmenes del Mar officially designated by the Almuñécar Town Hall to be in a state of ruin has increased to 24. That is the number of home owners who have been issued with eviction notices, although residents expect that the number could increase to 40 houses over the coming months. Meanwhile, the recent earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale that was felt in La Herradura, and the inevitable heavy rains that will eventually end the current drought conditions, bring into sharp focus the need to immediately carry out the precautionary measures ordered by the courts over 18 months ago.

Andalucian Parliament to debate whether to intervene in Carmenes del Mar

The Popular Party (PP) has presented a Non-binding resolution to the Andalucian Parliament, asking for a state of emergency to be declared in Carmenes del Mar, and for the precautionary measures to be implemented in order to eliminate the risk of further damage to the urbanisation. If the resolution is approved, there may finally be some light at the end of the tunnel for the residents of Carmenes del Mar.

In parliamentary procedure, a Non-binding resolution (Proposición no de ley) is a formal written proposal by a member of parliament that the assembly take certain actions. The resolution (or motion) may be subject to a public debate in parliament or to a review by the appropriate committee, depending on the type of action being proposed. The Carmenes del Mar resolution will be reviewed by the Andalucian Justice & Interior Affairs committee, and will be either approved ...

Carmenes del Mar in the news again

A flurry of news coverage has resulted from the recent decision by Almuñecar Town Hall to declare a State of Emergency in Carmenes del Mar. Among the news stories has been a detailed article in Ideal newspaper that includes some of the foreign owners who have been served with eviction notices. Unfortunately there is no online version of the article available, but we have attached here some photocopies of the relevant pages.

Among the TV coverage was a short segment that aired on Spain's main TV channel, TVE. The following link contains the piece, starting at 2 minutes 25 seconds: Andalucia News 07/12/2015

Town Hall declares state of emergency in Carmenes del Mar

The ongoing drama of Carmenes del Mar took an unexpected and serious turn on Friday when the Almuñecar Town Hall declared a state of emergency in the area. The declaration of the state of emergency was communicated to the Local Police, the Fire Department and Civil Protection unit of Almuñecar. Municipal workers were dispatched to the urbanisation where they proceeded to seal off a number of houses and erect barriers along the worst affected streets and footpaths. The decision to implement these drastic measures was taken on foot of a report issued by technicians from the municipal engineering and housing department.

As well as sealing of dangerous buildings and footpaths, a number of residents of Pueblo were issued with eviction notices and given five days to vacate their homes. The owners, who include Spanish, Irish and British citizens, expressed a mixture shock, upset and anger at the turn of events. ...

Government representative promises to push for multilateral intervention in Carmenes de Mar

At a meeting last Friday between a delegate for Spain's Central Government and representatives of the Carmenes del Mar residents, Santiago Perez Lopez, the government's delegate for the province of Granada, pledged to push for a coordinated initiative between Central Government, the Junta de Andalucia, and Almuñecar Town Hall. Perez Lopez promised to promote further multilateral meetings with representatives from the three administrations (local, regional, and central) with the goal of agreeing a series of interventions to ensure that the urbanisation survives the winter.

Press roundup

A number of newspapers, both online and print versions, have published in recent days articles about the current status of Carmenes del Mar. The latest coverage focuses on renewed calls by the residents of Carmenes del Mar to Spain's central government and the Junta de Andalucia, to take on the repair works (medidas cautelares) ordered by the judge earlier this year. The judge found the defendants responsible for the damage to the urbanisations, and ordered them to carry out precautionary measures to repair and make safe the houses, roads, and services infrastructure. The defendants, now declaring bankruptcy, have not complied with the court order.

Below is a selection of links to the online articles:

Granada Hoy: Los afectados de Cármenes del Mar, preocupados por las lluvias
Ideal: Vecinos de los 'Cármenes del Mar' piden "medidas cautelares" para que sus casas no se derrumben
El Independiente

Radio interview on Canal Sur's "Granada Hora Sur"

On September 14th Ignacio Martin, a resident of Carmenes del Mar and spokesperson for the communities was invited to appear on Canal Sur radio's Granada Hora Sur program. In the interview Ignacio tells how once more the neighbours of Carmenes del Mar have reached out to both Central Government and the Junta de Andalucia, to ask that they step in and carry out the repair works ordered by the judge in the case against those responsible for the building defects in Carmenes del Mar. The medidas cautelares (precautionary measures) ordered by the judge before the summer compel the defendants to carry out the necessary repair works to prevent further damage to houses and infrastructure, but the defendants, claiming bankruptcy, have not complied with the order.

Listen to the 5 minute interview on the Canal Sur website by selecting September 14th on the calendar. The interview starts at 38 ...

Website of the Communities of Property Owners in La Herradura, Granada