Carmenes del Mar

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 ...

Neighbours once again ask the Government for help

Residents of Carmenes del Mar have once more asked the Junta de Andalucia to intervene and to begin the repairs that are necessary to halt the further destruction of houses and infrastructure in Carmenes del Mar. In a letter to Sandra Garcia, Central Governments representative in the Junta de Andalucia. the owners remind Garcia of an earlier meeting in which she urged them to wait for the outcome of the judicial process before counting on the Junta's help. The judge has ruled in favour of the Carmenes del Mar owners in both the main case against the constructor, architects and engineers involved in the construction of the urbanisations, as well as in the parallel "Precautionary Measures" case, but there is a real risk that the repairs ordered by the court will not be carried out, because of the insolvency of those responsible, and the lengthy appeals process. To prevent further ...

Summer media coverage of Carmenes del Mar

As the summer goes by and another autumn with the potential of heavy rain approaches, the Spanish media continues to show interest in the plight of the residents of Carmenes del Mar. An episode of the Espejo Público show on Tele 5 aired in early July, and included interviews with local residents who noted that for generations it was common knowledge that the hillside on which Carmenes de Mar was built was moving. Unfortunately we cannot link to the video here.

More recently, an article in Granada Hoy once again focuses on the problems experienced on a daily basis by some of the most affected residents: "Vivir bajo tierra movediza (Living on shaky ground)".

Judge accepts aval to allow precautionary measures to be carried out

The judge in the Carmenes del Mar case has accepted the aval presented by the property owners, thereby clearing the way for the precautionary repairs, ordered almost a year ago, to be carried out. In July 2014 the judge ordered 4.5 million euros worth of repairs and maintenance work to be carried out, to be financed by the defendants in the case, but backed by a 1 million euro guarantee or 'aval' provided by the Carmenes de Mar owners.

Read more (in Spanish) at La juez acepta el aval para ejecutar las medidas cautelares.

Court rules in favour of the residents of Carmenes del Mar

The Court of First Instance number 12 of Granada has ruled in favour of the residents of the urbanisation Carmenes del Mar and has ordered all of those responsible for the construction of the urbanisation, jointly and severally, to repair it.

It will be those same defendants, eight in total, who must cover the entire cost of the repair works and any other actions deriving from expert reports and required by the legal process, according to the ruling handed down last Moday, the 3rd of November.

The residents of the more than 400 homes affected have declared themselves "very satisfied with the ruling".

They remain cautious, however, since the defendant have leave to appeal to the Provincial Court of Granada over the coming days. Because of this, they have asked the Central Governments's Andalucian representatives and the Almuñecar Town Hall for their continued support and to use all means at their disposal to

...

Carmenes del Mar asks Goverment for one last effort to secure emergency repairs ordered by the court.

The residents of Carmenes del Mar yesterday thanked the Govermnent's Minster for Andalucia, Carmen Crespo "for making available to us the public company Tragsa, for carrying out the emergency works needed in the urbanisation to prevent the houses from falling down". At the same time, the home owners say that one last effort is needed on the part of the Government so that they can obtain the bank guarantee that stands in the way of the emergency repair works ordered by the Court of First Instance number 12 of Granada.

The owners of the 415 homes in Carmenes del Mar "recognise and appreciate the efforts of Almuñecar Town Hall, which in spite of not having the necessary resources, has always shown a willingness to solve the problem. Our houses are falling down because of serious construction defects, and even the court realises that urgent repair works are necessary. ...

News item from Canal Sur news

Below is a short news item from Canal Sur television about the request for help from government in obtaining the bank guarantee necessary for carrying out the repairs to Carmenes del Mar.

Carmenes del Mar residents ask government to act quickly to obtain a bank guarantee

The residents of Carmenes del Mar have asked the government to act quickly to obtain a bank guarantee that will allow the repair of the damage to their houses. In July the judge in the case taken by the residents against the developers, engineers and architects who built Carmenes del Mar, ordered 4.5 million euros worth of precautionary repairs to be carried out in Carmenes del Mar. As reported in a press conference, the representatives of the communities say that thanks to these precautionary measures, the residents of Carmenes del Mar and the wider Andalucian population will not have to pay the millions of euros necessary to repair the houses.

However, the residents have complained about the "slowness of the bureaucracy", although they are aware that the Government Delegation in Andalusia is working "valiantly" to speed up the signing of the necessary bank guarantee.

"We just ask that the process be speeded ...

Carmenes del Mar residents ask the Government for help

The residents of Carmenes del Mar have asked the government delegate for Andalucia, Carmen Crespo, for help in curbing the continuing deterioration of their houses, in light of the recent court order for interim repairs to be carried out.

In their statement, the residents have asked the Andalucian delegate, Carmen Crespo, to "do something" to help carry out the interim repairs, and thereby avoid the further deterioration that will occur while the lengthy legal process winds its way through the courts. The court has ordered interim repair works to the value of 4.5 million euros, to prevent houses from falling down and to minimize damage to the roads and infrastructure.

"The Government Delegation is fully aware of the situation we are in, with various houses in ruins and others with cracks and on the verge of collapse. Even so, that same administration that makes promises is not then capable of making decisions that ...

Judge orders repairs to be carried out in Cármenes del Mar

The judge in the Carmenes del Mar trial this week ordered 4.5 million euros worth of precautionary repairs to be carried out in Carmenes del Mar.

The precautionary measures include the maintenance of the roads, internal and external access routes, basic services such as water, electricity and gas, and the sanitary works.

The act also orders the defendants to maintain the systems that contribute to the stabilisation of the urbanisation, such as the retaining walls, and the monitoring and, if needed, elimination of any risks to people.

You can read more about the court order in Spanish here.

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