The Guardia Civil’s Operation Urbanitas in the province of Alicante has led to the investigation of 64 people who are accused of crimes against land use and urban planning, as well as, in some cases, document forgery and crimes against the Public Treasury.
According to a statement from the Guardia Civil, the Alicante Nature Protection Patrol (PACPRONA) carried out the operations as part of the Nature Protection Service’s (SEPRONA) efforts to make sure that the province has a sustainable and balanced model of urban growth.
The investigation started in October of last year after neighbourhood groups and individuals filed complaints, and the patrol itself found problems that showed there were a lot of planning violations involving illegal land subdivisions and construction in the Alicante districts of El Moralet, El Verdegás, La Cañada del Fenollar, La Alcoraya, and Fontcalent.
During the more than 70 inspections, the agents verified that they had plotted most of the affected areas.
Non-urbanisable and protected rural regions, many of which are in rambla areas, where existing rules clearly say that the land can’t be divided and no building or construction may take place.
The initial investigations shed light on the methods used to commit the crime. It was discovered that the middlemen worked between the owners of vacant land and people who wanted to buy it. They often bought the land with the intention of selling it later or acted as middlemen in transactions to persuade buyers. They then split the properties into small pieces, both on paper and in person, to make more money.
In this approach, the buyers signed private sales contracts that gave them a percentage of the original land without a specified placement inside the parent plot. This meant that they were legally and strategically responsible for the entire original property.
So far, the probe has looked into 39 males and 25 women, all between the ages of 23 and 66. Three of them are said to have worked as go-betweens. They are all accused of crimes against land use and urban planning. Some are also accused of forgery for changing papers relating to sales transactions to trick the Public Administration and crimes against the Public Treasury for stealing from that agency.
The Alicante Court of First Instance has been told about all of the investigations. The right people have also been told about possible planning infractions. According to the same sources, these transgressions might lead to the buildings being torn down and the owners of the unlawful properties losing access to water, power, gas and phone services, among other things.
The Guardia Civil wants everyone to know that buying a home that was built without permission is very risky. For example, you could have to tear it down, which would mean losing all the money you spent on it. You could also suffer major damage to your property (for example, from flooding), face planning penalties, have legal problems because of issues with the property registry, or have trouble getting basic services like water or electricity, among other things.
Author: Derek Appleton
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