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Catral's town hall states that 1,300 illegal properties in the municipality will no longer be demolished.

The municipality of Catral is one of the most popular places for Brits to own a second home or to relocate to on the Costa Blanca.

However, this fact means it has also attracted the attention of unscrupulous developers over the last few years, and now the area has more than its fair share of illegal buildings. As a result, the local town council have been making plans to resolve the problem. While they are unable to help the owners of homes located within El Hondo Natural Park, those in other parts of the countryside will not be demolished, which is a relief for owners.

Instead, in an interview with Costa Blanca News, mayor Aurelio David Albero and town planning councillor Antonio Bellido revealed that the owners of the illegal properties will be expected to assist with legalising their homes by paying to have it incorporated onto a new town plan that will reclassify their plots from rural land into land for development. This will cost up to €7 for every square metre of land that’s been built on, from the houses themselves to swimming pools.

Groups of properties will then be transformed into urbanisations, with residents contributing towards the costs of providing infrastructure for their homes, as well as street lighting and sewerage, and the builders will also be expected to pay their share.

Dave Jones at Costa Blanca News says, “Once the urbanisations have been consolidated, residents will be able to apply for habitation certificates and contract mains water and electricity services, as well as having their rubbish collected.”

The homeowners will then have all the amenities of a legal urbanisation, and can put the stress of the previous months behind them.

Full story from www.homesworldwide.co.uk