Spain Real Estate News

Boost for British expatriates who lost land in Spain

British expatriates fighting Spanish authorities over the unfair
expropriation of their land have been given a boost after learning their
case has been taken on by the European Commission.

By Fiona Govan in Madrid

 Thousands of Britons have had homes demolished or devalued by exploitation
of the law .

Thousands of British homeowners have been affected by Valencia's "land grab"
laws, which enable developers to seize private property for the creation of
public works.

Many in the southeastern region found areas of their garden or even the
house itself have been given over to contractors for "urban development".
They were often paid meagre compensation, if any, for the expropriated land
and found themselves lumbered with near worthless properties.

In some cases owners were forced to pay for infrastructure on the land that
had been taken away from them.

Now Spain is being taken to the European court of justice over alleged
infringements of competition regulations, which allowed ruthless developers
to take advantage of the law during the decade long housing boom.

The legal action brought by the European commission could mean Spain will be
made to pay hefty fines and force the Valencian regional government to
revise their planning laws.

Charles Svoboda, vice-president of Abusos Urbanisticos No, a lobby group
representing those affected, said the court case was the culmination of four
years of campaigning. "It is extremely good news," he told The Daily
Telegraph.

"For the first time those responsible for blatantly breaking EU wide
regulations will be brought to account. If successful it will be mean huge
fines for Spain and an end to these laws once and for all."

But he said the victory, though important, would be largely symbolic for
those affected. "The European court of justice has no power to award
compensation," Mr Svoboda said. "That is the next step that we are pursuing
through the European court of Human Rights."

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