The Mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, has ordered the demolition of 17 houses built without the necessary licence and on land classified as rural.
Based on article 183.5 of the Ley de Ordenación Urbanística de Andalucía (LOUA), all the properties, which are in various stages of construction, are on protected land and five are even in Hoya del Tajo, a highly protected area.
All the buildings have been the subject of earlier disciplinary action with fines ranging from €30,000 to €300,000 being levied. Now the Mayor has decided that the buildings must go. One of the offending constructions is a stables complex in Hoya del Tajo which is now the subject of a court investigation.
To help detect illegal constructions more quickly, the inspection services have acquired the use of a helicopter transmitter, connected via satellite.
The Mayor stated that all the illegal buildings will be demolished but there will be time for the owners or promoters to lodge appeals or contest the ruling.