The government’s new Coast Law will benefit over half a million people who own homes, hotels, beach bars and other businesses right on the beachfront.
The Popular Party (PP) had always been critical of a law aimed at clearing the Spanish coastline of buildings following years of indiscriminate construction during the boom years.
The previous law was passed in 1988, although it took inspectors many years to map out exactly which properties were within 100 meters of the waterline, an area considered ‘public domain’. Homes falling inside that area could not be sold by their owners, who only received a concession to live in them. In 2009, an amendment stated that properties built before 1988 would be left out of the expropriation
Now, the Government has found a way to save around 1,000 hotels, 3,000 beach bars and 1,700 other businesses, even though they are located right on the beachfront. The government claims this move will save 150,000 direct jobs, mainly in the tourism sector, which is one of the few remaining competitive areas in the Spanish economy.
Also saved are 12,800 homes built on public land, some of which were due for demolition in 2018. Owners may renew their 75-year concessions and even sell them.