Amnesty on Platja d’Aro and Empuriabrava seafront properties

The new coastal law that relaxes some aspects of the 1988 coastal law means that the owners of more than 800 properties along the promenade in Platja d’Aro and in Empuriabrava are no longer in danger of losing properties located in the area that historically was public domain.

While the revision of the law has been widely criticised, this is a sensible step. Many people bought property in good faith that was built too close to the sea but suffered from the 1988 law, which was applied retrospectively; by then it was too late, Spain’s coastline was already ruined and while attempts to put right that damage should be applauded, this wasn’t the right way to do it.

Construction on the coast should be strictly controlled, and what has already been built needs to be managed. But you can’t, on one hand, encourage foreign investment in Spain and then on the other take away from people who bought holiday homes in good faith, whether Spanish or foreigners, without looking like a banana republic.

Source: La Vanguardia (print edition)

Tags: Coast, Empuriabrava, Law, Platja d'Aro, Property, socialmedia, Tourism