EXCLUSIVE

By Frances Leate

HOMEOWNERS who have spent ten years and €90,000 trying to get electricity in their homes have been denied permission from their town hall at the final stage.

Despite having cabling and 12 pylons erected by electricity company, Endesa, the two households just outside the village of Yunquera have been told by town bosses that they can not get the electricity installed because of a change in law that came into place in January 2012.

And despite granting permission for the project in 2005, the town hall stated that the new law means you can only have electricity in the campo for an animal shed and not for a house meant for human beings.

Ken Kendal, 66, and his wife, Val, 59, from Manchester, moved into their Spanish home in 2002.

After installing a few solar panels and purchasing a generator they joined forces with their Spanish neighbours and got in touch with Endesa in the hope of installing electricity.

Mr Kendal said: “It has become a very stupid situation and we desperately want answers.

“For ten years now we have been making do without electricity and after spending all this money and having the cables fitted and pylons put up it got to the point Endesa just needed to install a meter and turn the electric on.

“But the town hall told Endesa it is not possible because of this law, which no-one, including Endesa themselves, have heard of.”
He added: “We’ve managed for a long time with no electric but it really isn’t ideal and after spending all this money it is just a nightmare.

“It has now been going on for a decade and at every stage the Junta, the town hall and the ministry of industry in Malaga has had to pass everything.

“Now it is just this one piece of paper that the town hall refuses to give us.”

Have you been affected by this? Please get in touch by emailing newsdesk@theolivepress.es or calling 952 895 230.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. Hi,
    My response assumes that the property is located on suelo no urbanizable as the article states that the properties are outside of a village.

    The ‘new law’ is Decreto 2/2012, which deals with properties located on suelo no urbanizable in Andalucia. If your property can be successfully classified as assimilado al regimen de fuera de ordenacion or fuera de ordenacion you will have sufficient paperwork for connections.

    Problems may arise if:
    – There is more than one house on the same parcela of land.
    – The land is protected in some way.
    – There are proceedings against the property.
    – The property is no proscribed from prosecution. (most be completed over 4 years ago)

    Speak to a lawyer.

  2. As these people have decided to live in a “casa de aperos” (basically a toolshed) – in the countryside – they can hardly expect to have electricity connected. I cannot understand why the Olive Press would give any space to this story.

  3. I have been looking for a cheap property in the Canary Islands to live, with a bit of land, with my animals; horse and dog, and have come across these stumbling blocks. It seems that if someone purchases a casa de aperos and tries to live in it on a permanent basis even if it does have electricity and water already connected the building could be demolished or owner fined as the permission granted for the building has been misused and would no longer be considered a tool shed but an illlegal dwelling- could anyone confirm that is correct or confirm a way to do what I would so like to do without the threat of the local council knocking on your door …I am very interested in what Auan has said and if the same could be applied to my region. Thank you!

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