Yzabelle Bostyn
AN Irish expat claims he has lost over €1.75 million after a Spanish town hall gave ‘constant excuses’ to block his country hotel from re-opening.
Michael Walsh, 40, bought the well established hotel to run alongside his wife and three children, who moved to Malaga four years ago.
He had hoped to re-open charming Finca La Mota, in Alhaurin El Grande, at the end of May.
However, just a week before opening he was told it ‘did not have a hotel licence’, despite being run as such for three decades.
“It was just one excuse after another,” he told the Olive Press. “I knew it would take years to fight in court.”
The former Cork hotel owner continued: “They lied the whole way through, it’s absolutely disgraceful. They’ve stopped me from opening my business and it’s bankrupting us.”
He claims he has ‘lost the entire summer season’, having to return over €300,000 in cancelled bookings, including 16 weddings, worth €150,000.
He claims the renovation work alone came to €650,000 and added he had to pay 25 employees for a week’s work out of his own pocket.
The successful rural hotel and restaurant had formerly been run by American and Dutch owners, who were long-term clients of the Olive Press.
“I cannot understand what has gone wrong,” said the previous owner this week. “It has always been a popular hotel regularly visited by local politicians to eat. We never had a problem.
“It really makes no sense.”
Walsh claims the hotel licence was first granted by the official Andalucian tourist registry in Sevilla 32 years ago.
Officials from Alhaurin town hall claim, however, the licence is no longer ‘valid’ due to a subsequent bylaw requiring hotel properties to measure at least 25,000m2.
They ignored a clear caveat, claims Walsh, that overruled this law if a licence was granted before it was introduced.
When Walsh pointed this out to officials, he claims they said there were also ‘noise complaints’ and warned they would impose a ‘hefty fine’ if he tried to open.
As he tries to fight the council alongside his lawyer, he says he is losing at least €5,000 every week to keep the property.
“They won’t give us an official refusal and I can’t figure out why the town hall doesn’t want 25 extra jobs here. It is because we are expats,” he asked.
He has so far had seven meetings with officials and is ‘determined’ to fight, even enlisting support from a European Council lawyer who has approached Spain’s Minister for Tourism.
“I love Spain, I’ve never had any regrets about moving here. Everyone is so welcoming, friendly and we are completely integrated into the community, but this is so unfair,” he added.
Alhaurin town hall responded to requests for comment stating that Mr Walsh’s licence had ‘expired’, a statement he vehemently denies.
The Olive Press has request clarification from the town hall.
Neither the local police nor Guardia Civil would comment on alleged noise complaints.
