Tom Ewart Smith
TORREMOLINOS Town Hall has vetoed a plan to house around 150 migrants in the former Miratorre residence after discovering serious legal and safety issues with the property.
The city’s governing team has called the attempt to use the building ‘irresponsible,’ citing the lack of a first occupancy permit and failure to meet essential safety requirements, such as fire prevention and access to basic utilities.
The migrants were part of the approximately 600 individuals transferred earlier this year from the Canary Islands to Estepona, under a national government redistribution plan.
The proposed accommodation site in Torremolinos was intended to house 150 of these individuals, but the City Council says the building fails to meet the necessary legal standards for residential use.
“Specifically, as of today, the building lacks a first occupancy permit or any other type of business permit, which entails, among other aspects that have not been verified, such basic issues as fire prevention and the internal water circuit,” said the Torremolinos Town Hall in a statement.
The current owner of the property had planned to accommodate people without completing the necessary legal processes, a decision that the Town Hall has strongly opposed.
“The businessman has submitted final construction documentation from 2013, but it is not endorsed, and it lacks a first occupancy date,” the statement added. “Furthermore, there are no certifications from utility companies, and no acoustic test reports have been provided.”
Without these, the City Council maintains that housing people in the building would pose a significant safety risk.
In addition, the owner has failed to submit the required fire safety compliance reports, which would have been approved by the Malaga Provincial Fire Consortium.
The lack of these essential documents has led the local authorities to deny the owner’s request to proceed with the project.
The property owner has reacted to the Town Hall’s decision by accusing the municipality of alleged xenophobia, a claim the City Council has rejected.
“The businessman, instead of complying with the law, is alluding to alleged xenophobia, which will be investigated by the City Council’s legal services to adopt the necessary measures,” the statement said.
Torremolinos Town Hall also called on the Spanish government, as well as NGOs involved in migrant integration, to ensure the safety and well-being of migrants housed in such facilities.
The statement concluded with the suggestion that organisations, such as the Red Cross and CEAR, do ‘not delegate the issue to business owners who may prioritise profit over safety.’
