A CONTROVERSIAL hotel built illegally on Almeria’s coast decades ago is back in the headlines after Greenpeace surprised a local mayor with a birthday cake shaped like the building.
Video posted Wednesday showed activists handing the cake, complete with a sign reading ‘illegal hotel,’ to Carboneras mayor Salvador Hernandez, whom Greenpeace accused of stalling the demolition of the 411-room resort.
The stunt marked 20 years since a court order halted construction of the Hotel Algarrobico, named after the beach where it stands, on February 21, 2006.
Judges ruled it had been built inside the 100-metre protected coastal zone in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park – land classed as state-owned and strictly off-limits for development.
“We didn’t want to miss the chance to mark this bittersweet anniversary,” said Luis Berranquero, Greenpeace’s regional coordinator in Andalucia.
“Sweet, because we celebrate that 20 years ago this monstrous symbol of coastal destruction and predatory urban development was stopped,” he added. “Bitter, because we’ve spent 20 years trying to bring it down, and it still stands.”
Along with the cake, activists handed Hernandez a letter urging Andalucia’s High Court of Justice to probe him for contempt of court.
In the letter, Greenpeace alleged he allowed a key court order to expire without revoking the hotel’s building permit – further delaying demolition.
“Many people ask how it’s possible for a town hall or an individual to ignore a Supreme Court ruling for four years,” Berranquero said. “The Carboneras Town Hall has been dragging its feet for far too long over a series of administrative steps that could be completed in less than 15 days.
“There are no more excuses. They must comply, and they haven’t,” he added. “Twenty years is more than enough. It’s time for the hotel to be demolished and for this beach to be restored.”
READ MORE: Notorious Algarrobico Hotel illegally built in natural Park in Southern Spain ‘to be demolished’
The Algarrobico project dates back to the late 1990s, when Madrid-based developer Azata del Sol snapped up 16 hectares of prime beachfront in Carboneras – land that would soon form part of the natural park.
Construction began in 2003 after the local council controversially approved a licence. Environmental groups immediately sounded the alarm, warning the project violated Spain’s Coastal Law, which bans building within 100 metres of the shoreline and strictly protects national park land.
In one of Greenpeace’s most dramatic protests, activists later scaled the unfinished hotel and splashed its facade black with the giant words “illegal hotel.”
By 2006, courts finally intervened, halting works when the hotel was about 80% complete. The vast concrete shell has stood empty ever since.
Spain’s Supreme Court has repeatedly confirmed the hotel’s illegality and demanded demolition – yet the building permit has still not been revoked.
READ MORE: OPINION: Take the Algarrobico down
Carboneras’ town hall did not respond to requests for comment. However, in a press release posted online, Hernandez pushed back against Greenpeace’s claims, insisting the municipality is “fully cooperating with the courts” in the long-running saga.
After receiving the activists, he rejected the allegations of contempt and said the town hall’s priority was to protect the reputation and interests of Carboneras residents, who he argues have paid the price for years of legal chaos.
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