Property Sp
pr ai op n’ in er s be En ty st gl mag ish
‘Sponge cities’ to avoid flood disasters, the Spanish finalists in London’s RIBA awards and how a Spanish cathedral will soon be the world’s tallest BREAKNECK PACE NOVEMBER 2024
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THE BEST OF THE BEST
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architecture prizes in the world. T is one of the most prestigiousconnected to two of the three builSo it’s amazing that Spain isthe UK’s Royal Institute of British Ardings up for the top prize of of chitects (RIBA) awards this year. Chipperfield is on the shortlist Spain-based architect David for his clever conversion of a mothree for the International Prize, in Paderborn, Germany. nastery (left) into an office block spends much of the year in GaBritish talent Chipperfield, who to convert the St Vincenz licia, used ‘sculptural demolition’ of the TAP holding group. Hospital into the headquarters Modulus Matrix social houAlso on the list is the fabulousPeris + Toral Architects. sing project, in Barcelona, by block was built almost entirely The stunning 10,000 sqm a former cinema. from wood on the site of in Spain, it was built from The largest wooden buildingBasque Country. sustainable wood from the Museum of PhoThe other nominee is the Lianzhou built on the site of tography, in China, which was an old sugar mill. See XXXXXX page
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and (left) SHORTLIST: Lianzhou Museum housing scheme Barcelona’s wooden social
Spain’s housing market rockets data. continues to SPAIN’S housing market stars. set records and shoot for thea year and It has grown by 9.6% in according 16.6% since January 2023,
writes Walter Finch growth – but is it a bubble? is the cheapest at €1,17 sqm. further up with 10% annual peaked One of the highest rises is in Madrid Zamora reMeanwhile, all but four provinces
it to with Santa Cruz than in June 2007, whento property which exploded by 18.8% in a year prices corded higher prices, according seeing to the latest €4,83 sqm, while in Barcelona propelled it at €2,11 sqm, de Tenerife and Las Palmasand 16% Breakneck expansion has peak portal Idealista. are up 10.8% to €4,59 sqm. steepest rises of 16.4% well above the largest previouscrash, However, by February 2010 it had Valencia saw the highest rise, where the of 2007, which led to a dramatic to €1,89 sqm, before drop- prices have increased by a fifth (20%), respectively. include the Baleas the graph (left) tumbled sqm in 2016 (19.6%), Other fast growers ping to an alarming €1,49 followed closely by Malaga Alicante aric Islands (14.8%), Alicante (13.9%), shows. euro crisis. and (14.9%). average worsened by the em- Santander (18.1%) Malaga (12.7%) and Murcia The then Spain’s prices have for bargains, house house in Spain Since on an impressive recovery (16.7%). expensive For anyone looking fallen in Ourense San Sebastian is the most prices have actually now costs €2,21 barked went into overdrive in January city overall, at €5,631 sqm, while (-3.2%), Córdoba (-2.5%), Badajoz per square me- that (-1.1%) and Ciudad Real (-0.7%). to be tre, 4.4% higher last year. The Balearic Islands continue rethe most expensive autonomous by the gion at €4,663 sqm, followed sqm), Madrid (€3,64 of Community sqm), the fundamentally COMMENT by Olive Press the Basque Country (€3,01 and CataTHE situation now is of supply. Property Insider Adam Neale Canary Islands (€2,77 sqm) different to 2007 in termsthan the whole lunya (€2,44 sqm). Spain was building more now firmly in check out regulatory changBargain hunters should of Europe then and we are Exsupply. Meanwhile, further facil(€937), that constricted with Mancha Castilla-La closed mechanisms a resale market to Castilla y buying for in- es have tremadura (€977 sqm) and These days clients are notand you can no itated a boom such as the ability León (€1,199 sqm). vestment but for lifestyle loan to value sell a contract during construction longer get mortgages with non residents. (aka ‘flipping’). ratios of 100% and even for
See PROPERTY inside
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TRIPLE TROUBLE
Flood fears As red alert called, green group warns of major water issue after too many homes were built on floodplains
ecologistas.mijas@nodo50.org
THE former boss of Marbella’s Triple A animal shelter is facing up to 18 years in jail for an alleged long-term campaign of slaughtering dogs for profit, it has emerged. Prosecutors are seeking the hefty sentence for Bettina Pietsch, a German expat accused of overseeing alleged animal cruelty, misappropriation of funds and breaking labour laws. Meanwhile the former vice-president, named only as A.D., is facing a 10-year jail term. According to court documents, animals were ‘slaughtered on a massive and unjustified scale, with the sole purpose of reducing costs and dedicating facilities to private purposes, with the aim of making a profit.’ Other alleged crimes between 2011 and 2016 include falsifying documents and working without the correct licences. Shockingly, prosecutors allege that euthanasia products were administered ‘without having the veterinary knowledge to do so’. And in a cruel twist, illegally low doses were used to cut costs, ‘causing a slow and painful death in animals, many of whom were healthy puppies’, it is claimed. Both Pietsch and her vice-president are also accused of using €20,426 of charity cash for payments unrelated to the shelter, and of stealing a fur-
Calle Málaga, Nº 29 29650, Mijas Pueblo (Málaga) año 2020
FEARS are growing that over-conBy Walter Finch & struction on floodplains could lead to Laurence Dollimore a Valencia-style flooding disaster on the Costa del Sol. As further heavy rain is forecast for “The catastrophe in Valencia should Andalucia this week, residents are be- give pause for reflection for town halls ing warned to avoid unnecessary jour- and any parties that insist on buildneys amid a red alert along the entire ing in vulnerable territory,” exMalaga coastline. plained a spokesman. It comes after four out of 14 key flood “Despite the multiple risk zones in Spain were announced declarations of a clias being in Andalucia. mate emergency, poliOne of the main areas of concern is ticians continue to act Fuengirola, where the town hall ad- as if there were no real mitted to the Olive Press it is under- emergency and it can taking a review of its flood protocols. be business as usual. Ecologists in Action warned both the “It means exposing Las Lagunas and the Camino Viejo de more and more people Coin areas are vulnerable to severe to the same possible levels of flooding should the Fuengi- catastrophic event as we rola river overflow. have seen in Valencia, givThe green group claims its floodplain en the enormous vulnerahas been too heavily built upon since bility of the Fuengirola river.” the 1980s – often in direct violation of The region has been hit by diurban planning regulations and risk sastrous floods before, with up to 14 studies. people killed in Fuengirola as recently It insists any new projects - including as 1988. Continues on page 4 a nursing home, a hospital and a huge A mother and three children only park called managed to miraculously survive the G r a n disaster by clinging to a tree. Parque de The new claims by Ecologists in Acla Costa tion come after researchers revealed del Sol - in that a third of homes flooded in Va*Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services. the area lencia were built on land at risk of See page 23 would be flooding during the housing bubble. *Data extracted from process closure surveys after using our roadside assistance and breakdown services. a ‘very se- A spokesperson for Fuengirola town TheOlivePress-256x170-Multi2404.indd 1 rious mis- hall insisted the claims were being taken seriously. take.’ TheOlivePress-256x170-Multi2404.indd 1 He said the council was currently prepar2/4/24 11:56 ing a ‘Climate Change Adaptation Plan’. “This will anal-
ALORA AGONY: Over 30 cars were swept away by the Guadalhorce river while homeowners escape to safety. (Above) A map of Fuengirola’s danger zones
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2/4/24 11:56 yse the entire municipal area and identify any risks and vulnerabilities,” he said. “The conclusions are not yet known, as it is still in the drafting phase.” He insisted a proposed hospital and nursing home are now ‘no longer’ go-
ing to be built. And he added that corrective measures have already been put in place, including the widening of the riverbed to prevent flooding. “There have not been any overflows in recent years,” he insisted.
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Inside the colourful world of the mayor of Estepona See page 8