Madrid ready to challenge El Algarrobico ruling

ISABEL GARCIA TEJERINA, who recently visited the Infoagro Exhibition 2015, is minister of the Environment as well as Agriculture.
While here in Almeria, the minister was inevitably asked about the El Algarrobico hotel in Carboneras. A demolition order hangs over the practically finished beachfront hotel which occupies part of the 100-metre exclusion zone measured from the high-water mark.
The Supreme Court recently ruled that the hotel’s building permit is valid, throwing into disarray the regional government’s existing demolition order.
The central government is also committed to finding a solution, Tejerina declared.
The Environment Ministry could appeal to the Tribunal Constitucional, Spain’s highest court, to challenge the latest verdict, she revealed. “We are weighing up whether this is legally viable and likely to prosper.”
Despite the government’s determination to resolve the ongoing situation, the El Agarrobico issue falls within the remit of another administration, Tejerina pointed out in allusion to the Junta de Andalucia.
What the government can do is provide a solution in future cases, she said:
“Thanks to the Coastal Law the Algarrobico situation will not be repeated.”
“If an operation like this goes ahead without administrative authorisation, the government can intervene to prevent this kind of environmental disaster,” the minister explained.