Carboneras council delays decision to strip El Algarrobico hotel of its building permit

A surprise alliance between independents, socialists and a former PP councillor saw the vote pushed back over fears of crippling compensation claims against the town

Europa Press

An unexpected political alliance in Carboneras has delayed a landmark decision to revoke the building permit for the controversial El Algarrobico beach hotel.

At an ... extraordinary local council meeting on Wednesday, a majority of councillors voted to postpone revoking the planning permission. The move follows warnings over the "extraordinary legal and financial complexity" of the case and the threat of massive compensation claims.

The proposal to defer the decision was tabled by independent councillor Felipe Cayuela and passed by seven votes to five. It succeeded after securing backing from both the opposition Socialists (PSOE) and former People’s Party (PP) councillor Ángeles Carrillo.

One councillor, Andrés Belmonte, was absent from the brief 16-minute session.

Fears over compensation payouts

The council had been expected to formally annul the building permit, which was originally granted in January 2003. The move follows a ruling by the Andalusian Advisory Council (CCA) confirming the hotel was built illegally on protected land within the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, less than 100 metres from the coastline.

However, Cayuela laid out seven arguments for putting the vote on hold until the next scheduled session on 22 June. He warned that stripping the licence could trigger catastrophic financial liabilities for the municipality.

"The motion itself openly admits that this council lacks the human and material resources to properly assess the potential compensation claims arising from this decision," Cayuela argued.

He called for urgent technical, legal, and economic reports before a final decision is reached, urging the council to act with "prudence, sound administration and transparency."

Missing financial assessments

The independent councillor highlighted that the current case file contains no financial assessment from the municipal audit office regarding the potential budgetary shock to Carboneras.

Furthermore, he noted the absence of any analysis on whether liability could be shared with other public authorities involved in the long-running hotel saga. This was a factor he described as "decisive" for protecting local taxpayers.

Cayuela stressed that his proposal does not contest the courts or the CCA's ruling, but aims to ensure the town has "all the necessary facts to assess the consequences for residents".

Before the vote to postpone took place, Socialist spokesperson José Luis Amérigo stated his group had initially planned to abstain because the file lacked "essential information" on the financial fallout.

While insisting that the PSOE does not oppose court rulings or the review of illegal licences, Amérigo added: "We simply do not have sufficient information to vote in favour."