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A SPANISH landowner began bulldozing houses on protected farmland in order to build a golf project on the Costa del Sol.
Sociedad Azucarera Larios demolished a home in Vega de Maro near Nerja to build a new luxury tourism complex.
However, Olive Press sources suggest that ‘as many as five’ may have already been targeted, knocked or partly demolished.
Today, at Nerja’s town hall, a meeting between local protest groups and property owners is expected to clarify issues regarding animals and property.
READ MORE EXCLUSIVE: British expats among hundreds facing eviction to make way for ‘corporate greed’ mass-tourism complex on the Costa del Sol
The tenant is a British expat who has asked to remain anonymous. Olive PressIt is wrong to treat land this way. It is a beautiful, pristine 12km stretch of breathtaking coastline – and soon it will be swarming with bulldozers.”
After Larios destroyed the home of Loli Rodrigo last month, other expats have spoken up, including several British.
The week before, we had reported that a giant landowner wanted to evict 80 families to make room for a project of 680 luxury villas along a golf course.
According to our sources, the home (pictured above) was knocked down with ‘her belongings and cats still inside.’
In a moving video posted online, Rodriguez said the sight of her destroyed home brought ‘tears to my eyes.’
She said, “I felt physically sick. It was a shocking experience.” There is no way to recover from this. It’s gone.”
Larios, which announced its intention to not renew 400 tenancy agreements within the Vega in December, has now demolished these buildings.
The British mother of one, who has lived in the country for 12 years, claims that Rodriguez was not properly warned she could lose her home.
She said, “I believe Larios did it to show that they mean business.” Olive Press.
“Loli just got reassured, by a representative, that she had still time to move out. The next day, the house was flattened with all her belongings still inside and the cats.
Contacted The Olive Press, Larios declined to comment.
Three large hotels will be built on fertile farmland next to the ocean.
The 150-hectare site near Nerja has become a flashpoint in the battle between environmental protection and what campaigners call ‘corporate greed,’ with fears over water use, food security and the loss of long-standing rural livelihoods.
READ MORE TWENTY N’T OUT: The Olive Press revealed two golf megaprojects in two different decades that threatened to ruin the lives and livelihoods of hundreds
According to the plan, around 50 organic farmers would be forced out of their homes and dozens more expats would have to leave.
The land must be reclassified before the project can proceed. The land is protected as agricultural land, and has Cultural Heritage Site (BIC), the same designation that the Maro-Cerro Gordo Cliffs nearby.
Residents have created a protest group. Acción por Maro y su AgriculturaTo challenge the project and fight against the evictions.
The group claims it has asked the local council to provide a copy the demolition permit but so far, no response.
The group said on social media: “Maro, a unique enclave in the Costa del Sol region thanks to the harmony it has with its natural surroundings and the rural character that it has preserved,”
Maro will lose its specialness if there is a residential area built around a golf-course. The eviction is the first step to a future which we do not desire.
The animal rights party PACMA has announced a meeting with three councillors at the Nerja Town Hall, including Javier Rodriguez, Alberto Tome, and Javier Rodriguez.
It was expected that the officials in charge of urban planning, safety and the environment at the town hall would clarify the situation going forward.
They describe the so-called ‘Plan Larios’ as being bad for the region and likely to affect many animals, including wild cat colonies.
Greenpeace told Olive Press in a statement last month that “another golf course” is not something the region needs.
“If we must choose between local food production and tourism for the lucky few, then we will go with agriculture,” added she.
The Olive Press has more property news. Click here to view them.
