Following a 14-year legal battle, the Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that the luxury Marina Isla de Valdecañas development, also known as the “rural Marbella,” must be destroyed because it was built illegally in a protected natural area on an island in a reservoir. An environmental group has pushed for the property to be returned to its natural state, even after $136 million had already been invested in building facilities and amenities that have included an 18-hole golf course, four-star hotel, 185 villas and an artificial beach.
An entire golf resort, four-star hotel and nearly 200 houses must be destroyed after being built in a protected natural area, Spain’s highest court has ruled following a 14-year legal battle, CNN reported.
The luxury Marina Isla de Valdecañas development, which has become known as the “rural Marbella” and also features 185 villas and an artificial beach, should be demolished, according to a Spanish Supreme Court decision that was published on February 8th, CCN reported..
The development was built on an island, La Isla de Valdecañas, in a reservoir in the Extremadura region of western Spain, with hundreds more villas and a second hotel slated to be added to the site, CNN reported.
Construction started in 2007 and more than 118 million euros (nearly $136 million) had already been invested in its facilities and amenities, including an 18-hole golf course.
The luxury development is around 100 miles west of Madrid, and it boasts the closest fine-sand beach to the Spanish capital, according to its website, CNN reported. It has been subject to the legal battle brought as soon as it came on stream by an ecological campaign group, Ecologistas en Acción, which said the development had been built in a protected area that should be returned to its natural state, CNN reported.
In July 2020 a court in Extremadura ruled that the resort had been built illegally but that the hotel, villas and golf course, which were already in operation, should remain standing, as they were not causing environmental damage, CNN reported.
That ruling estimated the cost of destroying the whole development would be nearly 34 million euros ($38.8 million) and compensation to property owners would reach 111 million euros ($126.7 million), CNN reported.
It therefore ruled out demolition on economic grounds, as the regional Extremadura government would have had to foot the bill, and said that only facilities still under construction should be destroyed.
However, the Spanish Supreme Court decision now overrules that ruling and orders the demolition of all that has been constructed, CNN reported.
Guillermo Fernández Vara, president of the Extramadura regional government, said following the Supreme Court’s decision that he would try to save the development, likely by lodging an appeal with Spain’s constitutional court, CNN reported.
Ecologistas en Acción celebrated the latest ruling, which it said avoids setting a “dangerous precedent” for other illegally constructed buildings, CNN reported.
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