Yorkshire Princess

Are there any current residents of Chiclana de la Frontera on the forum who could explain to me the current situation re: lack of connection to utilities of many properties in the town and how this fits in with the lack of an approved PGOU? My partner and I were thinking of visiting the town next year with a view to possibly buying property in the area, but have been put off after reading some posts about the number of 'illiegal' properties there, properties near to flood plains etc.

After searching online I noticed most of the properties for sale do not have a telephone line nor mains water/sewerage. Can anyone tell me why these services are not being connected? Is it because of the problem with the PGOU? Or is it because the price of getting connected is too inhibitive and the process complicated? As many properties seem to rely on wells for their water, does the local council provide water if your well dries up? What is the situation re: electricity?

Also, can someone explain why the towns PGOU keeps being rejected? (I have read that one was submitted in 1987 and that was rejected).

I know these kind of problems happen all over Spain but any info. would be gratefully received.

With thanks.

Dxf

Hola

Where to start? I bought in Chiclana in September 2002, well before the boom. I knew my property was illegal but believed nthem when i was told that it would be urbanised when the new 2002 PGOU was passed.

The last legal town plan was 1987 and that is still "in vigor" with substantive rules from the Junta. The 2002 PGOU became the 2004 PGOU which became law in 2007. That PGOU was subsequently annulled as the Ayuntamiento had not allowed sufficient time for objections to be considered.

Currently the new PGOU town plan is with the Junta for approval.

There are 84,000 people living in Chiclana and 16,500 illegal houses so roughly half. Most illegal properties have electricty, well water and an illegal septic tank which is contaminating the water table.

The floods of the winter 2009/2010 changed the thinking somewhat and more areas were recognised as flood plains, some of which contain illegal houses.

The above is a precis of the situation and how it came about - there is far more information in the chifra.org website (Chiclana Foreign Residents Association) - but feel free to ask what you want to know

Davexf

Yorkshire Princess

Davexf, thanks very much for replying to my post. It's disappointing to learn that problems have been exacerbated by the actions of local/national government and that estate agents/lawyers have been complicit in selling people illegally built properties. And I thought buying a house in Britain was a nightmare!

Researching this has given me a lot to think about in terms of the possible pitfalls of the buying process in Spain.

I hope you and all the other residents who are in legal limbo get some kind of resolution soon.

Thanks again.

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

dairymaid

The situation in Chiclana is being resolved. The new town plan comes into effect this month and, according to the town hall, will then be passed by the Junta de Andalucia. They tell us that urbanisation will start in the Autumn. Buying a property in Chiclana is not a no-no but should be approached with care. The most important thing is to know that any property you´re contemplating buying is on ´suelo urbanisable´(which means that it will be fully urbanised in due course). Also watch out for telephone and internet. The best is to have access to Movistar (formerly Telefonica) landline and 10 mb. 10 mb is the highest speed you can get around here. A lot of people are stuck with 3mb which is pretty rubbish. Other things to consider are the water well...is it deep enough with a good supply and is the electri supply adequate and legal?

As everywhere in the world there are expats who claim to know everything ..yawn!

Yorkshire Princess

Dairymaid,

Thanks for your tip re: telephone/internet supplier.

Other than asking the owner of the property or estate agent selling it for them, how would I know how long it would be before the well on a property dries up? Or is it not possible to tell? I've heard of people using water from a well on a neighbours property but this sounds a bit too tenuous an arrangement for me! (Unless of course there was some kind of contract drawn up to make it legally binding).

The area around Chiclana looks beautiful. We wouldn't rule it out as a possible choice to move to I think.

Regards.

Dxf

Hola

Yes the area around Chiclana is beautiful and Chiclana itself is not bad. You just need your eyes open and know that there are problems with legality which may take time and money to resolve.

Unless you have friends in the area, there is no sure way of knowing whether a well runs dry regularly or not. Some wells are shared between two properties; some “wells” are properly called bore holes which are much deeper than an artesian well.

If a well has problems, then you need a deposito container which you get filled for around 80€ for 10,000 litres of water.

Davexf

Yorkshire Princess

Thanks for the information re: cost of water.

I've just googled artesian well and bore hole. One does not need a pump to bring the water to the surface as it is under pressure and the other does.
Were you a civil engineer in a previous existence I wonder.

Cordialmente,
YP.