It has been known that plans to build a Four Seasons luxury hotel in Marbella are being delayed due to the presence of 60 squatters.
Dozens of men, women and children, most of them from Morocco, have taken over a deserted campsite just 30 metres from the exclusive beach.
Speaking to El Mundo, Ángel Fernández, from Malaga and spokesman for the group, promised to take the case to court, generating a war that could last years for the promoters.
READ MORE: Fears of squatters in Spain see the symptoms of ‘for sale’ and ‘for rent’ dispelled in the face of empty houses
The so-called “squatters” claim to have remodeled the place, which has been deserted since the end of the 90s.
Fernandez said that when they arrived, there were “rats bigger than dogs. “
Squatter Mohamed Said, 51, from Tangier, said a small organization arrived six months ago with “nothing yet, weeds, damaged pipes and collapsed stairs. ”
This organization now has 60 people, several single mothers and at least one newborn.
“We didn’t do the cause of what we needed to do to listen to the player. That’s why we didn’t show up,” #okupas #marbella #camping
Said told El Mundo: “What you see here looks like a jungle, we already have 20 barrels with rubble and garbage.
“Tree branches were sticking out of the windows. We cleaned this place, we rebuilt the houses as productively as we could, it’s not fair that they throw us out like this, we have a component of our life here.
The squatters live in 18 houses that they have built on the site and have direct access to the sea just 30 meters away.
Some of them have sun loungers on their terrace and on weekends they make use of their barbecue.
Mohammed added: “Some will say it’s luxury. But this is not the case. Luxury is the environment, not this place. We are rich and poor, I say, but to anyone who misunderstands me, I would show their truth. “for ours. Let’s see what they think then!
Unfortunately for the squatters, the land they occupy is destined for the future Four Seasons Hotel, which will be the most expensive hotel in Andalusia.
The land is owned by the Malaga businessman Ricardo Arranz, who also owns the successful Villa Padierna hotel, also in Marbella.
It has joined forces with the American Fort Partners and the Belgian real estate company Inmobel.
They expect the Four Seasons to feature 130 rooms, 180 personal apartments, and 50 premium villas, as well as an exclusive beach area.
This huge mission is expected to cost €650 million and create 4,000 jobs, 750 permanent jobs.
But the projects are now underway due to the problem of the squatters, as the developers have taken the legal direction to evict the squatters.
The procedure may take only years. The squatters were summoned to court on June 24, but no one showed up.
Fernández said that the police only told them “verbally” to go to the courthouse and added that he would not send them without first seeing a signed document.
He insisted that all citizens were law-abiding and that none of them were criminals.
However, last week, two Moroccan men living on the ground were arrested for allegedly stabbing a taxi driver as he tried to borrow his cell phone. The driver needed 30 points.
Most locals who work there still say that renting an apartment on-site is unaffordable; some have been observed to ride in Audi cars.
Some are Uber drivers, while many are cooks, cleaners, hotel employees, or bricklayers.
Laurence holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in International Relations and a Gold Diploma in Multimedia Journalism from News Associates in London. He has almost a decade of experience and in the past worked as a senior reporter for the Mail Online in London.
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