Len and Helen Prior,Constitutional Court has ruled the proceedings which led to the demolition to be invalid
There was some good news last week for Len and Helen Prior, the British couple whose home in Vera was demolished as illegal in January last year: the Constitutional Court has ruled the proceedings which led to the demolition to be invalid. The court states that the Priors were not informed of those proceedings and were therefore denied their right to effective judicial protection. The demolition itself has also been declared as invalid.The house was bulldozed on a court order which ruled that it was built illegally on rustic land, despite the fact that planning permission was granted from Vera Town Hall. The Priors have been living in their garage ever since, with no running water or electricity supply . Europa Press reports the couple have claimed 600,000 € from the Town Hall in compensation for the demolition.
'Good news' might be a bit strong. This elderly retired couple continues to live in a garage as their lawyer attempts to switch his guns from the local town hall to the Junta de Andalucia. It'll take a long time before the house is rebuilt with some public money - or compensation paid with a rueful grin.
Meanwhile, Almería's reputation internationally is, as a result (if it were possible), now even worse than before.