Brits to the rescue?

The English love for Spain continues

According to reports, the number of British people climbing on the Spanish property ladder has increased since the beginning of 2012.

Marketing manager at Taylor Wimpey de España, Marc Pritchard, said his company has seen a 100% increase in the volume of sales to British buyers in the first quarter of the year, compared to the same period in 2011.

Mr Pritchard noted that there has been rising numbers of British tourists visiting the country where, according to figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of overnight stays increased by 3.5% in January,  year-on-year.

Reports from other sources confirm this. Frontur published figures showing that 19.1% of all tourists visiting Spain at the start of this year were British.

“I really do think that the British love affair with Spain will be stronger than ever in 2012,” Mr Pritchard added.

Grim forecasts

This news comes on the same day that The Economist forecast the Spanish economy will contract by 1.4% this year and register zero growth in 2013. It also suggests that the unemployment rate will climb to 23.3%. Spain already has one of the worst unemployment rates in Europe and has introduced unpopular labour reforms to help to tackle the problem.

These estimates are however a little more optimistic than official forecasts from the Spanish Government, which anticipates a GDP contraction of 1.7% this year and a year-end unemployment rate of 24.3%.

Can the British interest save the country from collapse? I doubt it, but as a certain British supermarket says, every little helps!

Demolition order for British home owners

The Priors dream home was demolished

Over the last twenty years many thousands of people have bought into the Spanish dream by buying their dream home in the sun. For many, however, the dream was more like a nightmare and for some it continues.

A British couple living in Albox, Almeria, bought their three bedroom home with a first occupation licence and also the much coveted building licence, issued by the town hall, yet they now face the prospect of watching their home demolished.

The couple had previously overturned a demolition order because they had not been informed of the legal proceedings but now a judge has reviewed the case and said that the licence should indeed be revoked meaning the property could now be demolished.

“The court has again decided that the building licence is null, which under Spanish law implies demolition”, said the couple’s lawyer Gerardo Vásquez.

“The house has a first occupation licence issued by the town hall, is registered at the land registry and has electricity and water. So, in theory at least, it has the requisite paperwork, unlike hundreds or thousands of others in the area.” he added.

The Junta de Andalucia announced a new decree recently to regularise properties built without a licence but this property faces demolition despite being far more legitimate than many others that will benefit from the decree.

The situation is bizarre and not what was expected under the new decree. Sr. Vásquez said “That people who obtained a building licence and have all the requisite paperwork are likely to be worse off than the very many other people who built without such a licence makes a mockery of the whole planning system.”

Obviously the couple are devastated by the news and they plan to appeal the judgement.

British couple Len and Helen Prior watched as their dream home was demolished in 2008. They became the first to see their home demolished under the socialist governments plan to stop the “concreting of the costas”.

Spain sold itself across the world as a place to “live the dream”, and it still does. It’s a shame they don’t mention all the corruption and illegal activity within the local governments which they now blame on the consumer absolving themselves of all responsibility.

Rescue plan for Brits

Officials within the British Foreign Office are considering how to help thousands of British nationals in Andalucía should the Spanish economy collapse.

Over 1 million Brits live in Spain with the majority being in Andalucía. A large proportion have retired to Spain and are on fixed incomes putting them in a vulnerable position and it is these people that are causing the most concern.

If the crisis in Spain continues to escalate and the banking system collapses there is a fear that Spanish banks may stop clients from withdrawing cash from their own accounts leaving them stranded and without access to money.

Among the Foreign Office’s plans are options to send ships, planes and coaches to help evacuate stricken Brits via Gibraltar and also to hand out emergency cash.

“The nuclear scenario would be having thousands of Brits stranded at the airports in Spain and Portugal with no way to get money from the cash dispenser and no way to get home,” a Foreign Office official said.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor lowered the credit rating of 10 Spanish banks last week and hinted at the risk of further downgrades.

Marbella looking at British, Nordic and Arab markets

Marbella will be attending several tourism fairs this autumn in an attempt to woo the British, Nordic and Arab markets.

Jose Luis Hernandez, Marbella’s councillor for tourism, explained that the plan was to “continue to strengthen the town’s position in countries which are fundamental for Marbella”.

Marbella’s efforts will begin in Stockholm, followed by Malmoe, Gothenburg and Oslo. In both Norway and Sweden the economy has proved to be stronger than in other European countries. The number of people, from these countries, that have purchased a property in Spain has increased by 129% over the same time last year.

“This is a situation we want to take advantage of to reactivate residential tourism” explained Hernandez, adding that the markets have been chosen due to the relevant position Marbella has in each of them.

Marbella will also present at the World Travel Market in London and in five countries in the Persian Gulf area.