Tuesday, June 07, 2005
The LRAU Lament
This is no discussion of technicalities, legal concepts, deadlines and so on. It is simply a great WAIL from all of us who are experiencing some form of psychological stress syndrome brought about by the permanent threat of LRAU projects (PAI) hanging over our heads. We cannot just "up sticks" and walk away. In most cases, it is simply impossible to sell one's property, even if one could face the horror of trying to sell the "dream" which has cost money, years of work and personal involvement. The dream becomes a nightmare, but more than this, it becomes a prison.
The nightmare starts when town halls and developers (agentes urbanizadores) announce, more or less clearly, their intentions, and the PAI sacrificial lambs are expected to sit tight for years waiting for the axe to fall. There is no way out, therefore no way to escape the tension. It has become clear that the Spanish justice machine and the political class at all levels will do little or nothing for us. Despite the much-appreciated efforts of the many well-intentioned, the on-the-spot reality of the victims remains unchanged. Defenceless, we face total or partial expropriation, if we retain the house, months or years living in a building site, then a huge bill for the so-called benefits. The conviction that we can do nothing leads to frustration, impotent anger, and inward-turned aggressiveness. We are legally robbed, our intelligence is insulted, and we are rocked to the core of our being.
In our neighbourhood, the social network is dysfunctional, and there certainly has not been access to adequate information. Despite being unconstitutional and almost certainly illegal, at no time has there been any fundamental opposition to this project. Our personal efforts to provide information and stimulate debate did not succeed. Luckily Sr. Climent, of AUN, convinced most of the neighbours of the dangers. However, there is still a lot of nonsense being talked and far too much "wait and see". The Spanish administration does not communicate.
As for family and friends, ours have given us little support. It is true that the situation is difficult to believe. Verbal arguments need backup from press and other media coverage to convince. Long months of being treated as stupid, half-mad, as a trouble-causer, or even being accused of not having respected legal requirements, are also difficult to bear.
It is worth remembering that the LRAU text only mentions the existing owner a handful of times. The owner is just another THING along with land surfaces, calculation coefficients, etc. The fact that his or her home is on that land surface is not taken into consideration. And it is true one can end up feeling nullified. However, as European citizens, we have rights which must be respected. Normally property ownership gives a feeling of security, which we have lost. Our properties are now a liability. But we have also lost the right to determine our own future. At the moment, our lives are "on hold". We cannot sell and/or walk away. We are caught in a trap set by a faceless, unfeeling developer (agente urbanizador) who is manipulating a small town mayor who, in his turn, is in danger of making the biggest mistake of his life. The psychological struggle to digest, rationalise and, in some way, overcome this distress is extremely hard, day in, day out …..We personally have endured two years of this torture.
Janice and Graham Fisher, El Aljibe, Tibi, Alicante
This is no discussion of technicalities, legal concepts, deadlines and so on. It is simply a great WAIL from all of us who are experiencing some form of psychological stress syndrome brought about by the permanent threat of LRAU projects (PAI) hanging over our heads. We cannot just "up sticks" and walk away. In most cases, it is simply impossible to sell one's property, even if one could face the horror of trying to sell the "dream" which has cost money, years of work and personal involvement. The dream becomes a nightmare, but more than this, it becomes a prison.
The nightmare starts when town halls and developers (agentes urbanizadores) announce, more or less clearly, their intentions, and the PAI sacrificial lambs are expected to sit tight for years waiting for the axe to fall. There is no way out, therefore no way to escape the tension. It has become clear that the Spanish justice machine and the political class at all levels will do little or nothing for us. Despite the much-appreciated efforts of the many well-intentioned, the on-the-spot reality of the victims remains unchanged. Defenceless, we face total or partial expropriation, if we retain the house, months or years living in a building site, then a huge bill for the so-called benefits. The conviction that we can do nothing leads to frustration, impotent anger, and inward-turned aggressiveness. We are legally robbed, our intelligence is insulted, and we are rocked to the core of our being.
In our neighbourhood, the social network is dysfunctional, and there certainly has not been access to adequate information. Despite being unconstitutional and almost certainly illegal, at no time has there been any fundamental opposition to this project. Our personal efforts to provide information and stimulate debate did not succeed. Luckily Sr. Climent, of AUN, convinced most of the neighbours of the dangers. However, there is still a lot of nonsense being talked and far too much "wait and see". The Spanish administration does not communicate.
As for family and friends, ours have given us little support. It is true that the situation is difficult to believe. Verbal arguments need backup from press and other media coverage to convince. Long months of being treated as stupid, half-mad, as a trouble-causer, or even being accused of not having respected legal requirements, are also difficult to bear.
It is worth remembering that the LRAU text only mentions the existing owner a handful of times. The owner is just another THING along with land surfaces, calculation coefficients, etc. The fact that his or her home is on that land surface is not taken into consideration. And it is true one can end up feeling nullified. However, as European citizens, we have rights which must be respected. Normally property ownership gives a feeling of security, which we have lost. Our properties are now a liability. But we have also lost the right to determine our own future. At the moment, our lives are "on hold". We cannot sell and/or walk away. We are caught in a trap set by a faceless, unfeeling developer (agente urbanizador) who is manipulating a small town mayor who, in his turn, is in danger of making the biggest mistake of his life. The psychological struggle to digest, rationalise and, in some way, overcome this distress is extremely hard, day in, day out …..We personally have endured two years of this torture.
Janice and Graham Fisher, El Aljibe, Tibi, Alicante
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