Angel Garcia’s greater transparency bid faces tough test during heated debate

Costa Almería News | Noticia

Arboleas expats last week gave Mayor Angel Garcia a rough ride during a public debate aimed at informing residents on a planning law that could result in the legalisation of hundreds of homes in the area.

The meeting held at the Pedro Gilabert museum and chaired by the AUAN anti-planning abuse pressure group attracted more than 200 mostly British residents, keen to hear Sr Garcia explain the latest stage of the plan, which could result in the legalisation of 271 homes in some 14 rural districts.

The plan, which was signed off by the council in 2009, would need the final approval of the regional government before becoming law, Sr Garcia said, while stressing that the legalisation process would be “long and hard”.

The mayor then faced a barrage of questions from frustrated expat homeowners, who voiced their anger at the lengthy delays in the legalisation process and the apparent inability of the council to stop rogue developers.

Some began to heckle Sr Garcia when he used the meeting to criticise an old planning initiative by his predecessor, Cristobal Granados. To cries of ‘You’re going off tilt!’ and ‘We’re not interested in what isn’t being done – we want to know what is!’ a visibly flustered Sr Garcia pressed his point before quickly returning to the issue of planning.

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