Palma.On Friday night, the Balearic Minister for the Environment, Gabriel Compnay, held a meeting with owners of properties which had been damaged by the fire in Andraitx Town Hall and gave assurances that a road map will be drawn up by October as to how the repairs will be carried out and how compensation, where applicable, will be paid.
However, the Bulletin has learnt that despite all the promises of help, aid and solidarity from the local authorities Andraitx Council has ordered some of those whose properties were damaged and were without water and electricity for weeks to stop all repair work or face heavy fines.
Apparently, last week a small army of council inspectors visited the area just off the old Estellencs road where a number of houses and large plots of land were torched and damaged and ordered repair work to stop.
They even took photographs of all the damaged buildings and the work that had been carried out to date. It was very upsetting, considering what we've all gone through over the past month. The inspectors were not very understanding and we don't understand the situation. I have been partly paid out by my insurance company and have contracted a local company to repair the damage caused to the old laundry attached to the main house. It was totally gutted but was the main source of water and electricity to the main building. I have a project manager who was also shocked by the council inspectors' attitude and as far as we are concerned everything is above board. The laundry was there when I bought the property 33 years ago but now we are being told that unless we can provide documents which confirm that the properties, buildings or out houses which are being repaired are legal, work can no longer continue, one victim told the Bulletin ahead of the meeting.
And now the meeting has taken place he is none the wiser. There was talk of having to get special planning permission, I was given the go ahead from the Town Hall and considering the urgency of the repairs, getting water and electricity running again, I would have expected some compassion.