The bureaucracy surrounding planning permits in Spain is, to say the least, a thorny issue. Several planning authorities need to be taken into consideration. Basically each town or village (however small) in La Alpujarra has its own planning committee and a Town Hall architect who makes recommendations to it. Apart from this the Department of Environment (Medio Ambiente) will generally need to be consulted - particularly if your property is near a stream or a river. If inside the Sierra Nevada National Park, the Park Authority will need to approve any building proposal or even alteration to your land.
If near a road you will probably need a permit from the Highways Department to put in an access track or even a septic tank. Last but by no means least the Department of Culture will have something to say if your building lies within the increasingly widespread areas of outstanding architectural interest. All this complexity can be time-consuming, bewildering and expensive. We have years of experience in dealing as swiftly and efficiently as possible with all these various authorities and will be happy to help you.
It may be that a property which you already own or would like to buy has not been fully legalised or is not registered properly at the Land Registry or Catastro (valuation office). It is quite common here for houses to still be registered as agricultural buildings and many properties are much bigger than the size stated on their Escritura (ownership deeds). Land sizes, boundaries with neighbours, rights of access, sewage disposal requirements and irrigation rights may need to be clarified. Again our team of experts – which can readily liaise with the relevant state authorities, lawyers and Notarios - can deal with any eventuality.