Alex Trelinski
PLANS to demolish an unfinished La Manga hotel continue to be in limbo as a structural survey says the building has not yet reached a ‘state of imminent ruin’.
It means that San Javier council cannot implement an ‘urgent’ demolition order for the Hotel Lagomar, despite giving it ‘ruin’ status in 2009.
Construction began in 1974 but just the bare bones of the hotel were built.
That resulted in an eyesore on a prime plot of land occupying 22,000 square metres.
The local council have for years regarded the empty shell of the Lagomar as giving a ‘negative impression’ of the area to visitors.
San Javier’s urbanism councillor, Antonio Martinez, said: “The structural report could delay sorting things out as the building is at the end of its useful life and cannot be renovated or used again.”
In 2017, the council put up the hotel for auction at a price of €6 million but an intervention from a third-party stopped it from going ahead.
The authority is hoping to press ahead with getting demolition approval by the end of the year, once it has completed legal processes with the building’s owner Intramanga Turistica.
“If Intramanga don’t do the demolition themselves, then the council would take over but that means issuing tenders and specifications that will take some time,” added Antonio Martinez.
The demolition could cost around €1 million plus there is €500,000 in unpaid IBI taxes owed to San Javier council.
Martinez said: “Every aspect of the whole process from last autumn’s survey through to security fencing will be billed to the Lagomar owner.”
