Glenn Wickman
THE owners of an historic luxury seafront hotel in Valencia are locked in an endless legal battle with the city council.
Sidi Saler was a five-star establishment that frequently welcomed top business, political, sporting and showbiz personalities to its plush installations.
However, its privileged location, right on Saler beach within the protected Devesa Nature Park, ultimately proved to be its downfall, as in 2009 the hotel and its grounds were declared to be on public land unauthorised for town planning purposes by the national Coastal authority.
The hotel was forced to close its doors for good, since when it has been left abandoned and falling into decay with the owners unable to do anything about it.
An ongoing court battle ensued, with the latest chapter closed this week when the municipal Activity department rejected granting the managers a licence to restore the building and change the name on the environmental and activity permit that is reportedly still valid.
Although the national Ministry for Ecological Transition renewed the hotel’s licence in 2018, Valencia City Council continue to refuse permission to carry out any major work on the installations, as they are located outside the boundaries reserved for town planning purposes.
In addition, the municipal authorities warned the current owners that their request to change the environmental and activity licences into their name depends on the result of a current administrative procedure calling for the expiry of the environmental permit, as the grounds have stood empty and unused for more than two years.
The saga continues.
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