30.000 dwellings

30.000 dwellings in the municipality which either have been built or are in the process of being built with illegally issued building licences. Basically, these were given in spite of the fact that they violated the 1986 Town Planning Regulation in force at present. The violations range from constructing houses on land not designated for building, for example in green belts or on land set aside for public facilities, to granting licenses in spite of the fact that buildings did not meet regulations or building codes, for example, building more homes or square metres on a plot than regulations allowed. Many of these dwellings have been completed and have been purchased by bona fide owners who have registered their title in the land registry and inhabit them. Now they have found out that they are illegal despite the fact that their solicitors had checked that the Land Registry showed the developer had a clean title and the latter had obtained a presumed legal building licence. Furthermore, in some instances the property even has a license known as the “First Occupation Licence” which is granted by the Town Hall and allows people to occupy their dwelling. Now some of these buildings are in danger of being demolished as result of court orders that declare their building licences null and void.