The demolition work, expected to be completed by the end of the week, began after the peak days of Holy Week. These premises, situated within the residential complex, have been the subject of removal requests by homeowners for years.
The issue dates back to the late 1980s, when the Peñíscola Playa urbanization was built, and a commercial area was added. The community of apartment owners filed a lawsuit in 1994 due to irregular construction and excessive volume of the commercial and hospitality establishments.
The council had to wait to act until the resolution of the appeal filed by the owners of the commercial premises was known.
After exhausting various legal avenues, the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community ordered the demolition in 2014. Businesses ceased operations in 2016 due to the imminent demolition notice. Given the owners' inaction, the plenary session of the Peñíscola City Council approved a credit modification in July 2016 to subsidiarily cover the demolition costs.
Two years later, the TSJCV dismissed the owners' claim for compensation and ruled that the administration should proceed with the demolition, without prejudice to taking action against the promoters of the illegal construction. However, the demolition was again suspended when the owners filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, which was upheld in January 2021.
