Camposol Lethargy 

Camposol has existed for more than 2 decades and has endured many problems during that time, mainly because of the actions of the developer and the local authority that over many years has allowed illegal buildings to be constructed, failed to ensure proper planning and construction regulations were complied with, and after taking responsibility for the completion of the urbanisation, after dismissing the developers from the site, has failed to ensure that the urbanisation has been completed. 

Different political parties have been in power during that time and many of the same politicians return, administration after administration. The local authority does not have an easy job, because of the failings of their predecessors, and they may not have the money to put right, all the things that are wrong with Camposol. The one constant during the 20 or so years, is the homeowners, whether they be of longstanding or more recent arrivals and whether they be residents or visiting home owners. 

Various attempts have been made by individuals and organisations to bring the authorities to account.  The developer, was able to abdicate their responsibilities, once they were ejected from the site by the Town Hall, and then by declaring bankruptcy. The Town hall has been let off the hook because they see that the residents are not acting with one voice and are seen as a fragmented group of foreigners who cannot even agree with each other.  So why should they bother when they see a group of uninterested people who can’t even punch their way out of a paper bag?

Well, to an extent they are right, with individuals aligning themselves with different politicians, while the residents see little or no improvements. Yes we now have a children’s playground and a five a side football pitch, but the roads are still incomplete and more dangerous by the day. The bridge between Sectors B and C is in danger of collapse. If this happens at least 50% of the residents will be trapped, with no reasonable alternative. In the original plan, an exit route was envisaged. 20 years on, nothing is in place.  

Houses were allowed to be built on the Rambla, on land which is owned by the State, and upon which building is prohibited. Dwellings were allowed to be built on Upper C Sector, with no requirement for them to be built on solid land, with all the subsequent problems that can be seen by anyone passing by. This is without mentioning the issue of street lighting or the water issues on Sector ‘B’.

We are now in a situation, where the infrastructure of Camposol has not improved for more than ten years. We also have the continuing situation of residents who are anti-CRA once again aligning themselves with the current administration at the Town Hall and are attempting to thwart any efforts by the CRA, to improve the situation. We believe they have set up a web site, under the guise of being a “fact finding” entity, whereas all that is happening is that when the CRA makes any attempt to enforce the obligations of the authorities, they are met with complete obstruction and misinformed opinion on their website.  One may ask what these individuals have achieved. The phrase “wolf in sheep’s clothing” comes to mind.

So where are we now? The current committee of the CRA have recruited a team of specialists in law and planning to try and bring some closure to the ‘too long’ standing issues of Camposol. We have received clear advice that there is legal recourse to achieve this. In addition we have written to various organisations from the national government down to the local administration. We have a clear plan of action and have recently met with the UK Ambassador and his team to explain the situation and our plans.

The question that we are continually asked is ‘how many of the residents do you represent? The simple answer is that the membership of the CRA is increasing daily. There are over 4000 properties on Camposol and at best we currently represent 35% of the cohort. How do we explain this? We don’t, because we know that apart from a trust issue there is a huge amount of lethargy among the residents of Camposol, who are happy to complain on Facebook about the lack of facilities, but are unwilling to actually do something about it.  Well, to those people, we say, you have a group of people who are willing to act on your behalf and although we would welcome others willing to assist in a more practical way, all we really need you to do is sign up to membership of CRA. This is a simple process and costs you absolutely nothing. Here is the link you can use to sign up on our website: www.camposolresidents.es and you can read the content in many different languages. The CRA is not a Brits only site we welcome all nationalities on Camposol. We are a community.

What will happen if the same level of lethargy continues to exist among a very large proportion of Camposol householders? The CRA will continue to be seen as a minority group, who can’t even get the people of Camposol to work together. Even though we are willing to do whatever we can to help those very householders, there is a limit to what we can achieve without you. 

So, what can you do? Well, the easy answer is doing nothing! If you decide on this course of action, then please refrain from complaining on the Facebook forums, because if there is one certainty, it is that Facebook will not solve the problems of Camposol. 

If you want to make a difference, then become a member of the CRA, the only organisation that is willing and able to assist you in making a difference. No other group or individual has a plan to try and improve Camposol. Give us a chance to make the difference that is needed.

We hope we have got our message across but just in case not ‘IF YOU DO NOTHING YOU WILL GET NOTHING IN RETURN’ – Look at the last 20 years.

CRA COMMITTEE