Neither hanging clothes on visible clotheslines, nor storing mattresses or bed bases, and much less installing the butane gas cylinder on the balcony of the home. The City Council of Lorca (Region of Murcia, 98,000 inhabitants), governed by a coalition of the PP and Vox, has launched a crusade against everything that spoils the facade of a building by imposing fines of up to 1,500 euros on offenders. The council has agreed to tighten the municipal regulations to prohibit “all kinds of acts or behaviors that negatively affect the aesthetic characteristics of buildings and the urban environment, causing their degradation,” according to a statement published on its website.
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At the municipal plenary session last Monday, April 27, PP and VOX, with the abstention of IU-Verdes and PSOE, approved the modification of the Municipal Ordinance on the Protection of Citizen Coexistence and Prevention of Antisocial Actions, in force since 2010, to protect “the image of buildings, facades, and spaces visible from public roads.” The inhabitants of Lorca will now have about a month to put their facades in order and remove everything that may spoil the views of their streets.
The new regulation provides penalties ranging from 151 to 750 euros for minor infractions and from 751 up to 1,500 for the most serious ones. Among the minor infractions are hanging “all kinds” of clothes on balcony railings and the lower lintels of windows; accumulating mattresses, bed bases, butane cylinders “as well as any other element unrelated to the proper use of this space of the home” on balconies; and even failing to remove signage, awnings, plaques, and banners of businesses once they have permanently closed.
Among the serious infractions, which will carry the maximum penalty, are the installation of clotheslines on the main facade of buildings, “unless they are located in spaces arranged for this purpose or protected by screens or latticework that aesthetically integrate into the environment,” and having air conditioning units or smoke outlets in poor condition in the most visible exterior areas.
According to the mayor of Lorca, Fulgencio Gil (PP), the revision of the ordinance responds to neighborhood demands due to the deterioration of the image of different neighborhoods and areas of the urban center. “Lorca is immersed in a process of constant urban improvement and our streets, squares, and buildings must offer the best possible image for those who live here and for those who visit us,” said the mayor, according to the official statement, which emphasized the contribution of these new measures to promote “economic activity, commerce, and the good image” of the municipality as a tourist destination.
The Coexistence Ordinance, according to the city council, was already pioneering in 2010 for its measures to combat uncivil behavior, damage to urban furniture, and actions contrary to the proper use of public space. What is happening now is that it is adapted “to new needs that citizens demand today,” in line with the process of “modernization and transformation” that the locality is experiencing.