Sanciones superiores a 300.000 euros por talas y demolición en la ‘Casa Roja’ de Móstoles

The City Council of Móstoles has confirmed the imposition of two sanctions for the irregularities committed in the demolition of some old buildings in the downtown area, the well-known ‘Casa Roja’ of Móstoles, and has also referred the case to the Prosecutor’s Office to investigate if there are more responsibilities.

Specifically, the City Council has imposed two sanctioning procedures against the current owners of the demolished buildings: one with an amount of 300,000 euros for tree felling and another of 30,000 euros for excavating a cave without the necessary permit.

These sanctioning procedures began in October 2024 after the association Friends of the History of Móstoles (AHIMOS) warned of a possible destruction of the city’s historical heritage during the demolition of some old buildings in the downtown area, the well-known ‘Casa Roja’ of Móstoles.

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE

This alleged assault on heritage would have occurred during the demolition of a series of low houses located between numbers 3 and 9 of Ricardo Medem Street and number 10 of América Street, as denounced by AHIMOS in a statement.

The association claimed that one of those buildings, the aforementioned ‘Casa Roja’, had «a magnificent cellar equipped with more than a dozen jars, a barn, machinery and farm tools, and its condition was by no means dilapidated,» as well as being «an excellent example of the traditional architecture of rural Móstoles.»

The action was initially authorized by the City Council based on a responsible declaration presented by the promoter, although, as discovered by the Council after the complaint, there was no authorization to excavate the cave, which appears to have been sealed off, leading to the immediate opening of a sanctioning procedure.

Municipal sources then insisted that the promoters of the work could not excavate «from ground level downwards,» as these works require a different license, which was «in process» but not granted, so «they could not have done what they did.»

«INSUFFICIENT SANCTIONS»

The Councilor for Urbanism, Housing, Heritage, and City Maintenance, Sergio Soler (PP), also explained that «they had relied on a responsible declaration to do what they should not have done,» since «they could not have used an excavator as they intended, because they did not have a permit.»

Furthermore, they reiterated that the City Council had always acted «quickly,» that the work was «halted in less than 24 hours,» and that «they have an open disciplinary sanctioning procedure» for this and «another open procedure because they did not protect the plant elements on the plot.»

However, these imposed sanctions are completely «insufficient» for some opposition parties, such as the PSOE, who have taken the matter to the Thursday Plenary, insisting that, according to the Heritage Law of the Community of Madrid (article 204.2.c), it could have been sanctioned as a very serious offense with up to 3 million euros.

HERITAGE OF INTEREST

In this regard, the PSOE revealed months ago that there is a report from the General Directorate of Heritage of the Community of Madrid stating that «the property had several levels of protection and could not be demolished without the corresponding prior authorization, which was never requested.»

This report revealed that, in addition to being a classified property and a documented site, the ‘Casa Roja’ of Móstoles was part of the heritage of interest (BIP) due to its ethnographic value.

Based on this report, the PSOE insists that this demolition of the ‘Casa Roja’ «did not comply with legal regulations, occurred without considering the historical, cultural, and ethnographic values that granted it legal protection within the heritage of the Community of Madrid.»

The PSOE of Móstoles believes that «the situation should not go unpunished,» as «the responsible declaration presented by the promoter contained false information about the protection of the property, further aggravating the situation.»

Therefore, they have once again demanded the maximum sanction allowed by the regulations, which amounts to 3 million euros, in addition to calling for measures to prevent similar situations in the future.

Nevertheless, the Council reiterates that the Council «has already done what is required, according to legal regulations and ordinances,» so they have referred to the Prosecutor’s Office what is necessary for them to investigate if there are further responsibilities in the demolition of the so-called ‘Casa Roja’.