‘La Ballena’ bites the dust

 

It’s been a monstrosity for some time now. The building, known locally as ‘La
Ballena’ or the whale, has finally been demolished. It has been a long process
to bring down this abandoned and dilapidated block with its town centre
location. The need for caution in the demolition process has been part of the
problem.
It has taken four months of work from a specialist company to make sure that
this five storey building was finally laid to rest. It has been abandoned since
2006 when those living in it had an eviction order placed on them due to the
precarious condition of the building. From then until 2011, efforts have been
made to ensure that the 29 different owners either put forward a renovation
project or had the building demolished.
However, as this was never achieved the local government began the process
on its own and accepted that it would also have to pay the bill along with it.
The building may now be down but the job isn’t quite complete. Anyone
passing by the site will notice the tonnes of rubble that are still there and will
need to be removed. Dividing walls will also need to be secured and a new
fence erected. All this work is already included in the price of the contract.
It has been a difficult operation for the demolition company who had to
complete the work by hand to avoid the structure collapsing. There was also a
hold up when Iberdrola had to come and disconnect the electricity. The fact
that this has also taken place during the holiday season has not helped
matters.
However, for those neighbours who have lived with vandalism, infestations of
mice and a colony of cats over the years, the removal of this eyesore will be
very welcome. The town hall has had to foot the cost of the demolition ata
cost of €230,000. They will attempt to pass on some of this to the owners,
whoinclude some banksas well also second-home owners. However, it is
unlikely that they will have much luck with this and are likely to remain out of
pocket.

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