Illegal Country Houses Spark Sanctions in Morata

Morata de Tajuña has moved from warnings to sanctions in its long-running fight over illegal country houses and related enclosures in the Vega del Tajuña, a stretch of protected and non-urbanizable land southeast of Madrid. Local and regional authorities have described the area as one of several pressure points in the Madrid region where homes and other structures have appeared on rustic land without the permits required under planning law. The issue has drawn in the town hall, the Community of Madrid’s urban-planning inspectors and, in broader regional operations, the Guardia Civil. The dispute now centers on how Morata enforces rules on land that was planned for agricultural and environmental uses, not scattered residential development. ### Why is Morata acting now? On January 31, 2025, Morata’s town hall said it had approved a new ordinance on fencing in non-urbanizable land, presenting it as a first step to curb the spread of enclosures in the Vega del Tajuña. Mayor Fernando Villalaín said at the time, “Se acabó el mirar para otro lado,” according to the municipal statement. The ordinance was approved with votes from the PP, opposition from the PSOE and an abstention from Morata en Común, the town hall said. (ayuntamientodemorata.es) The municipality said the rules were aimed at an “excessive number” of fences in the vega and were drafted under guidelines from the Community of Madrid’s Directorate General for Urbanism. Morata said the previous local planning rules dated from 1992 and did not contain specific protections of this kind. The ordinance was then opened to a 30-day public-information period before final approval, according to the town hall. (ayuntamientodemorata.es) ### What is happening in the Vega del Tajuña? The Vega del Tajuña is a rural corridor shared by municipalities including Morata, Chinchón and Titulcia, and it has been under scrutiny for years over unauthorized building on protected or non-developable land. A 2023 report on a Guardia Civil investigation said prosecutors had sought information on the proliferation of illegal constructions in the area, including within Morata de Tajuña. That operation led to 37 people being investigated after 32 illegal constructions were detected in four localities in the region, according to Europa Press. (ayuntamientodemorata.es) On December 23, 2024, ABC reported that the Guardia Civil had carried out 90 inspections between June and November in several Madrid municipalities as part of “operación Cimientos 24.” The paper said 81 people were investigated over illegal construction on protected or non-developable land and that 80 reports had been sent to the relevant town halls so they could ratify stop-work measures and begin proceedings to restore planning legality, including demolition where needed. (europapress.es) ABC cited municipalities including Chinchón and showed Morata as one of the affected areas in the wider regional pattern. ### How many cases has Morata opened? The most specific public figure tied to Morata is 41 files. Local outlet La Quincena reported that Morata had opened 41 urban-infringement and sanction proceedings during the current municipal term against owners raising buildings on rustic land in the Vega del Tajuña. The report said the stated goal was to prevent further settlement in the area. Reuters could not independently verify the full case list from municipal records available in open search results, but the number matches the enforcement picture described by the town hall and regional authorities. (abc.es) Morata’s electronic office shows that the municipality maintains urban-planning procedures, including filings for works and other land-use matters. The open portal page does not itself list the sanction files, but it confirms that the town hall has an active administrative channel for urban-planning declarations and proceedings. ### What role does the Community of Madrid play? (laquincena.es) On April 23, 2025, the Community of Madrid said it had completed the demolition of nine illegally built homes in the Vega del Tajuña in coordination with Chinchón since 2021. The regional government said 43 files had been processed there and said the aim was to prevent deterioration of a natural area marked by gypsum escarpments, fertile floodplains and riverside groves. (ayuntamientodemorata.sedelectronica.es) The regional government also said the houses that were torn down faced flood risk and that inspections had been reinforced with drones and laser measuring devices. It said the end goal was to return occupied land to the uses for which it had been planned, including agricultural or livestock activity. (comunidad.madrid) ### What happens next in Morata? The next formal step identified by Morata was the ordinance’s 30-day public-information period after the January 2025 council vote. The town hall said the Community of Irrigators would become a required participant in approvals for fences affecting parcels within its area, alongside municipal technical services. (comunidad.madrid) Future action in Morata is likely to run through those municipal urban-planning channels and any sanction or restoration files opened by the town hall, while the Community of Madrid continues regional inspections under its urban-discipline plan. Morata’s official website and electronic office remain the public points for ordinances, filings and notices tied to those next steps. (ayuntamientodemorata.es) (ayuntamientodemorata.es)