Collapsing buildings? Ronda council orders thorough inspections in historic centre following storm damage
The recent Atlantic storms that battered Andalucía have led this town hall to start classifying these old properties by their condition and to reinforce measures to guarantee safety and preservation of heritage
The recent stormy weather across all Andalucía not only brought heavy rain and floodwater to Ronda, it also shone the spotlight back on a long-standing problem: the state of conservation of some of the buildings in the historic centre of this famous Malaga town.
These are old buildings, many of them very deteriorated, whose condition was worsened by all the latest heavy rain.
The most recent red flag went up on 11 February with the partial collapse of an abandoned building in Calle Cuesta de Santo Domingo. It happened at night and forced the precautionary evacuation of six people from nearby homes. Although no one was injured, one resident required treatment for respiratory problems. The building was unoccupied, but the structural risk necessitated swift action.
This incident, directly linked to the series of storms that battered this town and the whole region, has pushed up the timeline on a measure that the local council had already been working on: an inspection of buildings in poor condition within the historic centre. Now, Ronda council has decided to intensify this monitoring process with a special plan that seeks to detect and act on problematic properties before they become dangerous.
The measure focuses on systematic inspections by municipal technical services, especially in the oldest parts of the town. The objective is clear: to identify which buildings have structural or conservation deficiencies and establish priorities for addressing them based on their severity.
Buildings are thus being categorised according to three levels of risk: very serious cases (posing immediate danger), serious cases (requiring urgent intervention) and minor cases, where issues are detected that need correcting, but only to avoid further deterioration. This categorisation makes it possible to prioritise resources and act more swiftly in the most at-risk areas.
Once all is known, the town council has various tools at its disposal. These range from enforcement orders compelling owners to carry out repairs, to coercive fines if the requirements imposed are not met. In the most extreme cases, Ronda council can intervene directly by carrying out the work itself, then recouping repair costs from the owner.
Work has started
Some of these actions are already underway, especially in buildings where water leaks or roof deterioration have worsened with the recent rains. Situations that, without intervention, could lead to incidents such as the one that occurred in the aforementioned street of Cuesta de Santo Domingo.
The town planning councillor, Jesús Vázquez, pointed out that these weather events have highlighted the need to strengthen the council's monitoring of certain buildings. He also reminded the public that owners are obliged by law to maintain their properties in suitable condition, especially in a protected area like the historic centre of Ronda.
Vázquez insisted that the objective is not to issue fines, but to prevent risks and avoid the loss of heritage. In this regard, he appealed for cooperation from the owners, stressing that the deterioration of these buildings affects not only the owners, but the whole town.
The plan will continue in the coming months with further inspections, in a strategy that seeks to anticipate problems before they become emergencies. If the storms have made one thing clear, it is that, in an historic centre like Ronda's, the condition of its buildings is also a matter of urban safety.
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