Both are staff of the Department of Territorial and Climate Action of the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz, with responsibility. ARGIA wanted to take his word because Antépa and the PP have made responsible for the problem of Luxury with the works of the homes of Pintore and Korre kalea. The head of PP communication in Vitoria has explained to ARGIA that, accepting what Antépara said to the party, the three files opened by the department to Luxury are “misnotified”: “No digital media was used or sent to the correct postal address”.

PP and Antéa return to falsehood

According to the PP, the City Council sent notifications to Luxury, but Luxury did not receive them, hence the dossiers and other sanctions. The argument has no logic, because Luxury has to take the first step for the execution of the works – to ask for permits – and not the city council. In any event, the Communication Officer explains that Luxury has submitted allegations on the basis of this. Two employees of the Department totally reject what the PP said and confirm the information published by ARGIA: The PP has also provided journalists with other false information to exculpt Antéa.

The origin of the dossiers is not in the unanswered notifications, but in the inspections carried out by the Municipal Guard to the houses without prior notice, in which Luxury was performing integral renovation works without prior authorization. In the dwellings of Pintor Street, for example, the neighbors called the Municipal Guard, suspecting that on 21 November “alleged illegal works” were being carried out. The Department of Territorial and Climate Action opened the dossiers to Luxury on November 25 based on the report of the Municipal Police.

On the other hand, both workers assure ARGIA that the communications between Luxury and the department have been multiple and different, not only through writings but also by telephone – also directly with Antépa, according to the responsible worker. “We have issued licenses, we have opened files, we have processed minor works, we have made requirements, we have been answered …”, summarizes the responsible (Documents of some of these communications in the lower images).

Angry at the City Hall of Vitoria

Both employees claim that the department is “angry” with the way Luxury acts. “It’s been hard for us to figure out what they’re doing and how they act, but we’ve done it,” one of the workers says. Lack of personnel makes it difficult to detect and cut these types of behavior, according to the worker. The official has explained to ARGIA that the anger has different origins. Luxury is accused of “picaresca” asking for permission for minor works when the works affect an entire building. Or try to “confuse” the apartment, asking for permits for the use of housing when, according to all appearances, they are going to be destined for rent for tourists. “If he had presented us with a hotel or accommodation project, we would look if possible, there are people who are trying.”

What is more: Luxury lies with the City Hall in writing. On 7 February he presented a project report for the portal of Pintore Street, which can be read in the section “use of the building”, which refers to all the houses of the portal: “The typical use of the building is housing, with a ground floor space. It doesn’t change.” It therefore denies tourist use, although tourists have been renting since at least 2021. Document below:

Tourist housing

The department and Luxury have had a “dispute” with the portal owned by the company in the street Pintor (4 houses on four floors), according to the responsible: “Because Luxury presented a project for the whole building, conceptually intended for tourist housing, and was told, ‘No, no, you have to make housing for me, then you will fight whether or not you are a tourist home.” However, on the third floor of Pintor Street, the department has just granted him the license for works he had paralyzed, to “have housing”, stresses that, although they have another suspicion in the department: “When I talk to each other, we say: ‘Either they’re promoters and then they’ll rent them, or there’s something else. But it smells bad.’ The person responsible also has another suspicion: “There seems to be a kind of lobby, with the Arabatur association...”

So why give permissions? The person responsible has been clear: “He’s angry because we’re licensing, knowing there may be other things behind him. But we, in that sense, have to be cold. If you ask me for permission to renovate a home, even if I suspect, I can't do anything else. Another thing is that they are publicly announcing tourist homes [as demonstrated by this report published by ARGIA]. What I do not know is how it has not been captured by the Department of Tourism [the Department of Tourism grants tourist housing licenses].”