Spain's huge town planning schemes

STRASBOURG (Thomson Financial) - Deputies in the European Parliament have condemned the huge town planning schemes that are affecting some areas of Spain, particularly Madrid and the tourist belt coastlines, as well as the pressures put on local owners to part with their real estate. The residential planning schemes have "no relation to the genuine needs of towns and villages," go against "environmental sustainability" and have a "disastrous effect on the cultural and historic identity" of the sites, according to the European Parliament.