In a surprising administrative paradox, the Municipality of Pozzuoli recently issued an amnesty building permit for a house located in via Solfatara, one of the most at-risk areas in the Flegrea area. This decision comes even as bradyseism continues to shake the region, heightening concerns for the safety of residents. The news was reported by Corriere del Mezzogiorno.
Permit issued for a house in via Solfatara
The permit, number 90 of June 5, was issued just two weeks after a 4.4 magnitude quake caused widespread damage and the evacuation of 717 people. Although the procedural process has been respected and the documentation complies with current laws, the authorization raises questions about risk management in an area of high seismic and volcanic danger.
The property in question consists of two apartments, a basement garage, a first floor extension, a veranda and a storage room. According to the municipal technical office, it is one of the building violations that can be remedied pursuant to law 47/85. The local Landscape Commission has expressed a favorable opinion, while the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape has not yet responded to the request for an opinion sent in 2013. However, the legislation provides that in the absence of an opinion within the established deadline, the authorization can still be granted.
The affair highlights a significant regulatory gap: in the red area of the Campi Flegrei there is no regional law that prohibits construction, contrary to what happens in the Vesuvian area. Since 2003, in fact, a regional law has prevented new constructions on 250 square kilometers of Vesuvian territory, a restriction absent in the Campi Flegrei, despite similar risks.
In the municipality of Pozzuoli, there have been ten thousand amnesty applications submitted since 1984, concerning not only small building violations such as verandas and balconies, but also entire homes. This phenomenon persists even during the bradyseism emergency, while the technical teams continue to monitor the buildings to evaluate possible evacuations.
