Well, this should not please our local politicians, who all clamour for more urban expansion.

A report that was drawn up for the hotel sector warns that the present trend for an urban housing explosion along the coast goes entirely against the reasons of foreign tourists for choosing this area. Today’s tourists are looking for unspoilt nature locations and few built up areas. The report also points out that hotels are businesses that generate employment, but who are losing clients to the proliferation of residential expansion.

This revealing report was compiled by Exceltur, which is an association of big business names within, or connected with, the hotel sector, such as Sol Melía, NH Barceló, Hoteles Husa, Hesperia, Transmediterránea, Iberia and Viajes el Corte Inglés, amongst others.

Is this influential report the death knell of Almuñécar’s controversial PGOU?

Benalmádena Mk II?
Times are a changing, as our Bob said, but are the Brick Barons aware of it? Perhaps they’re not really bothered anyway; quick sell and bye bye. After all, if you want to spend your holiday in a concrete forest - where only those that live in the top branches enjoy the view, and where the sun filters down through carbon monoxide to the ground, upon the cars that scurry round instead of fallen leaves - then you have Benidorm. But that is not what people are looking for. The Exceltur report points out that today’s visitor wants space, beauty and local customs; not noise, the boys and home-from-home.

One Almuñécar agency said that 2005 was the first time that they had rental accommodation standing empty in August! It’s not the end, but it is indicative of a need to change course.

Yet Almuñécar is bent upon building 30,000 dwellings, effectively doubling the present total of homes. Motril is planning on another 12,000 houses and Salobrena has put 4.3 million sq/mts of land on the market for hotels, luxury homes and golf courses.

But it’s not only the coast; Rubite, which is a little village with 500 inhabitants and water supply problems, plans on building 2,000 houses and a golf course… Have we all gone stark raving mad? Have our politicians learned nothing from the 70’s madness along to the west?

It hardly needs mentioning that a new house is not a self-contained unit; it is a leaf on a tree that depends on the vast supply network of the tree to survive.

Exceltur gave Benalmádena as an example of something to avoid, where a plague of housing has made a mockery of working urban development.

The Spanish say, ‘Pan para hoy y hambre para mañana,’ which basically means that it is a quick solution for the present, but a disaster in the long run. And that is what is happening. Selling land to building developers brings in instant glittering cash, but the town council soon runs into debt trying to provide and maintain basic services for the growing brick stain. So what do they do to stave of the disaster? Sell more land… it’s a losing game.

The almighty building trade builds, sells and then moves on – like herd of ruminants, yet a town cannot move on; it has to stay on and continue to produce year after year. What ever a town lives off, it has to be sustainable and replenishable, otherwise it ends up like any gold rush town. And we all know what happens to them.

And here we go, with a mere 28,000 characters to scribble in quiet desperation! Fortunately, my mate, Benny, has been pretty busy this month, providing slappings and getting slapped, which, together with rife urban strife and other ‘ponderables,’ will make short work of it! So strap on your seat belt, grease your ogling marbles and insert your earplugs for when they selfishly come hammering on the bathroom door… Let the show begin!

The local PP has come up with a legitimate complaint about the mysterious Avenida de Don Juan Carlos I underground car park: where is it? There was this burst of activity just before the congested Christmas holidays, when some bored sadist in the Town Hall decided to give the go ahead for the fencing off of this main thoroughfare. Action, speed progress… not a sausage! Since then, now that the Christmas hordes have disappeared, nothing is happening within the fenced-off area of the street. And as the PP pointed out, you get the sneaking impression that the whole thing has been in benefit of the bloody hotel and that nothing will begin on the underground car park until the hotel is finished! What a bloody cheek and how sodding typical! And have you seen the hotel? It sticks out like a Viagra overdose! Umpteen floors of cretinoid concrete... Oh look, there’s a blade of grass and 30grms of soil - slap a hotel on it! Anyway, as I was saying, the fenced-off inconvenience appears to be entirely for the benefit of the hotel construction company with the porous wallet. Now how’s that for a spot of impartial journalism!

Ecologistas en Acción have awarded our mayor, Sr. Benavides and the mayor of Granada, the ‘Atilla the Hun Award 2005’ for their selfless commitment to scorched earth urban planning. As far as I know, both have neglected to collect the awards.

Been for a swim in the municipal swimming pool lately? Did you remember to take out a bank loan before hand? Yes the prices have rocketed and were last seen hurtling past Pluto. The admission charge went up 256% Impressed? That’s nothing; the town’s football grounds went up 500%! Apparently, as the municipal sports facilities are deep in debt, why pussyfoot around with an increase in tune with the rise in the cost of living, which is around 3.5%, I believe? In the case of the swimming pool, the price for the use of the pool, without a monitor – providing that you are empadronado in Almuñécar – is five euros per hour, which remains very reasonable. However, if you are not empadronado, you’re looking at 60 euros for a 10 hour ticket and 105 euros for a 20 hour one. To most Northern Europeans, this might not sound a lot, but for the locals, it’s a bit steep. The chief opposition party had a good bark about it, saying, “The PA (governing party) has chosen to treat the installations as if they were a private business, in which the Town Hall should earn benefits and not have losses, thus losing the sports installations’ social function.” The Councillor for Sports, on the other hand, pointed out that the majority of users are local sports clubs, and justified the price hike as necessary to avoid putting a drain on the town’s coffers.

Road rage is all the rage, as a couple that was returning from a funeral in Almuñécar found out. They had become caught up in a traffic jam in the centre of Granada and had changed lanes into a vacant gap. A driver got out of his car and approached them. When 37-year-old Sergio wound down his window to speak, he received several thumps in the face. The wife, who was keen to express her opinion over the exchange, got out of the car, only to receive a blow herself. The traffic began to move, so victims and aggressors hopped back into their cars and moved on… not before Sergio, despite his impaired vision, noted down the number plate to report the driver.

Now, I received several messages on the answer phone – for which I apologise for not answering – from a lady in Gondolas who was peeved about the recycling bins, near where El Hiper was, which don’t appear to ‘recycle,’ but merely stand there in a bloated miff, ignored by those that are charged to empty them. It is a mortal blow, when you have gone to all the trouble of separating your rubbish into different categories, and then are faced with leaving the bags on the pavement because the bins are full. I’ll have a word with the ‘relevant councillor’ (Isn’t that an oxymoron?). Granada province, on the other hand, holds the first place in Andalucía for recycling domestic waste. Perhaps the sneaky buggers have been dumping it all down here!

You get the impression that the Almuñécar local police couldn’t give a damn about the street hawkers who peddle pirated music and films, yet the Councillor for Citizen Safety, Daniel Barbero, made a big show of destroying 10,000 confiscated CDs/DVDs with a small steamroller. Sr. Barbero says that the majority were quickly jettisoned by the street hawkers when the police patrols turned up… 10,000 – that’s a lot of ‘showing up’ and ‘jettisoning.’ Strange that nobody actually saw any of it? Never mind, there is an infinite number of horizontal music & film shops manned by our sprint-footed friends from somewhere sunny, with the 360-degree smiles!

Up in the thinning air of Lentegí, the inhabitants - affectionately known as ‘los Mingotes’ because of the predominance of the surname Mingorance – are set to rake in 4,000 euros in hunting benefits. In fact, apiculture (bee-keeping) and cinegetics (Spanish word for the art of hunting from Latin cynegeticus) have become a quite a regular money-spinner in its mountainous domains. A local hunting club has the concession from the town hall for the next four years, bringing in 4,000 euros to the village’s grateful coffers. The hunting ground has the licence number GR-50011 and comprises of 1.954 hectares and provides small game and wild boar. The hunting of wild mountain rams is also permitted there; a prize that is in great demand with local hunters. However, the chairman of the Sociedad de Cazadores de Lentegí (the local hunting club), Miguel Guirado Ruiz, says that it is occasionally necessary to open up the cota (hunting ground) to outsiders, to make financial ends meet. Personally, many of ‘the boys’ are arrogant bastards, in my humble opinion, with nothing better to do than to compare ‘impact wounds’ on the embattled fauna of our mountains. God knows that supermarkets are constantly throwing out surplus meat that has not been bought, so why the hell do they need to go out and extinguish struggling wildlife? If they went round shooting each other, sticking the loser’s head on their sitting room walls, I could understand it. If they like firing guns then they should sign up in the Army. What! And run the risk of being shot back at? I’m sorry, but it is so rewarding to catch sight of a mountain goat or boar that it is infuriating to watch these 4x4 John Waynes out on their Sunday picnics. A magnificent Ram cut across our farm once, hotly persuade by a bloody great hunting dog – I felt like shooting the damned dog! When you get up in the morning, you find boar tracks amongst the olives. Next door’s Pitbull terrier decided to have a go at a boar a couple of nights ago and lost an ear and a good chunck of face… silly bugger. They eat the almonds and any vegetables that you may plant, but it is worth it having them as neighbours.

One man, who has a farm up around Taramay, has just been nabbed and sentenced for ‘illegal water extraction.’ He was sentenced to eight month’s fine, at seven euros a day (2,400 euros). I bet that made you sit up, didn’t it? How many people have bought pieces of secano land and had a well sunk? The company that does it assures you that they will handle the paperwork and that it is all above board – but is it? Anyway, this is not about illegal wells, but about a man who tapped into the municipal water supply. He was rumbled back in 1999. Aguas y Servicios caught on because there was always a suspicious drop in mains pressure at nights, and one farm along the line had trees that were in much more verdant state than his neighbours. Lo, there was our friend, filling up his irrigation tank free of charge.

The locals that have been affected by the closing off of Avda. Juan Carlos II (the one running between the bus station and the beach) will have cuts made in their rates contribution, as they are unable to ‘enjoy’ the use of their terraces and garages.

The PA has reported a PSOE councillor in Almuñécar for having built an illegal chalet up in the hills. There’s a surprise, isn’t it? The said house is actually in Ítrabo, where the PSOE has a majority government (council). The owners of the chalet, who allegedly received the ‘wink’ from their brethren in Ítrabo, are the socialist councillor Encarnación Martínez Pérez and Sergio García Alabarce, who is the Chairman of the UTEDLT Río Verde. According to the Councillor for ‘Urbanismo,’ Emilio González Pavesio, since the ‘denuncia’ was made, a suspicious alteration has appeared in the records department (catastro). The PA is calling for the demolition of the house. Sr Garcia Alabarce said in his defence, “I’m not going to prove my innocence; let them prove my culpability!” His 77sq/mt house, he says, not only does not exceed the area permitted, but that it, in reality, falls well short. Well, while our politicians split on each other over their bolt holes in the hills, they continue to push forward building abominations all around the municipality, such as in Cotobro and El Currumbico, Taramay. Hypocrisy abounds!

Now on a positive note, the town has had its first out-of-sight rubbish bins installed. Good move! La Plaza del Acueducto is Almuñécar’s first street to have underground rubbish collection bins installed. The Mayor pointed out that his system is a perfect solution for streets and squares where there is no room for such containers above ground. This rubbish collection unit, comprising of four hopper-sized bins cost 24,000 euros, the cost of which was shared with the private rubbish disposal company, Mirlo. Before the summer, the Mayor assured, similar installations will be made in the Chinasol and Barrio, Los Marinos.

We took our olive crop into the mill in Otívar at the end of January, and were surprised to see so many foreigners there. Of course, it is logical, as so many have bought up olive groves. One of the brothers (Eduardo), who runs the family mill, confessed that there is no way of understanding the logic of foreigners. You see, to mill you need ‘una carga’ (a press load). Now, if your crop isn’t enough to fill the press, that’s your problem, logically. To process a load costs you 70 euros. Yet some of the foreigners were coming up with ‘their treasure’ which yielded as little as three arroba (3 x 11 litres). The millers try to talk them out of it, explaining that 70 euros for 33 litres, its almost cheaper and certainly a lot less hassle to go out and buy it at the supermarket. The mill also offers to buy the olives themselves, instead of pressing such small quantities, but no, they want to go ahead and press. This year, there was a very poor yield, all round, because of the drought, which has pushed the price up to above four euros a litre on the shelves. It’s worth remembering, however, that the oil resides in the skin; not the flesh, which means when it rains a lot, what you get is a lot more water for the same quantity of oil. Anyway, that’s it for two years, as olives have a sort of barren year: Un año cargan; otro no – algo pero poco.

The Centro Comercial Abierto, which is an association of all the shops and businesses in the town centre: calles Real, Alta del Mar and Baja del Mar, etc., has given its annual award to Paco Robles, for almost fifty years in the shop-keeping trade. I know Paco – most people do – because he is part of the in-law family. José Luis Hernández, from the pastry shop Mari Trini also received just recognition. Finally, the Caja Rural received a prize for their support of local businesses. Paco, by the way, was very popular with the foreign female tourists, back in the 60s and 70s, when he used to have a ferret shop (ferretería = hardware shop) in Calle Real. The shop was later taken over by his son, Paquillo, who now runs a furniture and decoration shop on the same premises, next to the estanco (tobacco shop). Note: free plug for the tribe!

The Councillor for Urban Planning Emilio González Pavesio and the farmers’ union, COAG-Granada, have been slogging it out over whether the controversial PGOU protects Almuñécar’s farming land or not. According to the union, not a bit; and according to the councillor, yes… well, sort of. The councillor made a distinction between tropical fruit farming and plastic, or intensive, farming, saying that there is no way that the Town Hall will promote, much less protect, this kind of farming (plastic). He argued that the fact that the Town Hall has put 1.2m euros into tarmacking country lanes is evidence enough that they are supporting the town’s agricultural assets. He finished off by pointing out that COAG-Granada does not have one member in Almuñécar or La Herradura. The Ecologistas en Acción threw their weight into the fray, pointing out that it is logical that the majority of people who registered the rejection of the PGOU should live outside Almuñécar – of the 24,915 dwellings in the township, 17,659 are second, or holiday, homes. They insisted that those that own property in town have every right to comment, even if they do not reside there. In fact, they said, these people have more right than the Mayor himself, as he does not appear to have any property registered in his name in the township…

You will have noticed the new bust that has sprung up in the Plaza de Los Carrascos, which is the one just down from Mondrian Galería de Arte, on Calle Alta del Mar. The bronze chap in need of a haircut (look who’s talking!) is none less that our cantaor (flamenco singer) Rafael Muñoz, better known as El Niño del Cerval. He was nominated by the Peña Flamenca de Almuñécar (local flamenco club) for his artistic career and his character. El Niño del Cerval dedicated this distinction to his father and daughter, who live in New Zealand, but also, above all, to his mother, “Una gran señora, a quien lo debo todo.” He adopted this artistic name because he was born in this tiny hamlet, just above La Herradura. He won his first accolade (second place) in a flamenco competition in Granada in 1979, and since then has accumulated an impressive total of 42 such awards.

The Tobacco War roars! The tobacco shops around town – as is the case in every city, town and village through the country - are the battle grounds between the huge multinational tobacco companies, like Philips & Morris and the Spanish Government, armed with their new smoking laws. Mickey Mouse brands have been cropping up for less than 1.50 euros, so the Government has hiked taxes on cigarettes to get prices well over the two-euro mark. However, Marlboro – previously one of the most expensive brands of cigarettes – has slashed their prices by 20%, making them cheaper than the more common brands like Fortuna. Now we’re waiting for Madrid to retaliate with more tax increases. The Government is laughing, of course, because they are raking it in. In the meantime, very few businesses around town have dared to declare themselves ‘non-smoking establishments.’ Another element of discontent comes from the kiosk owners, who have been forbidden from selling tobacco under the new law. According to the chairman of this sector, newsagents have lost between 20% and 30% of their sales since the law came into force. They announced that every kiosk owner would shut his stall in protest on the 30th of January – we’ll be at the printers by then, obviously, but we shall see. Another curious side effect of this controversial law is that the streets are littered with fag ends (cigarette butts). Workers in offices, shops and restaurants have to stand outside, if they want to smoke… where there are no ashtrays, obviously.

Fourteen VPOs (Viviendas de Protección Official or cheap, government sponsored housing) will be going up above Citasol, Taramay. The first stone was laid by the Mayor, with the help of the Councillor for Urban Planning and the owner of the construction company, Manuel Rodríguez Acosta. These houses, which will have about 80sq/mts floor space each, should be ready in 18 months. Guess who the building company is? Comarex, no less, which is the same company that built and owned the old Sol Meliá hotel, before selling it to Hoteles Playa. Comarex is also rumoured to be behind the proposed hotel in Cotobro, on the corner, as well. Do you like coincidences? Guess what will be upon us in around 18 months time when this special housing for young couples is ready? Yep, you guessed it – the municipal elections. Are we getting the picture here, folks? Comarex is very interested in the controversial PGOU going through, you see, and the best way to help the PGOU along, is to make sure that the Mayor wins the next elections. You scratch my back…

Talking of VPOs, the TSJA (Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucía) has ordered the ceasing of all work on the 63 VPOs in Laderas de Castelar, San Sebastian (in front of the Astronomical Observatory). The leader of the chief opposition party, the PP, said that this constant confrontation between the Town Council (PA) and the Junta de Andalucía (PSOE) is only harming the good folk of Almuñécar, and that no politician or administration will ever suffer from it. He suggests that they stop squabbling and get down to serious talk to resolve their differences. The Junta took the Town Hall to court over the Modificación Puntual 105 (of the 21st February 2005) to the existing PGOU (1987), changing the plot of land from ‘industrial use’ to housing land, so that they could build the said 63 VPOs on it.

The Guardia Civil in Jete are investigating the poisoning of 14 animals in the village: eight dogs and six cats, which were found dead on the morning of the 31st December, last year. The corpses were sent off to be examined in the Toxicology Laboratories in Sevilla, where it was found that the poison was so strong that the animals died instantly, have chewed on the bones of a baby goat. The worrying thing is that all the bodies were found in the main square and in the village centre streets.

Joaquín Barbero’s customary gigantic paella went off well in the Majuelo park on the weekend of the 21st/22nd, where all funds gathered go to the Asociación de Amigos de Baracoa, in benefit of the school in Havana, Cuba. I might just add on a personal note, ¡Viva Castro y a tomar por saco al cretino de Bush!

“A referendum, a referendum, my kingdom for a referendum,” is probably what our Mayor is thinking. The possibility of a referendum being held in Almuñécar over the acceptance of the PGOU has been denied to the Mayor by the Junta de Andalucía, which says that the Almuñécar town hall is exceeding its competence by trying to hold a referendum. Benny, who is not taking it lying down, has threatened to take it to Strasbourg, if necessary. But Benny can’t lose here: he doesn’t need to carry out a referendum; he merely needs to be seen to be wanting to carry one out. He’s on a win-win situation, really. Look at the possibilities. Scenario One: There is a referendum, the result is in favour of the PGOU; Benny gets his backing against the evil powers that be. Scenario Two: There is a referendum, the results of which is a rejection of the PGOU; Benny can gracefully bow out, relieving him of his obligations to the hungry building developers and can hold his head high as the champion of democracy. Scenario Three: The referendum is not allowed to take place; Benny can always claim that if a referendum had taken place the people would have overwhelmingly supported him – who’s to prove the contrary? Cunning devil, is our Benny!

If you were expecting to see scenes of building frenzy on the collapsed bridge on the A-7, where it crosses over Torrecuevas, then you will be disappointed – the clearing up work, i.e. the removal of the twisted wreckage, is a mammoth task, which will take weeks at the very least. In fact, the workers that you will see working on the site are the only ones left, after the long period of inactivity forced the UTE to dismiss droves of workers from the project. The judge lifted the ban on working the site on the 9th of January, but stipulated that no work on the bridge itself could go ahead until the wreckage was removed. Finally, the affair of the ‘mysteriously dumped paperwork’ has been officially closed, as the documents were due to be officially destroyed on the 8th November, which is what happened, but with the disaster occurring on the 7th, this action produced a lot of speculation.

And finally..... no comment as to what happened below.

A new business opens in La Herradura. Looking for a new dining table or computer, but don’t want to travel far? Need to kit out a new bar or office with a tight budget? Well, now La Herradura has its very own cut-price furniture retail outlet! This new venture has just opened up, selling bankrupt stock from the UK at knock-down prices. Based in Antonio’s warehouse just off the N340, you need to take the Mezquita garden centre turn-off. At the moment there is plenty of catering equipment and office furniture as well as domestic items like breakfast bars and dining suites. New stock is arriving all the time. And you can order any item not currently in stock. Call Michael on 637254807, if you want to take a look.

Local Fruit Co-operative was represented at the worldwide fruit fair in Berlin this month. For the past five years, Tim Fear has been President of the Hercofrut co-operative (based on the south side of the N340 in Taramay). Heavily committed to supporting the local producers and growers in the area, it’s the first time he will be attending this International Trade Fair for fruit producers around the world. The objective is to ensure that the co-operative remains informed of developments in this industry globally, as well as raising the profile and awareness of our rural sector around the world. There may still be a chance for the dear chirimoya after all. Anyone looking to find out more about this event, or indeed the good work that Hercofrut does for the local industry should contact Pilar Fajardo at the Co-operative on 958 634840. To learn more about the fair, the website is www.fruitlogistica.com

Felicia Hall opens new exhibition on 17th February, with the distinctive works of Antonia Gracia. A vibrant collection of oil paintings, sculpture and relief await you. And the dramatic focus? Nothing less than bullfighters and Spanish ladies. Should be fascinating, after the sneak preview we had with the small works display over the Christmas period!

El Ancla back in action on February 5th after a short break. It will open with a big bang as Chelsea face Liverpool in the football (kick-off at 5pm). Sunday roasts are more popular than ever, so make sure to book before you turn up, so as to avoid disappointment!

Your closest English library is just on your doorstep in the Centro Cultural Jate of La Herradura (just underneath the municipal market and within space generously donated as part of the Spanish public library, itself). As I promised in the last issue, this should give you an idea of how it works. Open every Wednesday 11am-1pm, there are approximately 4,000 fiction and 1,500 non-fiction titles available for you to borrow, as a member. To join the library, all you need to do is pop down on a Wednesday and speak to one of the seven volunteers who do such a good job, and pay your five-euro annual fee. This entitles you to four books per fortnight and ensures that the library can continue stocking up on classics and newer fiction titles. Books are both donated and purchased, but at the moment they have quite a healthy stock. Any recent acquisitions are displayed for members to spot as soon as they enter the English book section. The library has actually been running for 15 years, the brainchild of Valerie Bacon and a Dutch neighbour, Aletta Vlist-Bremer. During this time, it has grown to 200 members and now even has its own quarterly newsletter, Bookworm. More than just a place where you can source English books, this library is a real nerve centre, particularly if someone needs information or support. If anyone is on their own and is looking to ‘make contact’ in the community, or if anybody is seeking to raise awareness of some particular cause, this is a terrific starting point. And as far as the future is concerned, the team is actually hoping to stay in the existing premises and not make the move across to the Civic Centre with the Spanish public library, since most people know where they are. For anyone who would like to find out more, make suggestions (reading sessions for children wanting to hear English stories?) or indeed volunteer their time and energy, please contact Ann Maxfield on 958 64 00 69.

The Punta de la Mona walk from Cotobro is officially shut for at least two years as Keops ensures public safety is paramount. A number of readers have written to us, lamenting the blockage of a fairly popular walking path between the Marina del Este (where they’re building the new hotel, just at the entrance at the top) and Playa del Muerto; the nudist beach end of Cotobro. Last year activity commenced on this hillside, with clearing and the construction of a log-cabin showroom and the placement of Bahia Fenicia flags. More recently, the area, which was once a favourite practice track for driving enthusiasts, (set up with tyres on a large flat area and so ideal for racing around in anything from a bicycle to a 4x4’s!) was also cleared. It now looks more like a parking area for construction vehicles. With all these changes, it was more than probable that there would be an impact on paths at the edge of the mountain.

Speaking to Christian Andersen, who is the Sales and Development Manager at Keops, based in the Marina itself, it turns out that they are planning to build some 160 luxury apartments here, varying in size from 95 square metres to 130 square metres each. But their activity is limited to only half of the mountain. The reality is that a total of 420 dwellings are planned, shared between Keops, two other main owners of the mountain (Granada developers and Marbella developers), plus some smaller holdings. The good news is that the owners have joined together to form the Junta de Compensación, with Svend Jensen (also from Keops) as the Chairman of this organisation. They are in charge of ensuring that the 10.4 million euros set aside for infrastructure on the mountain (roads, lights and a new sewage pipeline set to feed directly into the plant in Almuñécar) is efficiently managed.

All the information presented indicates that this is a carefully co-ordinated, grand-scale project - hence, the decision taken to block off the walking path, between the Peñon de los lobos (the simple unoccupied building on the cliff which once housed the Guardia Civil and directly overlooks the Marina del Este) and the new hotel, which is being built at the top entrance of the Marina del Este. It’s disappointing to think that this walk that used to boast the most spectacular views over the Mediterranean, is no longer accessible. However, the truth is that public safety just couldn’t be jeopardised. The good news is that Keops is trying to convince the Town Hall that, as part of this project, it would be a good idea to include a proper tarmac footpath access which would lead directly down from this development to the Marina itself. Good news for supporting businesses within the Marina as well!

(There is no law here like the British one that states that if the public use a footpath on private land over ‘X’ period, it will become officially a public footpath. Therefore, as the land has always been private, the public use of the footpath is the prerogative of the landowners to permit or not – Ed.)

Rumours are circulating about the future of the beachfront chiringuitos (originally little more than huts or kiosks selling drinks and snacks, but now in most cases, permanent buildings and proper restaurants, normally right on the beach). By way of a brief history Costas, which is the Ministry of Environment, has the legal responsibility and control of the shoreline (e.g., beaches) and adjacent marine bed. The main objective of Costas in this context is for the protection of the beautiful natural coastline. However, there obviously needs to be a balance between the preservation of nature and the commercial requirements of those who strive to make a living from the local tourist industry. The Town Hall therefore acts as ‘middle man’ between Costas and the chiringuito operators. The Town Hall is granted a ‘concession’ (or a lease) of the sites for a fixed period of time and then licences are granted by the Town Hall to the operators for the same period. For a ‘slice’ of the operators’ licence payments, the Town Hall deals with administrative matters relating to the operation of the chiringuitos and also has a ‘policing’ role to ensure that Costas’ requirements are observed. The current concession, which was granted in the early 1990’s, expires next year. So negotiations are currently taking place for the grant of a new concession, immediately after the current concession expires. Although the local rumours suggest a division between the objectives of the Town Hall and the chiringuito operators, the reality seems to be that the Town Hall fully recognises the importance of the chiringuitos to the tourism trade. The Town Hall is therefore actively striving to support the chiringuito operators in the negotiation for a new concession for acceptable terms (duration and price, and subject to no more onerous restrictions than apply at the moment). So, the current position is that the Town Hall and the chiringuito operators are mutually supportive in trying to ensure that something as close as possible to the current status quo is maintained without interruption. Although there is no certainty, the general expectation seems to be that their joint efforts should be successful. However, given that there are no guarantees at this stage, there is naturally a certain amount of anxiety on the part of the chiringuito operators. We can’t deny that the chiringuitos provide a unique dining experience. For the moment at least, it certainly appears as though it’s business as usual and hopefully, that will continue to be the case. So, go on, you know where they are!!

New plaza and can it be ... a new playground? Parents will be delighted to discover that their demands to improve the village’s dangerously dilapidated children’s park have not just disappeared into the ‘black hole’ department of the Town Hall…Progress at last! Well, progress in a destructive sense, at least. The diggers moved in at the end of January to clear the small plaza area to the West of the existing children’s park. The Town Hall has confirmed that the plan is to create a new play park in that area, and once that’s done, to renovate the existing one. So even though it means a temporary pain in the neck for people doing the school run (why don’t more of us walk?), the end result will be a considerably larger kiddies’ park with brand new equipment and safety features. Fingers crossed that all the work is completed before the Semana Santa temporary population explosion!

Two well-known and violent locals from the village, one of whom was out on a weekend pass from the Land of Striped Sunshine, were nabbed by the Guardia Civil. The two had been out ‘for a drink’ in Molvízar and had decided to liven things up. Firstly, they ‘allegedly’ beat up a Moroccan that just happened to be available. Afterwards, so that there would be no ill-feelings, they threatened to beat him to death with a heavy security chain - of the type used to immobilise motorbikes, commonly known as ‘pythons’ – should he be so stupid as to mention their exchange of views over immigration laws. By now, inspired by their own ingenuity, they ‘allegedly’ smashed up three cars that had been maliciously parked by their owners within sight of the two offended individuals. The locals decided at this point that the Guardia might be interested in these quaint, rural goings-on and, with no expenses spared, made an extensive phone call to the Green Meanies. The police managed to track down 37-year-old A.M.M. but were unable to strike up a meaningful relationship with 30-year-old E.G.P, because he had already skipped merrily back to prison, having exhausted the delights of a 48-hour pass, where he was greeted with tears of gratitude and much back-slapping for not having arrived late. This is known as re-education and social reinsertion… talking of insertion: perhaps they both need a good ‘pull-through’ with a dried out Christmas tree? Those that have been in the military, please explain what a ‘pull-through’ in rifle cleaning involves, please.

The PSA political group has called for an over-haul of the village’s rain-drains… this was just two weeks before a certain Mr Noah was spotted doing water skiing down the main streets of lower Salobreña, towed by a boatload of screaming wild life.

‘Quitar’ is a very useful Spanish verb that means ‘to remove’. It is used in a variety of compound constructions: quitamanchas (stain remover) and quitamiedo (stone crash barriers) for example. Now we have a new one in vogue in Salobreña, which is quitamultas (fine remover). This is the result of a corporal in the local police having been caught for allegedly removing parking fines etc., from friends back in 2001. Said chappie, Corporal Amador C.T., was turned in by his own colleagues, believe it or not, and is now facing a 30-month jail sentence. Alberto Sánchez, Chief of the Local Police, has asked for people not to judge the police force by the same measure – in other words, this errant corporal is not an accurate reflection of the professionalism of the Salobreña detachment. In fact, when members of the police force reported these acts to the Town Hall, no action was taken, they claim. Accordingly, digging into their own pockets, they decided to take out a legal case against the accused.

It was announced at the beginning of last month that the PGOU would be ready for the end of January, including two golf courses, a marina and ten hotels. The development of the TH2 will bring in more than 10 million euros for public work around town, its authors claim. The marina is projected to occupy what is now the sugar factory land and will have 400 mooring points. The TH2, by the way, is the land along the border with Motril (the beach between the unfinished bridge and the border) and will be exclusively dedicated to the use of hotels. The TH1, which belongs to the old PGOU, is dedicated to ‘tourism use’ but has never got off the ground, due to a lack of investors. As for the golf courses, 1.5m sq/mts have been set aside near Los Palomares, whilst the other will have 2.8m sq/mts in the area known as Matagalleres, which is next to the plantations (vega). The Town Hall says that 11m euros of the 20m that it will receive for the sale of this land will be used to finish off the beach bridge, provide another connection with the N-340 main road, parking near the old municipal market, and perhaps some form of mechanical conveyance for reaching the old town. The startling thing is, Ladies and Gentlemen, that there will be seven golf courses in a very small area, together with the existing golf course in Motril. What the bloody hell is Almuñécar, Salobreña, Molvízar and Motril going to do with eight golf courses between them? Does that much water fall from the sky for such a thirsty ambition? For water to be recycled (the proposed source of golf-course irrigation), it has to exist in the first place, no?

Tatiana was born on the 26th November 2004. Her mother is a drug addict and the girl was born with withdrawal symptoms. The authorities took the baby into care and there she remained. Once a week, the child is visited by her grandmother and aunties, together with her three brothers, who have been brought up by the grandmother. All this time the family has been assured that they are the best choice for foster parents, and accordingly, the grandmother has gone through all the necessary paperwork, encouraged by the social authorities. Yet in December the grandmother received a letter from the Social Affairs Department, saying that she was ‘not ideal’ for the task. She immediately phoned to find out what had happened and was informed that the child had already been designated to another family, and that she and the other members of the family could no longer visit her grandchild. The reason given by the authorities for the rejection of the grandmother was the ‘lack of culture’ in the family. The grandmother has announced that she is not going to take it lying down… Good for her!

The old schools in Puntalón (Motril) are going to be converted into ludotecas (playrooms). Motril has five such centres within its boundaries already. The Lontapún is the name of the new youth centre, which is a letter soup of Puntalón, by the way. Its opening times are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 16.30h to 19.30h and is for children between the ages of five and fourteen. More info: 958 833 013.

Torrenueva will be getting some long-awaited relief to its road problem. El Ministerio de Fomento (Public Works Ministry) has awarded Construcciones Pérez Jiménez SA the contract to improve the main road that runs through the village (N-340). At the moment it is a forest of traffic lights that ensures kilometric tailbacks all summer long, but that is going to change, fortunately. There will be a five-armed roundabout at the eastern end of the village. There will be a similar arrangement at the western end. These two junctions will hopefully eliminate the present complicated manoeuvres that drivers have to execute if they want to change lanes or simply turn left when they emerge from the beach road.

Gangs of thieves in the area. On Saturday 7th January, my wife and I went shopping at the Mercadona supermarket in Salobreña and were the victims of a robbery! We parked our car on the top floor of the supermarket car park, as the first floor was full and proceeded to do our shopping. When we had finished, we went into the lift with our two trolleys and were joined by a man in his late twenties to early thirties, who had no shopping and did not speak. When we left the lift and went to our car to load the shopping into it, the young man stopped before he got to our vehicle and appeared to be talking on a mobile phone. There were a few cars where we had parked and a car was parked next to ours on the driver’s side. We loaded the shopping into the car, but both my wife and I were uneasy about the man with the phone, who had now gone to the car parked next to ours and appeared to be still talking on the phone, but had the passenger’s door open on the car parked next to us. My wife decided to put her handbag into our car for safety, on the floor on the passenger’s side, farthest away from the man ‘on the mobile phone’ and wrapped the strap around the gear lever. We continued to load the shopping into the car and during this time the car, parked next to us, drove away at a normal speed with both men in it and I noticed it was a light coloured Peugeot 407 with a ‘new style’ of Spanish number plate, but I didn’t notice its actual number. I was taking the empty trolleys back, when my wife asked if I had picked up her handbag, but I hadn’t and we then realised it had been stolen. It appears that in the act of loading the final bags of shopping and closing the boot, they had opened the driver’s door of our car, stolen the bag, calmly driven off and all in a few seconds. We reported the incident to the Guardia Civil, who took the basic details, including the description of the car, advised us to cancel all the bank cards and told us to come back later to make a full report. We rang our banks, both here in Spain and in the U.K. and went back to the Guardia Civil to make a full report: a ‘Denuncia’. On the following Monday afternoon, the Guardia Civil in Motril rang to say they had my wife’s handbag and we should go and collect it to check what was missing! When we collected the bag, all the money had gone, as had her mobile phone and, strangely enough, her British Bank Debit Card! Everything else was still in the bag, including the house and car keys, her residencia and Spanish driving licence. I was in touch with the British bank later in the week. They said the thieves had taken money out of our account from cash points in Al Campo three times, once before we rang to cancel the card and twice afterwards. I asked how they could take money, when they would not know the Pin Number of the card and it was not written down anywhere in the bag? It appears they possibly had an electronic device, which can ‘read’ the card and allow them to get the pin number or change it to allow them to use it, so your bankcard is not as safe as you might think! We are now dealing with the bank’s fraud department to get the situation resolved. The police have also informed us, that the thieves carried out, on the same day, a series of similar handbag robberies in the area. We have also decided, as we don’t use our U.K. bank card out here, because we have a Spanish bank account, not to carry them any more. It’s a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted in our case, but if you don’t normally use a foreign bankcard here, why carry it with you?

Councillors ‘walk out’ at Salobreña Council meeting. The opposition councillors, walked out of a meeting at the Town Hall on 2nd January, in protest at the ‘high-handed attitude’ of the Mayor, Sr Jesus Avelino Menéndez. The extraordinary meeting was called to discuss the village’s proposed new plan for development, called the PGOU. The opposition parties were not at all happy with the meeting being called on that day, which was a public holiday, as the Town Hall offices were closed to the public and members of the press were not invited to attend. According to the opposition, the absence of the press was in breach of the procedures for the introduction of any development plan, as the debate and any changes, should be reported to the public and any opposition groups, through the press. The meeting broke up and all the opposition parties walked out, when the Mayor threatened to ‘throw out’ the Izquierda Unida Party spokesman, for speaking out against him and his attitude over the introduction of the PGOU. Opposition parties were particularly unhappy, when the Mayor decided, unilaterally, to cut the time, constitutionally agreed, which is allotted to any opposition party member to put forward their thoughts on the plan. It is felt, by the opposition, that the Mayor is determined that the PGOU will be approved, even if it is only due to the votes from his own party, which is in power in a minority situation, but with the support of two dissident councillors from the opposition group. After the meeting, the Town hall, through the Mayor’s office, issued a statement saying that ‘the opposition had shown a serious lack of respect towards all those who had put forward the 132 suggestions for amendments to the plan, to the town of Salobreña in general and to the democracy represented by the council meeting’. However, there was no mention that they felt that there was any ‘high-handed attitude’ on the part of the Mayor, nor was anything said about what is going to happen to the development plan now! Come on all you Councillors, stop behaving like spoilt children, grow up and start governing to the benefit of Salobreña and all those who elected you, whether you are in power or in opposition! After all, the village of Salobreña and the surrounding area is set for expansion; therefore there is a need for a stable power base in the Town Hall, for the sake of everyone.

Motor Homes. The Police and Town hall are still turning a Blind eye to the mobile homes parked along the seafront, despite complaints from the businesses on the beach road. Various businesses have seen the parking areas, for their potential customers, invaded by these large vehicles, who park across the parking bays in order that they can enjoy the sea and beach views and care very little for the plight of locals trying to park and go about their normal business. The one thing, that still seems to worry locals, is what are the owners of these mobile homes doing with their rubbish, waste water and toilet waste? They are seen as only polluting the village with their large vehicles and waste, but not spending any money in our shops, etc. When I went down to Salobreña this morning, there were forty-two homes parked along the beachfront! One of these homes, with a British registration, was aptly named The Intruder! Perhaps because Almuñécar and Motril have stopped mobile homes parking there, the pack feel they can now easily park in Salobreña? After all, there are campsites in the area, including two on the beach road in Motril where they can stay!

Blossom time. On a more pleasant note, it’s lovely to see the almond trees in blossom at the moment around the village, despite the inland views of the abundance of snow on the Sierra de Lújar and the Sierra Nevada. The nights are cold; after all it is winter, but we have enjoyed some lovely sunny days and clear blue skies. There has been some rain, but we need it, as the reservoir levels are still very low. Let’s hope there will be some more rain to fill them up, before summer arrives and we are all sweltering in the heat.

Painting the centre reservation. In July/August last year, not the best time to do it, the town hall mandarins decided to build a centre reservation along the main road going down to the beach, the Avenida del Mediterraneo and then decked it out with flowers and shrubs in September. Although it has only been in place for a short time, it looks very nice, as the structure has weathered, plus it has stopped people racing down to the beach and overtaking other vehicles. The whole length is now being painted white! Why is this being done, when no other centre reservation is painted nor are the roundabouts in the village? Painting everything might be considered as helping to protect and seal these structures, but it all costs money and they were o.k. as they were! Now they are painted, they will have to be done again on a regular basis and thus incur more cost to the taxpayer. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it and thereby waste our money!

New Bazaar in the Village. A new cut-price shop has recently opened in the village. It’s situated in Avenida Antonio Machado, which is the road past ‘old’ Super sol going to the Town hall and post office, the shop is between the two banks Banesto and Caja Granada. It is called ‘The Oriental Bazar’. The shop is run by two Chinese brothers, Xiao and Chun Zhang, who live in the village with their families. They sell everything, including clothes, electrical goods, tools, ceramics and a variety of souvenirs and gifts, etc. It’s worth a visit and reminded me very much of an Aladdin’s Cave, but with far cheaper prices!

From over the river comes the story of an amazing escape for a Motril couple. The pair were driving along the N340, the coast road, near La Herradura, when a lorry driver lost control of his vehicle and it turned over, as shown on the front cover of the last issue of the Gazette. The lorry landed on the couple’s vehicle and crushed it! To everyone’s amazement and delight the couple have survived the accident almost unscathed. The man, who was driving the car, was unhurt and his wife, sitting alongside him in the passenger’s seat, received only minor injuries. Fortunately the driver of the lorry also escaped with only minor injuries. The police and rescue service personnel, when they got to the accident, were sure they were attending a crash scene with a number of fatalities, but were both pleased and surprised that they were wrong. Lady Luck was certainly smiling on these three people! However, another accident, at the beginning of January, claimed the lives of two local residents in the village of Velez de Benaudalla, which is situated just north of Motril and on ‘The old Granada road’. The accident occurred about 21:00h and involved two vehicles, an articulated lorry and a van. The lorry veered into the on-coming traffic lane and hit the van head-on. The lorry driver escaped injury, but the two occupants of the van were pronounced dead at the scene. In the case of both of these accidents, the police are still carrying out their investigations, but early indications are, that they were both due to driver error on the part of the lorry drivers.

The saga of the golf club goes on! They have now opened some of the ‘new holes’ and closed some of the ‘old’ ones for re-designing and re-seeding. However, the course remains one of nine holes and I cannot see them opening it to an eighteen-hole course by 1st April. On the plus side, they are reclaiming the beachfront to a width of about twenty-five metres, eroded by the recent rough seas. Cars can now drive along there once again, to the delight of the fishermen, who park along the beach before beginning to fish. By the way, Tuesday the 28th February is Pancake Day, or if you prefer, Shrove Tuesday, I hope you enjoy your pancakes, I shall!