The Comisaría de Policía in Motril has recently been receiving criticism from the foreign community, now that it has moved to its new location.

Stories have been circulating that a new system is now in place to acquire NIE numbers and Residence Certificates that result in long queues outside the building from 6.30am and a high amount of frustration for everyone concerned.

The Seaside Gazette met with Carlos Villacreces Saez, Chief of the Foreigners Department at the Comisaría to find out if these rumours were indeed fact or fiction.

The main protagonist in these rumours has been a local Spanish newspaper, which, according to Sr. Villacreces, had published incorrect information on the new system at the Comisaría. We hope that this report will help to set the record straight.

At 12.30 am on a Thursday the Seaside Gazette met with Carlos Villacreces Saez. We walked through the Comisaría and there were four people waiting to be seen at the foreigners’ desks. Where were the queues we had been hearing about? By 1 pm, the office was totally empty and the staff was quietly going through its paperwork.

The Foreigners’ Section of the Comisaría de Policía covers the areas from the southern end of the Alpujarra, and the whole of the Costa Granadina between the Almería and Málaga Provinces. The Comisaría has three employees who work with applications for NIE numbers and Residence Certificates but unfortunately for us foreigners, none of them speaks English or other languages.

If there is an urgent requirement for an English speaker, they do have someone who is sometimes available, but there is no in-house translation service. The Comisaría has no plans to increase staffing levels and there may be occasions when there are only two desks open as one member of staff may be on holiday or ill.

We received information that suggested that the Comisaría was now only issuing twenty-five tickets per day and this, according to Sr. Villacreces, is wrong and apparently came from an article in a local Spanish newspaper. The Comisaría had tried to correct this but by then the panic had set in, which, as we have seen all too often here, goes around faster than fact.

We are informed that the offices are open between 9 am – 1.30 pm daily and there is no need to arrive earlier than 8.30 am, - only if you want to be the first in the queue. You could have walked in on the day we visited and have been attended immediately. They issue tickets as you arrive throughout the morning, so that you know your placing in the queue. The staff is currently seeing between 90 and 100 people each morning.

When you have applied for your NIE number, you don’t have to go through the ticket/queuing system again on your return to collect it. Tell the guards that you are collecting your NIE and they will let you in to get it. This also applies to the Residence Certificate: You will be asked to go to a bank in the centre of town to pay the small charge and then return to the Comisaría to get your papers stamped. You don’t have to get a new ticket and wait. Just return to the member of staff that was processing your application.

When you apply for residency, you no longer receive an ID card with your photo, fingerprint and address details on it. You will now receive a certificate but it is not necessary to carry this with you at all times to identify yourself, as it is only required for business transactions, i.e. bank, selling a property, tax payments, etc.

The old card system was extremely useful for British residents being small and easy to carry with you for identification purposes. The British with certificates will now have to carry some form of identification with them, which will be either a passport or driving licence with photo (not the paper version). Other nationalities have ID cards issued from their home countries. Remember; in Spain it is obligatory if you are stopped to have some form of ID on you. If you are an EU resident, planning to work in Spain, you should get your Residence Certificate before applying at the Social Security office.

There are certain times of the year when the office is extremely busy and so, in order not to have to join long queues, it is best to avoid going to the Comisaría on days after bank holidays, Christmas, New Year, Easter, etc. If you do go at a busy time and there are people there who are processing ten applications, the staff will ensure that the applications they process per person are cut down to keep the queues moving.

Carlos Villacreces Saez urges the foreign community to ensure they are always equipped with the correct information, as the rules for foreigners can be complex and, as they have seen on many occasions, if foreigners don’t get their facts right, it leads to a great deal of frustration for all concerned. He added that if anyone has a question regarding NIE numbers or Residence status, they should speak directly to the Comisaría, rather than getting information from a third party; the Town Hall, etc. When using a lawyer or gestor, you must ensure that they are specialists in the laws governing foreigners in Spain.

The Comisaría de Policía is situated in Calle Aguas del Hospital, Motril (on the Port road next to the roundabout) and you can make enquiries at the Foreign Section on 958 834 908 (Spanish only). We are told that after 12.30 is the best time of day to ring. You can also visit the website: www.policia.es .

Whilst Almuñécar was converted into a fishbowl back in September by the flood, the tracks in the campo were taking a good slapping as well. Almuñécar received funds from the Junta to help put right the damages cause, and Otívar received funds to pay for work to restore the tracks in most of the upper Río Verde valley.

The man in charge is Eduardo Aneas Carrascosa, who besides being Councillor for Works, also happens to have his own transport company. Eduardo is the eldest son of Carmen, who used to run La Parada bar/pension in the Era, Otívar; for any of you that might know Otívar.

Well, the opposition PSOE party – who were ‘relieved’ of power after many, many years at the steering wheel – have accused the councillor of using half of the funds received to repair a private track that leads to his own land. Furthermore, they accuse him of discriminating against farmers that are not of his “political colour.” Finally, the PSOE say the person who holds the maximum responsibility for this alleged misuse of power is the Mayor, who – as the Spanish say – put a fox in charge of the hen house.

The governing PP flatly deny this, saying that the controversially repaired track in question is not private but public, giving access to several farms in the El Murtal area. Furthermore the PP claims that all tracks have been repaired without regard to the users political inclination, friendships or enmities.

However, the PP admits that some tracks did not received attention but that was down to the Junta closing down the subvention scheme in November 2007 – two months earlier than originally allowed for.

Well, the fact of the matter is that a lot of track has been sorted out, undeniably – they sorted out ours, for example. Speaking to some Otiveños, who don’t vote one way or the other, the repair work has been erratic with some tracks receiving attention and others not. It is also true that Otívar is a village – like many rural ones – that is sharply divided between left and rightwing tendencies, which are a hangover from the Civil War. I nearly got drafted into a Green party in alliance with a leftwing party in the mid 90’s in Otivar, but sensibly back peddled and got my name off the candidate list. I was giving English classes there at the time and to take sides politically would have effectively lost me half of my clients.

The judge at the Complaints Court Number Two in Granada has rejected the Junta’s appeal suit against Hotel Playa Cotobro – the one on the corner on the beach road.

The whole thing revolves round the Almuñécar governing council’s decision to grant a building licence for a hotel in Cotobro to the Playa company in June 2005, The Playa hotel chain already has two hotels operating in Almuñécar: Playa Cálida (Taramay) and Playa Almuñécar (San Cristóbal beach).

We received this information – as did the provincial edition of the Ideal – from a communiqué from the Almuñécar Town Hall, which underlined that the law court had considered the modification of the PGOU to allow for this plot of land to be changed from residential to ‘exclusive hotel use’ as ‘correct before the law.’

It should also be remembered that this modification was carried out not by Sr. Benavides – who was not mayor at the time – but by the then mayor, Juan Luis González Montoro (PP). Furthermore, everybody voted in favour of this modification of the PGOU for the proposed hotel, including Sr. Benavides, who was then in the opposition.

In effect, this latest judicial decision means that the controversial hotel will go ahead and be opened, probably before summer, if not soon afterwards.

Hmmm… this might be a bit difficult to explain; where I’m talking about, that is. Virtually opposite Tropicana Properties at the top of town there is a pharmacist – got it? Well, running down the side of the of this pharmacy is a covered walk way, running parallel to the school bounds – you eventually come out at the entrance to the bus station forecourt.

Anyway, this covered walkway is becoming a bit of a liability because the ceiling plaster has a tendency to fall off in big junks. To my knowledge, nobody has been hit yet. No many months ago, workers did a major repair job on this ceiling, but it doesn’t seem to have done the trick, does it?

Although the big flood last autumn might seem like a long way away, the funds promised by the Junta de Andalucía are not; in fact, the majority of it is here. For example the Junta is in the act of spending 18 million euros to prevent future floods causing as much damage, by improving the ‘defences.

A 200-metre-long floodwall, for instance, is being built to hem the river in just below Jete. The Delegate for the Regional Environment Agency, Marina Martín, came to have her photo taken, as she inspected this long stretch of river-defence, together with the Mayor of Jete, Placido Jerónimo, as he knowledgeably pointed in the general direction of the workmen. Cameras dutifully recorded this historic pose – although be it without a white charger in sight.

The Mayor managed to push through the increase in the contributions for rubbish collecting, thanks to the PP abstaining in the voting session, despite the other opposition groups voting against (PSOE/IU/PA).

This increase, according to the Mayor, is necessary to cover the increased costs incurred by rise in wages of the rubbish-collection workers, after their devastating strike in August.

According to the IU council, Iván Sánchez, the figure of 4,738,744 euros arrived at by municipal experts as the annual cost for rubbish collection cannot be trusted as this figure was changed no fewer than four times in a little over one month.

Talking of Iván Sánchez, he has just given up his position as IU councillor in the municipal council as he says that this position is incompatible with his archaeologist profession, which requires of him to be constantly travelling, he said. Veteran, IU member, Fermin Tejero, has taken his seat in the council.

Here’s some heartening news for you all: the gang that had been chalet-busting along the coast, before being nabbed, (caught) are facing 38 years in prison between them, working out at seven years each. They caused a great deal of alarm in 2006, after reportedly plundered Los Pinos, Fuentes and Punta de la Mona.

The members, who were all Romanians, allegedly carried out over a dozen robberies in the space of only 15 days. Their modus operandi was to enter into chalets, either via the ground floor or upstairs, during the night, whilst the occupants were asleep.

Four of the gang face stiffer sentences than their companions because they had previously been banned from entering the country, so they face a small prison sentence for that, too.

Talking of robberies, have you seen the price of the Seaside Gaz… Nah! Just kidding! No, this article is about the thieves that did over (robbed) a mobile phone shop in town. The shop owner said that they had lost 30,000 euros in goods, after the thieves cleaned the shop out. Two things spring to mind with this comment. Firstly, 30,000 euros by an absolutely amazing coincidence works out at exactly five million pesetas – do you think that somebody is still thinking old money? The second thing is that how did it work out at exactly 5m pesetas (30,000 euros)?

The shop in question, which is situated in Calle Guadix and is called Informóvil, lost all its computer equipment, video cameras and a television, as well as all their stock of mobiles.

If that weren’t enough to make them disinclined to throw a party, the fact that the alarm system that they have installed failed to alert the office of the security company, as guaranteed in their contract.

(Photo Infocostatropical)
The secondary school, IES Al Ándalus, has enormous problems with their workshops, not only were they flooded out when the river burst its banks in September, but owing to the original construction work on them, they leak like sieves. They’re damp and cold at the best of times, but now it’s far worse. For that reason, pupils and staff have been protesting over the situation.

The Head Teacher, Manuel Orihuela, proposed that a temporary solution could be found by using temporary prefab classrooms, whilst the workshops are demolished and new ones built. However, Antonio Lara from the Provincial Delegation for Education suggested simply mending the existing ones by repairing the walls, lowering the ceilings and generally speaking, making them ‘usable.’

On the subject of schools, the Asociación de Familiares de Enfermos de Alzheimer (Afavida) will begin giving lectures in the local schools, starting with the other high school, IES Antigua Sexi, to inform and sensitize the pupils of ESO3 level (13/14-year olds) to this illness. It is hoped that these chats will help them understand the situation in which some of them could be living, if a member of their family is suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Good news for the good folk of Lentegí – and for the bad folk, as well: the town hall will be open in the morning! Until now, locals could only expect to find it open in the afternoons because most of the people that worked in there did so on a part-time basis, because they had their normal jobs to do in the morning.

“One of our party objectives in 2003 was to achieve this,” said the Mayor, Ángel Fajardo, “if we managed to win the elections. It took five years, but they got there, as now the building opens its doors between nine and twelve in the morning.

This has been possible, thanks to the hiring of new personnel. Until now, Pepe Luis from Otívar had been having to do it on his own, dedicating his time between Jete, Otívar and Lentegí, appearing once a week at the lofty summit of the mountain fortress, Lentegí, having to elbow his way past Buddhist monks, Sherpa guides and oxygen-starved Belgian tourists.

Without doubt, the most controversial thing to happen in Almuñécar last month – even more so than the closing of the Hotel Bahía II – was the Mayor’s decision to give his wife… sorry, legally separate wife, a well-paid position in the Town Hall as an advisor on tourism.

Rosa González used to be - as well as Councillor for Tourism under a previous municipal administration of her husband - the Provincial Delegate for Tourism up in Granada. Shortly after she left the post, a scandal erupted over missing sums of money. She was acquitted of having misused them because more than five years had passed and under Spanish law, after such an elapse without the alleged offence being brought before the courts, it is proscribed.

Whether Rosa González is the right person for the job is second to: A) whether such a post is necessary, B) whether Almuñécar can afford her 37,000-euro salary, plus expenses. This comes soon after the equally controversial advisory post offered to Emilio Pavesio – former right-man of Sr Benavides – with some 40-odd-thousand-euro salary plus expenses.

But it doesn’t end there, as Adela Mingorance (wife of the Councillor for Town Planning) was hired, meaning another 37,000-euro salary. About the same time, the brother of the Councillor for Institutional Relations, (Eva Gaitán Díaz), Marcos Gaitán Díaz, also was hired with a similar salary.

But it’s not only Benny’s party, because the two main opposition parties were not shy to accept full-time salaries for their councillors, when Benny moved to obtain ones for his nine councillors.

If you’re wondering how much the combined salaries of our councillors are, you’re looking over one million euros per annum. Now, if you want to include all the Town Hall staff and maintenance workers hired by the Town Hall…

Not only does Almuñécar stand in danger of losing forever its Saturday flea market in aid of Cancer, but the very popular student theatre group SKS Sexitana has also had to look elsewhere for a little co-operation. Instead of being able to use the Almuñécar Casa de la Cultura, they have gratefully accepted the use of Salobreña’s auditorium to present their latest play, Alcestis.

The director of the theatre group, Antonio Cantudo, explained that they had no alternative, as they had been confronted by a wall of ‘ninguneo,’ (cold shoulder) from the Councillor for Culture. He was scathing of what he considers a complete lack of cultural activity in Almuñécar, saying, “If you take away the concerts of Juventudes Musicales, there is nothing happening.”

SKS Teatro has an admirable reputation, despite its humble basis of high school representation of Greco-Roman plays, having performed in many theatres across the country, almost always receiving good critical acclaim, since their founding 1995.

By the way, the name comes from the initials found on coins that were minted in Almuñécar, when it was a Punic colony.

Joaquín from Chambao de Joaquín in La Herradura, together with Amigos de Baracoa, has pulled off their annual giant-paella fiesta in the Majuelo Park with the usual success, fun and dedication on the part of the organisers as always. What was a novelty this year was the collaboration of the town halls of both Salobreña and Alcalá la Real

This time, however the activities that are normally held on the stage were held down on the ground – whether through choice or restrictions imposed, I don’t know.

If you haven’t even seen these giant paellas, perhaps if we tell you that he prepares 1,500 helpings in one go, it should give you some idea.

The money generated by this two-day event (19th/20th Jan.) will be destined to obtain much-needed school material for this Cuban town, as well as 27,000 toothbrushes!

On the same weekend as the above fiesta – on the early hours of Sunday – a mysterious fire burnt out the cab of a parked lorry in the Avenida Príncipe de Asturias (This is the one that runs down the eastern side of Río Verde, near the play park). Shouts of alarm and laments were heard by the neighbours, evidently coming from the vehicle owner at approximately 04:45am. Although it has not been confirmed by the police, facts point to arson. Furthermore, this is not the first lorry to go up in flames on the P-4, according to the Local Police; a fact that has them carrying out extensive investigation… they claim.

Carnival comes to the coast as La Herradura and Almuñécar prepare for lots of partying, dressing up and celebrating. To help the businesses (and the public!) make the most of this happy event, the cultural department of Almuñécar’s Town hall has decided once again to stagger the festivities by one week, starting with Almuñécar from 9pm on Saturday 2nd February in the Plaza de la Constitución and in La Herradura’s Plaza de la Independencia from 9pm the following Saturday 9th February.

Expect lots of innovative costumes, frivolity and serious partying. Now, more than ever, the powers that be are encouraging everyone to get involved, whether it’s just dressing up, or joining the crowds to parade around the streets.

As Head of Culture, Inmaculada Gallejas, pointed out, “The idea is for all elements of our community to participate and enjoy this lively event together.” Hopefully next year, they’ll be able to get the information out earlier (although this year we have a very early Easter to contend with), so that anyone who wants to compete for best individual or group costume will know way ahead of time where and when to register, with the chance of winning a rather substantial cash prize.

The PP criticises bad state of motorway exit, complaining that apart from the lack of adequate lighting to guide you safely onto the A-7 into La Herradura, the roundabout is in a sorry state, dirty and in general disarray. According to the PP’s (Partido Popular) councillor Juan José Ruiz Joya, It’s a real indication of the incompetence of the PSOE (Socialist party) who aren’t even capable of maintaining a public facility that was only opened March last year. He continued to point out that it’s a reflection of the poor state of the Granada province as a whole, but especially the Costa Tropical, where infrastructure is sadly neglected, leaving Granada capital disconnected from the coast, with the next branch of the motorway remaining incomplete.

Junta de Andalucía (Regional Government) finishes Río Jate Bridge (or at least its contribution to the new structure). I guess the positive thing to come out of the disastrous floods is that this should definitely be an improvement on the old bridge, doubling the capacity of the exit flow at this point. Together with the repair work on the Río Verde Bridge in Almuñécar (set to be completed in February), these efforts were estimated at a cost of 2.5 million euros, including the clean up and recovery of some 340 public dwellings (estimated at 360,000 euros) located in the zones of La Paloma, Río Verde, La Carrera in Almuñécar and an additional group of 24 dwellings in La Herradura, where the façades of these homes were painted and a protective wall was repaired to help keep out any flooding in the future.

The future of the English Library looks insecure, despite the support of Spanish librarian, Juan Manuel de Haro. After months of waiting simply for dedicated shelving within the library, countless meetings and the ongoing efforts of Ann Maxwell and the team, it appears that the best we can hope for is limited storage in the corridor outside the ‘Biblioteca’ on the third floor of the Civic Centre.

Members do remain hopeful that things will be resolved and by the way, thank you for all your ideas on alternative venues. For the moment, though, the team is keen to remain part of the Civic Centre in La Herradura. Finally, there will be an impromptu meeting at The Hideaway from 11am to 1pm on Wednesday 13th February. Please bring your books to swap. Everyone is welcome and indeed, your support is very necessary.

The Town Hall continues with its road-surfacing campaign by tarmacking country tracks behind La Herradura. They have just given a contract, worth 220,000 euros, to Hermanos García – there’s a surprise! However fortunate they have been to be always chosen by the Town Hall to do all sorts of public works in and around the municipality of Almuñécar and La Herradura…The areas to receive the upgrading of their access lanes are: Guerra, Cerval, La Mezquita, Cerval Bajo, Río Jate and Cabria (Taramay).

In the case Cerval Bajo to Río Jate, 1.2 km will be tarmacked, giving them a width of four metres. El Pago de Guerra will have 800 metres of access track surfaced, but with six metres in width, while La Mezquita, in La Herradura, will have just over a kilometre surfaced.

The Cabria gets 1.425 metres, which we can perhaps take to mean that the access track to this very popular beach will finally have a decent surface.

Felicia Hall presents a new exhibition of painting in oil on canvas by María Josefa Díaz. The opening is Saturday evening, February 2nd from 7pm and the exhibit runs through to March 2nd.

María Josefa, originally from Badajoz, is a woman who has succeeded in the art world by her talent, her desire and her hard work. Her first degree in Fine Arts was earned at Santa Isabel de Hungría, Seville and later she earned a doctorate in painting at the School of Fine Arts, University of Granada.

She has studied with famous artists, even having at one time, left her children with her husband in Granada while she studied in Paris with Marie Genevieve Havel and worked there with the well-known Yugoslav painter, Marinkovic Penkin.

She has been a tenured full professor in drawing at the University of Granada. María Josefa has exhibited nationally and internationally in Paris, Germany, Luxembourg, and Yugoslavia. She has won many prizes and her work is exhibited worldwide.

Now it’s your turn to view and enjoy her work in La Herradura’s very own Galería de Arte Felicia Hall. Opening hours remain as usual, 11am-2pm and 5-8 pm. Closed Sunday afternoons and all day Monday.

‘Ecoloco-todobio’ is the phrase on everyone’s lips (and it’s not a mantra aimed at causing the downfall of local politicians), but a small business, distributing organic vegetables locally. It’s run by a lovely couple that has a modest shop in Órgiva.

As well as being able to order veggie boxes (min.15 euros) to fit your needs, you can also choose from their wide range of organic products, such as brown rice, oats, eggs and honey. Currently there is a group of six to ten people ordering regularly from La Herradura via their web site www.ecoloco-todobio.com. If you find it easier, you can also call them with any queries on 699 714 613 (Danni) or 636 441 950 (Sam). It’s got to be worth trying!

More criticism from the PP about the dismantling of municipal offices in La Herradura by the CA (Convergencia Andaluza - Benavides’ party). It’s certainly giving out some very confusing messages, with decision-makers physically being moved across to Almuñécar. So much for the spiel that our Mayor so eloquently delivered with each and every unveiling; promoting the importance of the village and its distinct priorities. The reality is that in order to get anything achieved, or progressed, it still seems essential to go to the Town hall in Almuñécar, as clearly evidenced by the removal of the public servant in La Herradura, who has recently been transferred across to Almuñécar. All that’s left is an administrative assistant with whom you can merely register documents related to public services.

Interestingly, if you wander around the Civic Centre, there is an amazing amount of space dedicated to very little real activity. Offices have indeed been abandoned, well probably more correctly, never properly filled! Administration seems to be at a bare minimum and as Ann Maxwell (who has been working so tirelessly with others on the English library) has pointed out, no-one really seems to know what’s happening.

Even the children’s activities, which previously kept the Centre humming, seemed to have ‘toned down’.

In Ruiz Joya’s (leader of the PP) opinion, all this is a way of punishing the Herradureños for their lack of political support of the CA during the elections. He was also critical of Maria Victoria Ruiz (Benavides’ representative in La Herradura) for her lack of involvement in the daily running of the village, treating the Centro Jate as a bit of an ivory tower.

Talking of things that aren’t working as they should, the pensioners, who moved their club from the Centro Cultural Jate to the Civic Centre, are also moaning. President Juan Bueno remarked “There isn’t sufficient material for the workshops or resources for the gym, not to mention any curtains for the windows. We sweat in the summer and freeze in the winter.”

When you look at it, you can’t help but notice that the Club doesn’t even have a sign up to indicate what it is. There’s no telephone line, even in case of emergency and the Club is just one single large space, so that there’s no possibility currently of dividing comfortably between different activities (for instance, between television spectators, dancers and people just wanting to relax at the bar).

At 74 years of age and well respected by all, Juan has been Chairman of the Pensioners’ Club for the past ten years. He carries this responsibility well, but is concerned about all those pensioners locally who might be missing out on social contact. “What we need more than ever is a longer opening time, rather than simply being restricted to afternoons,” he said.

(Photo Infocostatropical)
Really on a roll by now, the PP spoke out about the government under Benavides allowing the licence to build a four-star hotel with Fuerte de La Herradura S.L. to expire. A licence that took some seven years to procure and was finally granted 1st March last year.

Councillor Ruiz Joya has bitterly complained that this act of negligence works totally against the interests of the village, since the project and the eventual business arising from it would have been an important source of revenue and economic stimulus to the area. In his opinion (shared by quite a few locals if previous public demonstrations are anything to go by), apart from creating desperately needed jobs, it also would have provided a draw for tourists to the area. His argument was that especially during the winter months when all the other hotels have been closed, this venue could have made up the shortfall.

But surely that was why the hotels closed in the first place – lack of demand? Another thing that I find a bit tricky to get to grips with, is that the very same 29,793 square metres of land that was originally put aside for this project was the patch that was converted into swampland during the floods last September. Hmm.

I regularly hear from the local estate agents that the real estate bubble in Spain is close to or in the process of bursting. Gone are the days when apartments were being sold ten months before they were scheduled to finish building.

Everyone is being very cautious, but it would seem that foreigners are continuing to buy, something that is working for the right investor and helping to keep the crisis at bay. The president of the Association of Real-Estate Agents in Granada (AINGRA) Francisco Iglesias, has profiled buyers as Germans or English, mostly in their fifties or sixties, with their lawyers organising the entire transaction, since typically they don’t speak a great deal of Spanish. This helps back up recent statistics in the English press that cite almost 700,000 Brits are leaving their homeland annually, with Spain featuring amongst the top four destinations for that move.

Talking to local agents in La Herradura, it’s clear that the market has slowed down. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth changing properties, or investing in something local. Quite the opposite, since what’s also become evident is that sellers are more likely in the current market to take reasonable offers. People are obviously realising this in our area, as it’s been estimated that within the Granada province alone, foreigners are still responsible for some 30% of home purchases, which in turn helps to keeping the housing market reasonably stable in this part of the world. Could it be, then that now more than ever, it’s worth checking out what’s available in this ‘buyers’ market’?

El Ancla steam in with all the rugby, as Jonathan promises us they will be showing the matches for the Six Nations’ competition in their entirety. Starting 2nd February, you’ll see pure unadulterated rugby, apart from the very last of the Champions’ League, which squeezes in neatly with the 19th and 20th February, plus the second leg on the 4th and 5th March.

Which all just gives Jean, Katie, Jonathan and the crew enough time to slip away for a quick breather from 24th February to the 2nd March inclusive, to recharge before Easter! In between, make sure you take advantage of the Ancla’s ever-famous hearty breakfasts (as anyone will testify who joined the mob of New Year’s morning hangover recoverers!), not to mention the range of real ale they now stock.

If you fancy getting creative yourself, Annie Sloan (located just behind the municipal market in La Herradura) is organising the workshop ‘Still life in Oils’ with Robert McKellar. This will entail an in depth series of 5 classes. To find out more about what’s involved, make sure you pop in, or alternatively contact Jane or Kirstie at the shop on 958 64 06 32.

We’ve been pining for The Hideaway, but after a great break away, in South East Asia, Jenette and Darren are back in action. So watch out for their ever-popular Quiz Night, this month scheduled for the 21st February from 8pm onwards, when I suspect there’ll be some sneaky questions popping in about the places they visited on holiday.

Of course, with Rugby being the flavour of the month, Darren will be showing all of the Six Nations’ Rugby competition on the big screen. So, lots happening for you to come on down and enjoy!

In the interests of Peace, the local primary school, Las Gaviotas, embarked on a programme to promote peace throughout the world. Apart from a demonstration of co-operative games, rather than emphasising single-minded competition, the school also set up a ‘door of peace.’ Celebrating Peace throughout January, with a culmination of activities centred on the Plaza de Independencia on the 31st January, the children were able to focus on positive concepts such as friendship, sharing, happiness, love and fundamentally harmony. Not a bad thing, when you think about how many different people have to work and live together in such a concentrated part of the world!

I spotted a letter from Mr Hans-Peter Schiffer from Urbanisación Las Palomas that was published in the Ideal newspaper concerning the gasman. He referred to the company Complementos del Gas, SL, which, without any authorisation, simply waltzed into a house because the front door was open and with no further ado began ‘checking the gas installations,’ resulting in gas-installations material being changed, he claims.

The door had been left open because the owners had the builders in and it was the builders who alerted the owner to their presence.

She was presented with a bill for 240.39 euros and to top it all, the work was defective.

The PP, as Anne Eastwood has pointed out, has been pretty keen to be heard, which is hardly surprising as next month there’ll be General Elections. This doesn’t mean that what they say is any less or more important, of course.

This time the subject is not so much about the state of the roundabout next to the autovía itself, but the announced completion date for the link to Taramay, which, once complete, will hopefully do away with those summer queues that stretch almost from the village gasoline station to the Costa Banana entrance into Almuñécar.

They say that the completion date given by the Central Government of Spring 2009 is very difficult to believe, basically because part of it (Taramay/Lobres) has still not been awarded to any building company, let alone had work started on it. The local PP says that this stretch has a planned duration of 40 months…

Well, one thing is for sure; here we are at the beginning of 2008 and the only thing that moves on the Torrecuevas bridge site is the wind, and until that is finished, the last junction on the Granada stretch remains La Herradura and not Taramay.

The proposed marina in La Caleta is apparently nearer than ever before to becoming a reality. We have heard this for many years so let’s not hold our breaths, as it has been on the drawing board since 1989.

In 1994 there was an advance to the project when the necessary permissions were granted and the authorities in charge were given a two-year period in which to complete it. What happened? Anyway, water under the marina as they say and we fast-forward to January 2008. Salobreña council has now said that the marina project is winning favour and all paperwork they had to complete in Seville has now been done.

The General Secretary of the Junta de Andalucía has authorized the construction of a puerto deportivo, so it should be plain sailing from here on in, or until someone else sticks their oar in the water.

A public company, EPPA, will shortly be visiting the area to discuss the possibility of constructing the marina. It is hoped that there will be 350 moorings in La Caleta, together with an area that could cope with the necessary associated services needed.

Hot on the heels of this news was a report from the Mancommunidad (area council) that the Granada area has initiated a plan to build a total of nine new marinas with more than 5,500 moorings along the Costa de Granada coastline. Currently the province of Cadiz has 6,408 berths, Málaga has 4,500 and Almería 3,200, versus a total of 373 between Motril and Marina del Este at present.

This new plan features a further three marinas for Motril sited in Playa del Cable, Calahonda and Chucha, which would have a total of 2,800 berths. There is also mention of Castell de Ferro and Castillo de Baños getting marinas with a further 400 berths.

What was slightly unnerving about this report from the Mancommunidad was that it was mentioned that Polopos is included, however, even though the village itself is ten kilometres inland, its municipal boundaries touch the coast, encompassing both Castillos de Baños and La Mamola.

A seven-storey block of flats is being built in Salobreña and the PSOE party (socialists) suspect that the height of this block exceeds current set limits and are calling for a report from the municipal technicians. According to the PSOE spokesperson, the height of this block is outside the PGOU and measures more than the thirteen metres allowed for such buildings, hence the suspicion that a planning irregularity is being committed.

The spokesperson explains, “If the Office of Public Works says that irregularities do exist, we will report the case at the Office of the Public Prosecutor.” He goes on to add that what he doesn’t understand is how the building has not come to the attention of anyone on the Salobreña governing council and says that clearly, they have been watching the building from the wrong side. Manuel Pérez Cobos, Urban Councillor, assures us that he hasn’t been watching the building from the wrong side and says that it is all bad eggs on the part of the PSOE, who knew that they were onto the irregularity and had requested further information from the municipal technicians.

The library in Salobreña is about to invest 8,000 euros to extend its volume of books from the present level of 15,614 items. As Gustavo Aybar from the town hall tell us, “The library is up-to-date but the literary world doesn’t stop publishing new books and this latest monetary contribution will enable us to increase the material on offer to our users.”

There are 340 adults and children holding library cards in the town and it is reckoned that 34% of the population regularly uses the library and its Internet facilities. During the summer period, the library is very busy with the Spanish holidaymakers, who always make straight to the local libraries for their holiday reading material.

Ever had that awful moment when you switch on your oven and, bang, your electrics blow? Perhaps you have just moved into your new home in the sun? You turn off the oven and in the dark - well let’s face it, it usually is pitch black - you stumble to the electric box to re-set the trip switch.

Hands up how many of you have purchased properties only to find that you had a miserable 2-kw contract? When you consider that an electric oil radiator requires at least 2 kw, so does an oven or some kettles, then that really doesn’t leave you a lot of juice to have your lights, TV, electric hot water boiler and washing machine going at the same time.

You receive your first electric invoice from Sevillana/Endesa and your name and address appear on the paper and you can see that it is your bank details. Now look closer. On the top right hand side of the invoice you will see a box that says Datos del Cliente. Is your name on this part of it? Here comes the good bit … it is easy to ring up Sevillana/Endesa and change the name and bank payment details but … with each change of property owner the electricity issues a new contract and you need to have an inspection and new certificate in your name. Once this is done, your name will appear on the Datos del Cliente details of your invoice.

If your name does not appear on this section and you have a problem with your electric supply, it is the previous owner that is required to ring for assistance and Sevillana/Endesa will ask for his/her details and will not attend electrical problems without this information, as the contract is still in the previous owner’s name.

By now the previous owner has long since disappeared off the radar screen and you will have even more paperwork to deal with to get a new contract. Salobreña does not have a Sevillana/Endesa office and if you wish to get your electricity supply upgraded you need to go to Motril. We advise going with someone who speaks Spanish and take a copy of your Escritura (property deeds), two copies of your NIE certificate and a copy of your last bill.

Copious amounts of paperwork are required together with several visits to their offices where there are always queues, a deposit payment is made and you then wait for Molina (Sevillana’s electrical contractors) to visit you at your property to do the work.

Sevillana tell us that it is now obligatory to have a power surge unit installed at the property, which they supply and charge you for. This all adds to the price of an upgrade and you can expect to pay approximately 200-300 euros in total for a name change and upgrade.

The motor-cross track in La Guardia appears to be going from strength to strength and still we cannot get an answer from Salobreña Town Hall. The Community President of Monte de Los Almendros has now written a letter to the Mayor attaching a petition from residents on the Monte expressing their concerns about the track and the disturbance caused by the noise levels.

The letter was handed in to the Town Hall on 15th of December but, as yet, no reply has been forthcoming. On New Year’s Eve there were no fewer than 18 bikes using the makeshift course at a well-organised meeting with mobile mechanic vehicles to perform repairs, tuning, during the time and speed trials.

From a concerned resident on the Monte, we obtained the telephone number of a Dutch, Moto-Cross School who have used the track. We were told by them that once a year they arrange a trip to Southern Spain with students and use up to six moto-cross facilities in the area. They only used the La Guardia track twice and made arrangements through a Spanish contact here.

They either pay the contact for using the track or train Spanish pupils in exchange. The school adds that they always arrive at a convenient time of day and use the track between 11 – 4pm taking care to take any rubbish home with them.

Do you consider having five hours of constant noise on a Saturday and Sunday a ‘convenient time of day’? We are currently trying to contact the Spanish gentleman who has been hiring out the moto-cross track to get his comments.

Note: we have since spoken with David from Salobreña Moto Cross about this. He told us that they didn’t have anything to do with it and that the cause was used by a group of enthusiast that had permission from the Town Hall. We asked him who the owner of the land was and he said that it belonged to a man from Galicia or Mallorca – he was not sure.

Next, we got onto the Town hall and I spoke with another David, who works in the Mayor’s office, who said that he would look into whether the Town Hall had given permission or not and would check the mail register to confirm receipt of the letter addressed to them on the 15th.

Salobreña and Motril have joined forces this year to promote the Costa Tropical coast at the FITUR tourism trade show held in Madrid between the 30th of January and the 3rd of February 2008. It appears that Almuñécar has declined an invitation to join these two towns in this promotion of tourism although no reason was given but it is hoped they will be back on board in 2009.

The councillor in charge says they have an exhibition space of 120 square metres and are in a good position to the public and a cafeteria; i.e. they are near the bar, which is a very handy spot to be situated in. They will be bringing out the old photo of Salobreña with the castle at the top of the hill and that ‘fertile valley’ to Granada beach (which will no doubt soon be covered with hotels … you know the one I mean … taken at least twenty years ago with not a plastic greenhouse in sight anywhere).

FITUR is a major international tourism event held annually in Madrid with 12,000 exhibiting companies, 150,000 trade participants and over 65,000 members of the general public visiting it during its five-day run. The event also holds conferences and seminars and experts analyse the present and future climates of the international tourism industry.

Sisters in the Mediterranean is the name being given to the new agreement recently approved and signed between the cities of Motril and Melilla. At a special plenary session of the Motril Council this new agreement celebrates the new bonds of co-operation between these two cities and demonstrates the feeling of harmonious co-existence between them (they said it; not me).

Two over-stressed council workers from each side will be given the task of ‘sensitising’ us folk into the participation in activities that will have us rushing off to Motril Port and getting on the new ferry to Melilla on the North African coast for a looksee.

A judge at the Motril courts has really gone and dug a deep hole for himself. A Sengalese man that was caught selling illegal CD’s was recently brought before the judge, who fined him 3,200 euros and gave him a deportation order to go with it.

The European Press have been quick to point out that there was another Senegalese that had was brought before the courts for the same offence in 2007 and who was fined and released. The judge at that trial considered that the crime of copying CDs did not warrant being deported back to his country of origin. The punishment for a Spanish citizen would be one year in prison and a fine.

The judgement handed down from the Motril court has been considered an atrocity considering that the crime committed did not warrant a deportation order and that the vendor had lived in Spain for ten years and had a family here.

Remember, you could also end up in front of a judge, if you are caught purchasing CD’s from an illegal vendor… and let’s hope it isn’t the same one who gave the deportation order!

A new GPS tracking system is soon to be made available to the families of people suffering with Alzheimer’s disease to locate their loved ones should they go AWOL (‘disappear’ – military expression).

In a new and forward-thinking move by Motril Council, the Mayor has announced that in a very short period of time, they will have in place a GPS, bracelet system, which they will be able to offer families for locating their loved ones, should they get disorientated and lost whilst out and about.

This is apparently the first time that a public administration has offered such a service and the Mayor says that with advanced technology it is able to offer patients with Alzheimer’s this service, which will also greatly benefit the families that look after them.

Latest figures show that there are already over 300,000 people with Alzheimer’s in Spain. The bracelet will not be able to be removed by the wearer and, if the wearer should wander out of set boundaries, the system will alert a central office, which will be in immediate contact with the family or emergency services.

Motril street cleaners, LIMDECO, began a strike on Christmas Day (well, no one likes to work on Christmas Day, so what better day to start). Now, however, a settlement has been reached although there was some egg throwing at Council officers involved in the negotiations, setting fire to rubbish containers and the sabotage of various LIMDECO vehicles.

The Mayor certainly wasn’t pleased about the behaviour of some individuals during the strike and said that further investigations are taking place to identify those who thought a little egg throwing, arson and sabotage were good sport.

He also added that the Council had worked hard to obtain a quick solution to the strike for the good of the citizens, who is its priority. So it is wage increases all round for the employees of LIMDECO and additional money for those working the night shift.

The Mayor of Motril, Carlos Rojas, met with the new Director of the University of Granada, Francisco González Loderio in Motril in January. The objective of the discussions is to get a University built here in Motril to serve the coastal area. As the coastal population increases and costs associated with sending children to university in Granada or elsewhere becomes prohibitive for many parents, there is now more demand than ever to get a coastal University built.

The plans being discussed include accommodation for students, a language centre (which would also have Spanish courses for foreigners) and would include a Technology Centre. The proposed location is near Playa Granada where the council currently has a 40,000-metre plot of land they wish to make available to the project.

The Matraquilla car-park construction has started next to the Sports Pavilion in the centre of Motril. This is the old location of the outdoor market before it was moved to the Mercadona supermarket area to the east of Motril.

Since the outdoor market was moved the area has been extraordinarily popular as a free parking zone, close to town. Now that the Matraquilla area has been cordoned off ready for the diggers to start work, you still find free parking on the dustbowl on the Port road near the Church and Motril TV station although it fills up fast in the mornings.

The new underground parking facility will have spaces for a total of 774 vehicles, although some of these will be sold to residents living nearby as is the custom here.

The 11,000-sq/mt top area to the underground car park will be made into a park with trees, having seating and shady areas for people to sit, relax and watch the world go by.

A new location for the weekly, Saturday-night botellón, perhaps? (i.e., the Spanish equivalent of a rave party – loud, noisy, booze in abundance and currently held right outside my front door every Saturday night).

A survey was recently taken of 890 young moped riders aged between 14-16 years of age in Granada. OK, this isn’t strictly Motril but hey, it’s fun so read on. 17% said they never wore a helmet although they had one, 10% said they had never, ever put a helmet on their heads and 20% said they sometimes used one (possibly when passing the police?).

The youngsters say the reason they don’t like helmets is because:

A) it ruins their hairstyles; B) it doesn’t look nice to have an ugly helmet stuck on your head, plus they are uncomfortable; and C) they are not needed if you drive well (i.e. they are such good drivers that they don’t need helmets).

Carchuna and Calahonda have been in negotiations for some time now to become an independent authority area and split from Motril. The two towns have now gone through all the lengthy procedures to get the necessary legalities sorted out to gain independent status, which was actually approved in March 2005. They now have one final hurdle, which is to ask those living in these neighbourhoods if they are in agreement.

It appears that the powers that be in Carchuna and Calahonda feel that Motril receives a great deal of income from them yet doesn’t put it back into the general development and services in these areas.

Calling all animal lovers in Motril. A new association for the Protection of Animals and Wildlife (APAF) has been formed in Motril. In conjunction with the Environment Department, which is subsidising the APAF website www-apaf.org.es

The new offices and animal centre will be in front of the Vivero Municipal in Puntalón where at the moment stray animals are taken by the Diputación de Granada. However, it is still early days and the APAF has yet to finalise the set-up of the animal centre.

The APAF will have a resident vet and animals will be treated, chipped and castrated before they are found new homes. If you are looking for a new pet, they are putting photos and details of animals available for adoption onto their website (they already have a few photos of cats and dogs) and the website also has other general information about the association.

When pets have been re-homed there will be home checks made at various intervals by the association staff. Once the centre is up and running we will get back to you with a full report.

Staying with animals… a teacher from a school in Motril has recently incurred the wrath (anger) of her pupils when she was driving away from the school at the end of classes. She injured a dog that had crossed in front of her car and a group of up to ten children saw the incident.

The teacher unfortunately didn’t stop and the pupils took chase on motorbikes and surrounded her car forcing her to stop. The kids then proceeded to knock seven bells out of her, resulting in facial injuries and then started on her car, breaking the wing mirrors and back windscreen. The teacher, in her defence, says that she didn’t stop to examine the injured animal as the children were already chasing her and she is now frightened to go back to the school.

Further news on the Tanatorio (mortuary) in Motril and the battle still rages between the neighbours of the Urbanización Balcón de San Fernando, directly opposite it and the authorities. The problem is with the crematorium that is being built at the Tanatorio and the emissions into the atmosphere from these furnaces, which are known to be harmful.

A little research by us on the Internet has highlighted one major concern, which is the emissions of mercury that come from the fillings of the deceased and which have been recorded at dangerously high levels in areas where crematoriums are placed. The residents of Balcón de San Fernando are saying that the release of gases from these furnaces will be detrimental to their health and that the crematorium is not placed sufficiently far enough from housing.

However, there are Spanish regulations that do appear to have been adhered to and the present building conforms to planning guidelines according to the Medio Ambiente (Environment Department). The municipal license to carry out this activity was granted at the beginning of 2006 but the Medio Ambiente has now said that as there seems to be ‘reasonable doubts,’ they will carry out a series of investigations to determine whether the crematoriums should be given the go ahead. Firstly, the Council has transferred the complaint made by the Association of Neighbours of Balcón de San Fernando to the company that is building and running the Tanatorio for their response. Then the Public Health Department and Environmental Protection Departments will also be asked for a report on the suitability of the current location. After this, it will go back to Motril Council for their final decision and if the decision is not to the residents liking they will then take the matter to the courts.

Anyone for padel tennis? The Spanish tennis player, Emilio Sanchez Vicario, was recently in Motril to open the three, public, artificial-grass, padel, tennis courts. They had recently been constructed at a cost of 60,000 euros, behind the new police building in Motril.

We are told that before the end of 2008 there will be a total of eight padel courts available, together with the three current all-weather tennis courts. Also to be built at this location is a new indoor swimming pool, which will be used for swimming classes, as well as for therapeutic treatments. Emilio Sanchez Vicario turned professional in 1984 and went on to win fifteen singles titles, including the Italian Open and fifty men’s doubles titles, including three Grand Slam events.

He reached a world-ranking, number-one slot in 1989 in doubles and a world ranking of seven in the singles.

His sister, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, was world number one in singles in 1995. Emilio tells us that the success of padel tennis is the reduction of the space required but technically the game is more difficult than traditional tennis.

Just when you thought the road works in Motril couldn’t get any worse than they were in 2007, the Department of Public Works has announced that there will be a further 28 street projects in 2008. How much more can a person take for heaven’s sake? The first thing they should build is a local looney bin (mad house) to put us folk in that can’t take any more road works.

These projects include the improvement of urban and public areas, moving light systems, the adaptation to mobility and accessibility, the installation of new networks of telecommunications and, little by little, to produce a comfortable and modern city where we can all live in harmony. Yes, ‘harmony’ is the word they used at the town hall… We will all be raving lunatics by then.