The question is, can we afford to lose Granada’s international flights? Well, there are many small and medium businesses that consider that we can’t, and such is their conviction that they are digging into their pockets to Keep Granada Flying.

Twelve businesses have donated 10,000 euros each and 26 smaller ones have donated a further 1,000 euros each to fill the hole that the Granada City Hall left, when they withdrew their 210,000-euro incentive package for cheap-flight operators.

Down here on the coast, can we afford to ignore the fate of our provincial airport and its international flights? Is it easier to use Málaga, as we have always done? Right now we have the option, but for how long?

How many of you have flown from, or into Granada’s Federico García Lorca airport, previously known as Chauchina? Old customs die hard and driving off to Málaga, with its array of daily international flights may be a difficult habit to shrug off for many of us.

Yet, undeniably, cheap-flight companies like Ryanair or Vueling Airlines have brought thousands of visitors straight to the province and most tourists that visit the city’s monuments make their way down to coast.

A recent study showed 83 of every 100 passengers that fly into Granada spend at least one night in the province, but the over-all the average is five to six nights, spending on around 400 euros per person.

Furthermore, the Province of Jaén - our northern neighbours - has recognised the importance of the airport and is jointly promoting the airport on a provincial level. The airport’s official name says it all: Aeropuerto Federico García Lorca Granada/Jaén. Not everybody was happy with that; some from Granada felt that Jaén was stealing some of the limelight and others from Jaén believed that by backing the airport in Granada they were scuppering their own chances of ever getting their own one.

The local companies that are backing the campaign are: Autocares J. González, Colegio Oficial de Gestores de Granada, Jaén y Almería, Construcciones Otero, Ele Medios, Galdón Software, Grupo Abades, Ideal, Líder XXV, Maciá Hoteles, Mae West, Parque Metropolitano and Puleva.

But you would be wrong to think that the backers are all heavy-weights, because also collaborating are two restaurants (Las Tinajas and El Chikito ) and a paint shop.

The Granada City Hall started the ball rolling by investing 210,000 euros on promoting the airport, but later backed out, explaining that they could not do it indefinitely and that somebody else needed to step in; hence the campaign, which has been organised by the Provincial Chamber of Commerce.

Granada has huge possibilities, once the reluctant autovías are finished - few provinces can boast a port of growing importance, an airport with international flights (still), skiing resorts and baking beaches.

So, are we collectively going to get our act together and offer some support for the campaign, or are we just going to sit back and watch a bleak 2008 unfold?

Visit the webpage for more info: www.hacemosvolaragranada.com or phone 958 536 283.

Some people don’t have the same sort of healthy respect for the Guardia Civil that people used to – the following article is a clear indication of this. The policeman had tried to break up a fight and received a bottle in the teeth for his efforts.

The culprit was a local lad with a bit of a track record for problems and the venue was one of Almuñécar’s discotheques in the early hours of one Sunday morning. There was also an off-duty policeman, who used to be stationed in Almuñécar’s Guardia Civil post, but had been transferred and was back in town on a visit. Evidently, ‘old times’ were heatedly discussed with a local lad and his brother – the before-mentioned troublesome lad - and before long a full-blown argument had developed. A uniformed officer interceded and things appeared to have quietened down. However, before long a startled glass bottle made a maiden flight across the room and crashed into the uniformed officers’ face, leaving him unconscious and five teeth short. The bottle launcher was whisked off, via the police station, to confront the magistrate later on that morning, where statements were taken and the man released on bail.

A 59-year-old woman was caught red-handed, trying to claim money from an insurance policy under false pretences. First of all, the woman went round to the Guardia Civil post to report that her handbag had been stolen between 3.00am and 3.30am whilst she was having a drink in a pub. She said that it had contained at the time: 150 euros, two credit cards, her driving licence, her National Health card and a mobile telephone. So far; so good!

Of course, the reason that she made an official statement before the police was that insurance companies demand this. However, the said insurance company informed her that as it had been merely ‘swiped,’ as opposed to being forcibly taken from her in a mugging for example, then she was not entitled to compensation; i.e., there had to be violence or at the very least intimidation for it to be a valid claim.

So, she allegedly opted for plan B: three days later she again went round to the same Guardia Civil post, reported the same bag with exactly the same contents had been stolen in the Plaza de la Rosa – she had had it snatched from her!

The police, as you can imagine, were just a bit suspicious, so they did some checking up. Lo! The credit cards hadn’t been reported missing to the bank and therefore had not been cancelled. She had not asked for a duplicate of her National Health card and, most damningly, when the Guardia Civil phoned the ‘stolen’ mobile telephone, she answered it… They took the opportunity to suggest that she popped round to the police station to clear up some points.

The Town Hall is seriously miffed with the Junta de Andalucía – there’s a surprise! You might have noticed a large raised area of compressed earth, on the opposite side of the road to the Roman aqueduct of Torrecuevas. This plot was destined to be the site of a small sports facility for Torrecuevas, but the Junta has put its foot down and said, “No way, José – it’s agricultural land; not building land.” Benny appears to be developing a habit of building sports facilities in the wrong places. On the other hand, it is a facility for public, and community use. Let’s face it, the Junta hasn’t even said “Boo!” in some cases, when blocks of flats or urbanizaciones have gone up in supposedly green-belt areas, so why block a sports centre? Never mind.

Anyway, a supposedly unrelated situation has popped up where the Town Hall is now demanding municipal licences from the state and regional authorities for schools and medical centres, and some of these schools have been around for over 30 years!

So here we have the surreal situation where administrators of schools have to queue up in front of the appropriate desk in the town hall and request an opening licence.

Yet it doesn’t end there, because by continuation every centre dedicated to teaching or medical practice for ‘economic gain’ will have to do the same. This second development is pending definitive approval by the governing municipal council, mind you.

The Ermita de Bodíjar is going to have extensive restoration work carried out on it. Anybody who has ventured up there, especially at the end of April, will have come away with a very positive memory of the area, with the impressive limestone ‘chorrera’ nearby. By the way, does anybody know whether they have finally run the electricity lines down that way? The last that I heard – from Antonio Zamora (Bar Madera) was that they were still waiting, although they had been waiting several years already.

The Ermita – is a very small chapel, which literally translates for hermitage – is one of the oldest in the valley of Río Verde and is the epicentre of the annual pilgrimage from the nearby villages, although Nuestra Señora de Bodíjar is only the patron saint of Jete.

“Right now the restoration work is concentrating on the building’s dome in an attempt to eliminate the damp that is eating away at the frescoes,” explained the Chairman of the Friends of Bodíjar, Jesús Almendros. This emergency work has a budget of 3,000 euros (which by a strange coincidence is exactly half a million pesetas…) and is the fruit of collaboration between the Friends of Bodíjar and the Town Hall of Jete.

Other buildings that will be receiving funds for building work – this time, renovations rather than restorations – are two junior schools in Almuñécar: C.P. La Virgen de la Antigua and C.P. San Miguel.

The Board of Education for the Junta de Andalucía is spending half a million euros on ‘redesigning existing space and improving access.’ In the Virgen de la Antigua (near the bus station) work is concentrating on the part of the school where the younger kids are schooled, re-wiring all the lighting and replacing the iron window frames, as well as improvements to the main entrance, the playground and the building of a staircase to be used in emergencies (fire evacuations) A lift is also being installed to provide access for handicapped pupils to the four storeys of the school.

C.P. San Miguel (right next to I.E.S Al Ándalus), which is now 26-years old, is also having a lift installed, although the building is only two storeys high. All the staff and pupil toilets will be changed, as well as the rain guttering and the lighting in general.

Whilst on the subject of schools, we come to the new playschool in Torrecuevas, which is housed in the suburb’s Casa de la Cultura. That, as can be seen from the photo, is right on the junction that takes you up to Rescate and the mountain park Peña Escrita.

I spoke with the lass that runs the Coviran, almost opposite to ask her what the local’s think about it and she replied that she was one of the first mother’s to request a playschool, or guardería, for Torrecuevas, as the nearest one was always Almuñécar. However, it has taken two years since the first written request and for some mothers in the meantime, the kids have moved onto junior school. Never mind – it’s still a very useful addition to Torrecuevas social amenities, isn’t it.

The playschool caters for a maximum of 15 kids up to three years of age. The premises have a spacious main room of 40 sq/m and a small playground. The project was funded exclusively by the Town Hall and counted on a budget of 36,000 euros (which by another strange coincidence is equivalent to exactly six million pesetas…) for the building work, plus more funds for furniture and equipment in general, bringing the total up to 48,000 (Oh look! Exactly eight million pesetas!)

The guardería will soon have to be enlarged to receive more kids because all the new flats that have gone up along the road has meant that more families have moved into the area. This, of course, is the Catch-22 situation regarding depending on building licences to fund municipal social projects.

According to the Mayor of Jete, Plácido Jerónimo, Otívar, Lentegí, Ítrabo and Jete can now stop depending on wells for their water supply, thanks to a 4.5m-euro grant from the Department of Environment at the Junta, which will fund their incorporation into the area General Supply System.

Of the four villages – three of which are in Valle Río Verde – only Ítrabo didn’t depend on well water for domestic consumption, as it was already semi-connected to the system

Basically, Ítrabo will have a pumping station installed that will pump water up to the top of the hill to supply a huge new water tank. From there, pipes will branch off to the other villages. The main pipes between Ítrabo and the tank will also have a service road (660 metres long) running alongside for maintenance work.

Lastly, extensive work will be carried out on the irrigation system known as Los Guerreros-Cuesta de Jete, because the big floods back in September destroyed most of the staging traps in the irrigation channels. There you go! Wasn’t that really exciting stuff!

Meanwhile, down at the salty end of the Happy Valley, the PSOE have issued a highly critical press release concerning the Mayor and a large sum of public money for arguably Benny’s own media outlets. In fact, in the mouths of all those that oppose him, it is more commonly known as Benata Tele.

The 14,000 euros, which was authorised by a decree; i.e., it didn’t pass through a plenary council, was destined for Onda Tropical. This municipal TV channel also runs a local Spanish-language newspaper called Costa Tropical información. Both media outlets are very, very, pro Benavides, to such a degree that they could be considered party (CA).

Local Secretary of the PSOE, Paco Prados, has called on the municipal Secretary to provide a report to explain what criteria was used to award this contract, and while he was at it, explain how this can be ‘legal.’ According to Sr. Prados, recently the TV station had been off the air due to a lack of funds and the newspaper had only just started to appear again after a considerable absence from the newsagents’ shelves.

It is interesting how this ‘breath of life’ was justified. The payments came in two parts of around 6.960 euros, both to finance supplements: a 16-page one on Semana Santa and a 4-page one on a sports club.

This weekly newspaper costs one euro to the reader so the 14,000-euro injection, in a round about sort of way, had the Almuñécar taxpayers purchasing 14,000 of them at street cost.

The Town Hall has the duty to promote the festive and cultural activities via media outlets, financing these campaigns with public funds, undeniably, and no doubt that is the Mayor’s defence – the Costa Tropical Información is the only municipal (hard copy) weekly publication available and therefore the best option, if it were in independent hands – you would be hard pushed to find somebody that considers that it is, however.

Whilst the Town Hall is spending money, dubiously, on publicity campaigns, it is also after some funds – 300,000 euros, to be exact – from Ministry of Industry and Tourism in Madrid so that it can digitalize its public services.

With this in mind the Town Hall has designed a project entitled Almutecnology that will do away with a lot of paper usage, with all the corresponding storage problems and handling etc.

Using Intranet and Extranet systems, it will be able to communicate with the other seven buildings belonging to the municipal administrations without using Internet.

The interesting bit is that you will be able to submit request forms and other bureaucratic tortures 24 hours a day – not just during the times that the buildings are actually open to the public.

While this might please the citizens of Almuñécar, another part of the deal won’t please those working at their posts, as 27,000 euros goes towards a sort of surveillance system to keep an eye on them. Oh dear…

A couple of months back we ran an article on a high school, classical theatre group called SKS Teatro. These guys are amazing and have earned quite a name for themselves, touring around the province, as well as Cartagena (Murcia) Baeza (Jaén) and Cádiz.

They specialise in Greco-Latin plays. The play, for example, that they will be performing in Cádiz will be within the Roman ruins of Bolonia. Yet despite this success and effort, they are lacking support from the Town Hall. In fact, they are not only lacking support but appear to be deliberately ignored by the very entity that should be backing them all the way.

The two plays that they will be presenting: Los Acarnienses (comedy) and Alcestis (tragedy) were not performed in Almuñécar; the first was performed in Motril and the second in Salobreña. In other words, if an Almuñequero wants to see them, he has to travel either to Salobreña or Motril.

Why is it that the sons and daughters of Almuñécar have to take their art to neighbouring Salobreña simply because our Casa de la Cultura has its doors closed to them? Any other town would be proud to have such a troupe of young actors amongst their citizens.

Ecologists in Action were first off the mark again, when it came to denouncing the aberration that was dumped on the storm-eroded beaches of Cotobro and La China. Anybody that might have strolled along these beaches around mid month will have seen great piles of earth. If they had taken the time, as I did, to examine the earth closer, they would have found pieces of concrete in there. Who was responsible for this Mickey-Mouse beach regeneration effort?

The ecologists pointed out that if it had been the provincial department of Costas, they would have announced it before hand and have used river sand/gravel. The Town Hall has remained silent.

You wouldn’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to come to the conclusion that this earth and rubble came from quite close to hand, where a lot of excavation work is being carried out; i.e., the San Cristóbal underground car park work site. That, of course, is a mere supposition and not a direct accusation.

Whatever the case, the surf turned a muddy colour and anybody who might have been foolish enough to lie on the newly acquired ‘sand,’ would have looked like he had spent a week in the Passchendaele trenches.

Right at the end of March, and therefore too late for our April Edition, the Tribunal Supremo de Justicia de Andalucía – in other words the maximum judicial authority on a regional level - annulled the previous judicial order, issue by a provincial court, forcing it to close temporarily until the court case between the Junta and the Town Hall was concluded.

Right in the middle of this struggle between the Junta and the Mayor were the hotel workers, who didn’t know whether to start looking for other employment or to hang on in desperation. The hotel manager explained that they decided to ignore the court order and keep the hotel open because, “If we close, we won’t be able to open again, so we defied the temporary closure order for the sake of our staff,” said Pedro Molina.

However, even though the hotel didn’t finally turf out its guests and lay off its staff, the uncertainty and proximity of an imminent force closure wrought irreparable damage both economic and to the hotels’ public image, he went on to say. Finally, he said that the hotel was the victim of a struggle between the Junta and the Town Hall and had not received any support from either.

This whole mess started off in 1998 when the Town Hall changed the urban category of the plot from equipamiento público (It was a municipal stockyard for street maintenance material) to residencial hotelero (hotel plot) and the area height limitation of four storeys was thrown out the window with the hotel being given permission to build eight. The commission for the provincial urban development department immediately opposed this, but that didn’t stop the Town Hall from going ahead with processing a building licence in 2005, completely ignoring a warning from the Junta. When the licence was finally issued in January 2007, the Junta put its foot down and the whole affair went to court.

And there the case remains, slumbering in a dusty corner of an overstretched judicial system with little hope of coming to a judicial conclusion this side of the present decade.

Enjoy the provisional car park on the site of the demolished medical centre whilst you can, because the Town Hall is requesting around twelve million euros – a pittance – to fund the building of a geriatric centre there that will be used as a day centre for elderly people with mobility problems.

The Town Hall sent the request to the Board for Equality and Social Welfare, belonging to the Junta de Andalucía, which is optimistic, seeing as the Junta struck Benny off their Christmas card list a long time ago and it is rumoured that Sevilla would not urinate in his general direction even if there were a persistent smell of burning in the Mayor’s office. Having said that, the Junta has granted several economic aid packages for social projects within Almuñécar even recently.

The calculated budget for the project reaches nearly 16m euros, but the Town Hall has committed itself to paying the remaining four million.

“The idea behind the project is that elderly people won’t find themselves treated as if they were ill, but more like somebody who is perhaps at the best moment of his/her life,” claims the project’s introductory text.

The centre will be aimed at three kinds of patients: those with physical limitations, those that do not require a minder, and finally those that have cognitive problems. Within the installation there will be a covered pool, treatment and physiotherapy rooms, and an ample conference hall.

Finally, a geriatric hotel is also envisaged, along the lines of an aparthotel; i.e., 72 self-service mini flats, each with a kitchen, so that the occupants can be independent yet count on all the services of the geriatric hotel.

The days of the post office in Calle Livry Cargan (its present location) are numbered – one look at the new premises in the P-4 pretty much confirms this. And it didn’t come cheaply, either, as the purchase and building reforms count on a budget of 2,342m euros. In fact, we’re really talking about two separate premises: an office for dealing with customers in Calle Tetuán (in front of the football stadium) and the department for sorting etc, which is sited over the other side of the river in Avenida Principe de Asturias, which has a handy direct access to the main road.

The Ideal reported on the 20th of March – optimistically as it turned out – that the new post would be open and functioning ‘soon,’ but over a month later its appearance seems to have changed little.

I popped into speak with the head of the Almuñécar Post Office to find out if there was any more news and she clammed up as soon as she discovered that I was from the press and not just a curious member of the public. I would, she said, have to speak with such-and-such government administration in Granada.

As far as I can glean, the new office will have 600 PO boxes (apartados) – so there is no increase in their number, it seems.

Almuñécar should be the proud venue of the biggest aquarium in the whole of Andalucía, but although such an installation exists, it is still not operating. Months have dragged by since the staged but void-of-reality inauguration – almost a year – and the very controversial aquarium remains firmly closed to the public. In fact, the general public has as much chance of getting in as the fish have of getting out.

OK, so who’s in the plot? The company that physically constructed the building was AquaScenic, who apparently made a bodge job of it: problems with the emergency exits, no lifts, air-conditioning not working. The company that is carrying the can is a Catalán firm called Aliart Engineering S.L., although their marketing name is Bluedisplay. This company are the ones that are running the Aquarium but as their spokesman Óscar Jiménez pointed out, all the problems have nothing to do with them and that they are losing money hand over fist with these delays.

And the Town Hall? Well, Benny rushed through theatrical inauguration in March 2007 just ahead of the municipal elections. The building company should have had it all finished for December 2006, but it wasn’t ‘ready’ until the following January. When Benny held the much-publicised inauguration, there was not one fish in the whole Aquarium – just to have something moving about in the two million litres of sea water in the 18 separate tanks, a couple of scuba divers were charged with blowing bubbles in a fishy sort of way for the cameras.

The real inauguration would have to wait a whole year – Semana Santa this year, but even when this date came and went, after having cost the managing company Bluedisplay buckets of money on a publicity campaign, it could still not open their doors because of the above-mentioned deficiencies.

They’re hopping mad, as you can imagine: “That we should get blamed for the delays is completely unjust and puts into question the prestige of this great company, when it has nothing to do with us”, complained the company spokesman.

Finally, on the 23rd of last month, it was announced that the Aquarium had received baby rays to accompany the lonely sharks… Er… I was referring to those sleek marine predators; not our political ones.

They’re at it again! The Town Hall has also requested a modest 27 million euros so that it can do up the old town of San Miguel (up near the castle). This time, the twitching palm has been thrust under the nose of FEDER (European Fund for Regional Development). Hey, great stuff if they get it, right?

The money, which will finance the Almuñécar Milenium project over a three year period (2008/2010), and will be used to spruce up the old town, as mentioned, and sort out the rubbish collection and recycling system and thus improve the environment. Also included in the budget is the construction of a day centre up there, as well, costing 9-million euros. The request was backed unanimously at the plenary meeting where it was proposed.

Now I know that you don’t believe me, because I have cried wolf too many times concerning this matter, but they are actually working on the Torrecuevas A-7 Bridge. Frances and Barbara (don’t know their surnames) were kind enough to send in two good shots of a grinding machine eating the end of the broken stump. I was up there myself, taking photos, but F&B’s were better – thanks, Folks, for taking the time to send them in..

But can you get any information from the people working on site? Can you buggery! I asked the foreman on site and he referred me to the company offices in Taramay to speak to the works manager. When I spoke to him, he referred me to some government department in Granada. Anyway, they will finish it when they finish it which will be one week after the Planet Earth has got tired of waiting and imploded from compound apathy.

Which brings us on to the Velilla underground car park – or lack of it. Again, I went to the site, spoke with somebody that had been hanging around the offices furtively, who informed me that I couldn’t take photos and that he knew nothing – absolutely nothing – about what the bloody hell was going on. He gave me, however, the business card, containing a mobile-telephone number of the Site Manager, who was away for the day.

I phone early next morning but the telephone was out of coverage, so I phoned the company offices in Granada. When I explained that I was from the press, a Srta. Lourdes Sánchez informed me that the company had a policy of not making comments to the press. It struck me what a bloody stupid attitude that was because instead of writing here what an uncooperative, secretive, snail-pace-working company they were, I could be saying wonderful things about how they took time explain exactly what the process and figures were, so that the people that suffer this daily torment in Velilla might feel just a touch more ‘understanding’ toward the difficulties that the company might be experimenting. Silly sods!

And all the time, more and more of Almuñécar is being turned into Blue-Zone parking or No Parking...

We could be seeing the last of the riego por manta (irrigating by swilling round huge amounts of water via muddy channels amongst the trees). The reason being that the whole of the Río Verde vegas will be swapping over to the much more efficient and less wasteful drip system: the area is laced with PVC irrigation pipes with drip mechanisms running round the base of every tree deliver the exact amount of water necessary. Tim Fear is the man to ask, if you have any doubts about how it works: anybody who can fly a Vulcan bomber is worth listening to, that’s for sure.

But this conversion doesn’t come cheap. The Ministry of Agriculture is going to provide half the necessary amount with 5,699,563 euros and the Junta is going to put the other five million needed. The fruit farmers, on the other hand, will have to pay 20 euros per annum/per marjal (old, pre-metric measurement still in use here, which is equivalent to 525 sq/m) All told, 374 hectares of vega in the lower (Almuñécar) and upper (Jete) valley will be adapted; in other words, the very heart of the chirimoya and avocado production of Costa Tropical.

Lastly, the EDAR (sewage recycling plant in the Barranco de Ítrabo) will provide 8,000 cubic metres (eight million litres) during the summer months at 190 litres a second. Anyway, the fickle weather and growing drought has convinced most farmers and environmental authorities that the old wasteful ways have to go.

Finally for this month – because I’m bloody sick and tired of wearing my fingers down to my shoulder blades on this keyboard – we come to projected home for the elderly in Lentegí, with room for 100 gibbering guests distributed amongst 43 single and double rooms.

The 4-million-euro installation will be sited on a 12,000 sq/m plot somewhere up above the village in an area known as the Molinillo (little mill) – I’m asking myself whether that is the old converted mill owned by Juan Torres and Mª Luisa Fajardo?

Anyway, nobody will argue that the views are brilliant from there, although it is pretty remote, which is why they will have their own bus. If all the paper work goes through without any hitches – this is Lentegí; not Almuñécar – then work should begin after the summer and be completed 18 months later.

Rain causes two trucks to collide and claims the driver of one of them. The victim, a father of two young children from Motríl, had just finished work on a construction site in La Herradura. He was heading home, when the tragedy occurred along the N-340, before the tunnel.

Locals on the catwalk for charity during the evening of 12th April, as businesses and individuals in the village gave up their time and donated their resources to help raise money for the Motrilenean association working to support drug addicts, Ayuda al Toxicómano. The Civic Centre was filled with volunteers of all ages, helping to make the night a true success, whilst busy shakin’ their stuff!

Don’t miss the annual Day of Mathematics and Physics in the street. Normally held in the Plaza San José, just outside Sam and Marga’s language school, Idiomas el Mar, it’s bound to get your brain thinking. This popular outdoor event includes a range of toys, puzzles and demonstrations to prove that even Maths and Science can be fun! Held during the morning of the 17th May, there is no entrance fee to be paid, so go along and be challenged, with or without your children.

Nautical Station Headquarters to close, as the Town Hall comes in to repossess the premises. Speaking to the President of Costa Tropical’s Estación Náutica, Luis Pellejero, there’s no doubt that the facilities have not been maintained and that the bar never really took off. The swimming pool isn’t working, there are technical problems that have never been sorted out and just two years since the complex was inaugurated by Mayor Benavides, himself, there are no signs of any real activity coming from the Headquarters.

The original intention of this centre (in line with the objectives of the national organisation) was to work towards growing the tourist industry along the Costa Tropical, specifically in the area of nautical sports. In contrast, what seems to have been happening over the past 24 months is that an increasing number of dive centres, marine outlets and related businesses have closed down, as tourist figures have declined.

So does the problem boil down to insufficient funding, as claimed by the president, or is it really a vicious circle which is merely symptomatic of a slowing global economy, heightened by rising prices and less disposable income? Whatever the reason, the outcome is a sadder front line in La Herradura.

Naturally the PP (Partido Popular) has jumped on the opportunity to point out what a loss this means to La Herradura and, in turn, to criticise the local government in power, the CA (Convergencia Andaluza) and its failure to deliver promised resources. There’s also some confusion as to why the President of the Headquarters seemed to show no resistance to the decision taken by the Almuñécar Town Hall. In fact, it was at his instigation that a meeting was held with Estaciones Náuticas representatives at national level. In fairness, though, it seems a logical route to approach the national body when clearly things aren’t operating and no magic source of funds is appearing from anywhere. In Luis’ words, the centre requires a complete “reorientation and correct planning.” It does beg the question, was there was a plan to begin with?

Blue zone parking is rejected by the Partido Popular (PP). According to La Herradura PP Councillor Juan José Ruiz Joya, the zones planned to be affected by this paid parking system include: Calle Alhambra, Calle Unidad, Calle Eucalipto, Calle Gonzalo Barbero, Avenida Prieto Moreno and Paseo Andrés Segovia from the municipal market through to the zone of La Caleta (where the infants’ nursery school is located, at the east end of the bay). The company selected to run this system (Estacionamientos y Servicios SA) is currently running it in Almuñécar, and has now been pinpointed for a four-year contract at a fixed fee of € 3600 per year just for La Herradura.

According to the PP Councillor, this plan from the town hall is set to cause the businesses no end of problems. In reality, out of season there is sufficient parking and the few people who do come and buy will tend to be put off even coming in the first place. As Ruiz Joya points out “If visitors have to move their cars such a short time after arriving, where are they going to move them to?” The PP is certainly against the system, pointing out that the timing of the blue zones (every day of the week, 11am through to 11pm without a break over lunch) is completely over the top (excessive). What the town hall should be focusing on instead is sorting out alternative options, including the resurrection of the car park under the Plaza Nueva, which is perfectly placed right in the centre of the commercial zone of the village. And what about the underground parking that was mentioned when villagers protested against the new Paseo? Certainly, what does seem likely is that when people are faced with the choice of spending their money in nearby retail centres that offer greater consumer choice without the parking penalties, there are no points for guessing just where cars, owners and their wallets, will be heading.

Mentioning the Paseo, residents of La Herradura have started organising themselves against the seizure of land for said purpose. It’s been several decades that the topic of the Paseo has enjoyed something of a wasp nest’s reputation. Together with the attempt at recycling old railway sleepers, it seems that there’s never been a solution that has appealed to everyone in an aesthetic, practical or financially viable combination. The latest development has seen villagers establish counter groups in favour and against the future Paseo and this has in turn naturally gained political impetus. Those residents and local owners against the project as it stands, have joined forces with the opposition parties, including the PP (Partido Popular), the PSOE (Socialist Party), PA (Partido Andaluza) and the IU (Izquierda Unida). Those in favour of the project as it stands are clearly backing the current local government (Convergencia Andaluza) and the decision of the Department of the Environment.

Although the project was actually approved some 20 months ago, it’s only been during the past few weeks that the debate has truly heated up with residents becoming actively involved. The greatest point of contention has obviously been the anticipated expropriation of some ten thousand square metres of land, required as space for the building of the Paseo. The affected landowners have expressed their objections in a document entitled ‘Plataforma Pro-Paseo Marítimo de La Herradura’. What they counter-propose is a fairer project, which takes into account the position of all the parties affected. It appears as though most of these landowners agree that La Herradura’s seafront and promenade needs attention, but that it should not happen in a way that some people have to pay the price, whilst others benefit; effectively dividing the village.

As pointed out by the opposing group, the original design and modifications of the project were undertaken by the Almuñécar Town Hall; not by Costas (the maritime authority controlling the coastline) or the Department of the Environment. In this respect, the decision to make the Paseo as generously wide as it is planned to be, has actually been a decision taken by the Town Hall. Equally, the decision to expropriate land for the purpose has been taken by the Town Hall, alone. Unsurprisingly, within the money granted by the Junta (regional government) there are no funds allocated to compensate landowners for the expropriated land (estimated now at a cost not dissimilar to the cost of building the Paseo itself). So why should these landowners be penalised and expected to donate their property?

Intriguingly, the people against the project aren’t the only ones campaigning for their cause. Signatures are still being collected from the public, by people who agree with the Town Hall’s position. Their view if La Herradura is to move into the 21st Century, this is a positive way forward and will provide the best solution to a long outstanding requirement.

Several meetings have also already taken place with various representatives of local cultural and sporting organisations, as well as a number of residents, with a view to progressing the project. Their first objective is to present the project clearly to the public within the Centro Cultural Jate, showing how the beachfront of the village will change. This will be available for all residents to view.

Next up, the group in favour of the project (Plataforma en defensa del Paseo de la Herradura) has proposed an extraordinary meeting within the Civic Centre, giving the opportunity for each of the opposing political groups to argue their position. Keep your ears and eyes open for details, as the PP has already been busy damning the efforts of the ‘en defensa’ group, stating that what should be the objective is something agreed upon by the majority of residents, removing party politics from the equation all together (that’ll be the day!).

Intercultural exchange at Las Gaviotas primary school is inevitably the theme for the final term of this school year, since there are now a mere 25 different countries represented within the student body! (That’s got to be some kind of record, somewhere.) After a big push on inter-school athletics and sporting events over past months, the current Olympic fever is having a big effect on the activities at the local primary school. May and June are shaping up to be busy busy busy, especially for yes, you guessed it, the parents! Here’s your chance to really support the children and staff and participate in what should prove to be a really interesting programme. Consistent with the division of the globe on a continent basis, what has been decided so far is to hold another ‘Gastronomic Fair’ on June 6th, with stalls grouped together under the headings of ‘Europe, Oceania, Asia, Africa and the Americas’. Now it’s pretty obvious that the proportions are going to be less than balanced, so if you fancy ‘going Japanese’ or dabbling your hand ‘down in Africa’, then this too could be appreciated. The thing is to check out the notice board near the office of the Directiva (just to the left as you enter through the main door) to see who has currently taken responsibility of each of the stands. These people will be looking for support in terms of cooking, ideas, paraphernalia to give the stalls a more complete cultural feel and sheer man/woman power! The next meeting for the event will take place at the school on 7th May at 6pm, so make sure you get in touch sooner rather than later to find out how you can contribute to your designated stall.

The final major event at the school will take place at the fin de curso (end of school party) scheduled for June 13th (not to be confused with the last day of school). This will include a series of games and (I did say that the Olympics had influenced things!) competitions. Now, this event depends very much on the input of the parents, as the games and competitions are meant to be sourced directly from our childhood, believe it or not. With any playground games that you really enjoyed, which could have included specific moves, songs, props, well it’s our chance to turn up at the school and teach these to the children over coming weeks (in their original language), so that they can form part of the day itself.

It’s envisaged that circuits will be set up so that the children can pass from one area to the next, participating in each of the games. Again, it’s a case of approaching Elena (the Head of Studies at the school), or even communicating with the school via your child. Once again, if you come along to the meeting at the school on 7th May at 6pm, you can find out more.

Hideaway sees a real ‘knees-up’ as the crowd gathered to celebrate Bob’s 50th birthday. Held in the Hideaway bar on Saturday 12th April, the photos say it all … and it was clearly a great night!

Turning 50 could be a bit of a nightmare, but Jenette, Darren and the whole team at The Hideaway have obviously made it a dream come true for young Bob. Just goes to prove that it’s not only the light meals, Sky sports and the ever-popular pool table that give you reason to come along and enjoy the atmosphere. When you’re planning your next party and how to make it easy, it’s definitely a venue worth considering

New computer room launched in the Civic Centre, with the funding for this Adult Education Centre coming from central government. Ten computers have been purchased and free classes are currently being held to bring these keen adults up to speed in the world of technology. Classes will take place three times per week, with the aim to be more flexible in terms of timetables and offer a more practical introduction to computer skills for people (particularly female members of the population).

(Ed.) You might distantly remember the news from the end of 2003 about 2,300 kilos of hashish that was discovered in a yacht, moored in Marina del Este? Well the case has finally come up and the yatch owner, who is from La Coruña (Galicia) to three years and six months in prison.

The man had just docked the 14-metre yacht and went to the port master’s office to register, but in his absence the Guardia Civil decided to have a look through one of the portholes and notices quite a few suspicious bundles - 78 to be precise...

Katie and her family from El Ancla are in our thoughts and prayers. The best way to help is to continue to show your support at the bar.

George Brooks

It was with great sadness that the Nerja Branch of the British Royal Legion reported that Branch President, George Brooks, passed away in the early hours of Tuesday 1st April 2008.

Moving to La Herradura with his wife Sylvia in 1985, George played a major role in the formation of the RBL District South in Spain – becoming Vice-Chairman then Chairman. George, together with the late Brigadier Billy Beyts, formed the Nerja Branch of the RBL in 1989.

Following Billy’s death in December 2000, George took up the post of President of the Nerja Branch. George was later elected President, a post he filled with distinction for many years until ill health led to his resignation. He did, however, remain Patron of District South Spain. A tireless and devoted worker on the behalf of the RBL his principal interest was always Welfare, in which he excelled. He was an accredited Welfare worker in the UK before moving to Spain and continued in that vein whilst here. Branches and District regularly requested his advice and help over the years.

George Brooks will be sadly missed and the thoughts and prayers of the Committee and members of the Nerja Branch and District Spain South are with his widow Sylvia at this sad time. He and Sylvia would have been married for 59 years later this month and they formed a formidable team of stalwart RBL members.

The Salobreña Nazarí got off to a bad start in April. The Nazarí festival, a recreation of a fourteenth century Salamwiya (as Salobreña was then called) medieval market, was started in 2007 with the idea to recreate the culture at that time and with a large dose of tourism in mind for the town. The 2007 Nazarí was a great success and 2008 is to be bigger and better with over thirty associations participating and with over 1,000 residents dressed in fourteenth century costume. With the three day weekend event taking place under the historical Castle of Salobreña on the Paseo de los Flores the stage was set for another wonderful event. That is, until the skies opened and the winds blew strongly across the Costa Tropical coastline. At 12.41 pm on Friday 18 April (the first day of the Nazarí) a hurriedly prepared press release was received from Salobreña Town Hall to say that the Nazarí had been cancelled due to weather problems and that the event would take place the next weekend. Can you imagine the disappointment that must have been felt by all those participating in the event? It did rain all weekend and it really was the right decision to make even though very late in the day. As we will have gone to press by the time the Nararí does take place we will bring you an update next month.

Costa Tropical residents have a unique opportunity to meet internationally acclaimed photojournalist Paola Gianturco who is giving a talk on her latest inspirational book, Women Who Light the Dark, on Friday 30 May at 4pm at the Hotel Salobreña. Sponsored by the International Club of Salobreña, Paola’s visit to the coast is part of her European tour and the only chance for locals to learn about the extraordinary lives of courageous women around the world from this multi-talented author. Women Who Light the Dark chronicles the lives in photos and text of women from fifteen different countries working on the transformation of their lives and empowering others. Paola’s work has been exhibited in the UN, the US Senate, The Field Museum in Chicago, the Smithsonian Folklife Museum Festival, the International Museum of Women and the Museum of African Diaspora. Her photos have been published in magazines such as Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar and Essence as well as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The San Francisco Chronicle. Paola will give an illustrated talk on her book and sign a limited number of copies on 30 May from 4pm – 5.30pm at Hotel Salobreña, Salon Motril. This event is open to the public. There is a small entry fee of €3 per person, proceeds going to the Global Fund for Women. For more information on Paola and her works, go to www.womenwholightthedark.com or www.globalfundforwomen.org

Bars and restaurants in Salobreña now have to adapt their outside spacing arrangements as new regulations concerning them come into force. It appears that there are quite a few owners who are not in agreement with these new regulations and those who do not comply will be fined between 300 – 1,000 euros each time they overstep the mark. Each bar and restaurant is now allocated the amount of space they are allowed to take up on the pavements and the maximum number of tables allowed outside is twenty five per restaurant (dependent on outside area available). The space taken by chairs and tables should not be more than two thirds of the width of the pavement. Special attention has been made to the old town where different specifications have been applied. Between 1 June 2008 and 31 September 2008 in the beach area, bars can stay open until 2pm. Even the town’s kiosks have not been able to steer clear of the new regulations and are told they can only sell newspapers, magazines, ice creams, flowers and sweets.

Graffiti really does seem to be becoming an issue along the beachfront roads of Salobreña these days. Travel along the second line beach road and graffiti is on every urbanisation wall. We spoke to Marcia Gracia Gallego, the Administrator of the Las Brisas Urbanisation to get an update as we were interested to know who the responsibility for cleaning the graffiti rested with as month after month the graffiti remains on the walls and seems to get more prolific. We were told that the urbanisation’s insurance does not cover graffiti cleaning and it is the responsibility of the owners. Therefore, the President of each community would have to get the agreement of all the owners and it can be very costly to repaint entire stretches of walls that have been covered in offending and sometimes obscene drawings and wording (some of it written in the English language). Marcia Gracia Gallego said that she had been in contact with the Guardia Civil to ask for their advice and was informed that if the urbanisation owners were to have the offending graffiti removed from their walls, within a few hours the graffiti would reappear. This is about ‘turf wars’ and the young ******s (oops sorry, I meant offenders) want to ensure that their emblems are plastered all over the territory they ‘control’. Finally, there is a rumour that the Salobreña Town Hall may do something about graffiti, i.e. pass a law or two that will be totally ignored, but this doesn’t sound too close to becoming a reality at this time.

Sugar cane production in La Caleta has now ceased which is good news for all homeowners in the area in the spring months. While the sugar cane factory was in full flow, we would often find a blanket of black ash deposited over wide areas of the countryside and nearby towns and most annoyingly coming to rest on our terraces and inside our homes. The closure has now left sugar cane producers with the problem of how to get rid of their sugar cane still growing in many of the fields. The solution appears to be to set alight to it and then bugger off sharpish. One abandoned field of sugar cane near Salobreña was recently set alight and burned for over five hours reducing 7,000 square metres of unwanted cane into ash. Unfortunately, there is always the risk that it will get out of control and this happened in mid April to a 2,000 square metre field of cane next to the N340 coastal road between Salobreña and Motril. All traffic on the N340 road had to be stopped and diverted for over an hour as thick smoke covered the road and the fire fighters tried to get the blaze under control. I bet the owners of the fields were nowhere to be found when the police came knocking on their doors, “Who me? It couldn’t have been me officer, I was visiting my brother in Málaga all day.”

The Guadalfeo River is an uncontrolled dumping ground according to the IU party who have now made a denouncement concerning the dead goats found regularly dumped by the river’s perimeter. The Town Hall has now removed the latest offending carcass to be found from the scene of the crime and have asked all residents to ensure that they do not lob (throw) their dead animals willy-nilly around the countryside. Owners of goats and other livestock should have insurance, which covers the safe removal of dead animals when they keel over. Sounds as if not many owners have insurance and if they haven’t got insurance why are they going to pay for their safe removal when the Guadalfeo makes a supremely logical cemetery?

A new Punto Limpio (rubbish collection) area is to be built commencing in April 2008 and should be finished by the end of the year. The site will be close to the new cemetery in Lobres and will cover an area of 4,414 square metres with a total cost of 524,642.82 euros. The subject of its location has been rather a sticking point with various members of the Town Hall but the Mayor has responded by saying that when the Punto Limpio was approved back in 2005, at that time no other locations were possible. As it now stands, the proposed location is in a good area considering the future necessities of Salobreña and its ease of access to those living in the area. The Punto Limpio is a park full of containers where you will be able to take unwanted furniture, equipment, garden rubbish, scrap metal, tyres, batteries, paints and household electric goods for safe disposal. Does this mean that finally people will stop throwing their rubbish into the roads and ramblas in the area?

Two new pre-school centres may be built for children up to 3-years of age. Gustavo Aybar from Salobreña Town Hall has announced that they have requested the necessary monies from the PFEA in their 2008 programme to build the centres which will bring much employment to the area. The first proposed new centre will be in Lobres where they already have a site in mind and that the Town Hall will make available. The second of the proposed centres will be in La Caleta where they already have land designated for the project and have obtained a quote of some 500,000 euros to get the centre built. This is good news for families living in the area with young children requiring a pre-school place and who currently have to look to Motril to find it.

Is Molvízar becoming one big garbage dump? Ecologists in Action have circulated photos of the garbage being dumped near the town and which the Environment Department has already placed fines of 30,000 euros.

The Ecologists draw attention to the health risks associated with this dumping ground being near to a water source for the townsfolk and for this reason have presented this information to the Provincial Delegate of the Environment Department and the Provincial Director of the Andaluz Agency for Water in Granada.

As the Ecologists point out, when the perpetrators that are spilling tons of rubbish into this dumping ground see themselves put in jail, perhaps this kind of continuous environmental attack may cease.

Ghostly goings on have been reported at the Calderon Theatre in Motril. The theatre always keeps photographic records of plays that are staged and a couple of months back a photographer was busy taking photos during a performance. When the photographer later looked at the photos he found that there were three actors in the photo who hadn’t been on the stage at the time of the performance. In fact, no one knew who these people were and they certainly weren’t members of the performing theatre company. In the general excitement they have now sent the photos off to Cuarto Milenio, a famous TV programme that investigates paranormal phenomenons so that they can analyse the photos. We are informed that we might have to wait quite a while to get their conclusions. Don’t hold your breath then.

Taking the piss (making fun) out of the 250 people who participated in the Day of Urinary Incontinence recently in Motril may not be appreciated by some, or all, of their numbers. This messy and unwanted problem affects over 200 million men and women worldwide and can occur at any age although it is more likely to happen over the age of 65 years. Although seen as highly embarrassing for those who suffer from incontinence there is usually a medical reason for it and is therefore treatable. We are informed by this gathering that in general terms, many people who have incontinence do not like to make it known or think it is inevitable with age and do nothing about it. Specialists at the meeting showed various simple therapeutic techniques, i.e. pelvic exercises that could be used to stop those little unplanned ‘tinkles’ from ruining your day.

The official opening date of the Rotonda de la Puchilla, better known as the roundabout near the Alcampo supermarket, has still not been set. You will have no doubt probably noticed that there is still metal fencing surrounding the roundabout and the fountains are not working. It appears that the Town Hall are in dispute with the constructors as the joints in the fountain piping are already showing signs of rust and the palm trees installed are not as large as those specified in the original quote. An ultimatum has now been sent to the constructors by the Town Hall telling them to sort out these problems or they won’t be getting paid. OK, who tried to save money on the budget? Mind you, it has taken so long to build the roundabout that I am not surprised the pipework has started to corrode.

A new promenade for Torrenueva has been approved and work will commence on the first stage in January 2009. This work to the promenade is to include new drainage systems and has been on the drawing board since 2006. The first stage will include works between el peñón de Joúcar and the pedestrian zone near the bar del Jamón. The total budget is set at 3,500,000 euros. It only seems like yesterday that the Torrenueva beachfront got a total facelift making it one of the more attractive beachfronts in the area to take a stroll along.

The Ronda Sur road, opened a mere three months ago between the Rotonda de la Puchilla (Alcampo roundabout) and the port road roundabout, has been abandoned according to the Mayor of Motril, Carlos Rojas. He has now fired off a letter to the Junta de Andalucia telling them to get the gardeners down to the road post-haste as not one weed has been pulled out of the roadside vegetation since December and the initial planting of palms and shrubs. The Mayor does not want Motril to get a bad image.

The Comisaría de Policia building in Motril has recently been receiving further criticism from nearby residents and those visiting the area, and this time it is not connected to the previous complaints concerning NIE and Residence Certificates. One local resident told us that he had parked his car on the free dustbowl car park next to Motril Radio station to do some shopping. On returning to his car, he couldn’t open his car using the remote key and therefore couldn’t get into the car. Thinking that the batteries in the remote might have given up on him, he went in search of new batteries but even with new batteries could not get into his car. He then contacted a garage who sent someone out to the dustbowl and the problem was solved. The new Comisará building has had a frequency inhibitor installed in the building as an anti attack measure (to stop remote devices being detonated) and apart from disabling car alarms and locking systems, it is now such a problem for the 1,500 residents living near to the building on some days that they are not able to use any remote devices in their homes either (although possibly less arguments over who gets control of the TV remote). Carlos González at the Comisaría says they are now working on finding a solution to the problem but it does appear the frequency of the system is changed regularly so depending on the day you park you may or may not have problems.

Motril Town Hall has instructed the demolition of the first ten illegally built houses in the area. Five of these buildings to be demolished are located in the Mina Sierra, one is in Los Tablones and another in an industrial estate near the town. In the Motril area there are over 1,000 houses that have been singled out for not having building licences and which have been denounced. Up to now, people have built cortijos knowing full well that the fines for building illegally were derisory and would not put a dent in the price of building their new homes. Now that the Junta de Andalucia are getting more active with the rules and regulations set down in the Ley de Ordenación Urbanistica de Andalucia (LOUA) things are about to change in the area. Firstly, it depends where the building is built, in protected areas the cost of the fines could be between 200% - 300% more than the cost of the building. For the first time in its history, Motril is proceeding to demolish illegal buildings with the first ten properties chosen because their time has run out for the legalities and they are the worst cases. Other buildings will follow. The process of demolition could take up to one year as the authorities first ask the owner to take down the building. If the building is not demolished by the owner then the owner receives a fine and finally the authorities demolish the house. The new fashion in the area over the past few years has been to build wooden houses in protected areas which are equally as illegal. In some situations there have been fraudulent cases of illegal houses sold to foreigners who don’t fully understand the laws. Over the past few years illegal houses have grown up like mushrooms across the landscape and as the Town Hall now say “it is the consequence of a habit that now has to be stopped.”

Antonio Escámez, of the Sports and Environment Department of Motril Town Hall, recently had a rather surprising evening. As he says, if anything is going to happen then it will happen to him. He had arranged to meet a friend at the El Trebol Sala de Juego (games bar) in the centre of town for a drink. Early on in the evening he asked the waiter for some change for the cigarette machine and continued chatting with his friend. The waiter had disappeared off to do something and Antonio decided that rather than call the waiter back to unlock the cigarette machine with the remote, he would just reach over the bar to press the remote device himself (now installed in most establishments to stop minors from using the machines). When the waiter had come back and before Antonio had time to say, “I just hit the remote button to get some smokes”, the bar was surrounded by police. What Antonio had done was hit the remote silent alarm device the bar had installed to alert the police if they were raided by thieves. Silly boy! Several stunned and confused customers later and, on the departure of the police who we must admit acted extremely swiftly to the alarm, it was pointed out to Antonio that the bar didn’t need a remote device for the cigarette machine as only people of 21-years and older were actually allowed in the establishment.

Sandy beaches are only for us to dream about on the Motril coastline. There are plenty of good, clean, pebbly beaches and coves to be found but to make your footprints in the sand has never been on the agenda here. This is what we all think but we are quite wrong … there is a sandy beach called Playa de las Azucenas which is located between the Port of Motril and Torrenueva. If you have come across it on your travels or try to locate it, please take the following information as a serious warning. The Rambla de los Álamos that runs from the northern area of Motril and exits in Playa de las Azucenas is in serious disrepair and what is ending up on the beach and in the sea has given this beach Bandas Negras (black band) status. Recent testing of the Rambla undertaken by the Environment Department of the Junta de Andalucia (regional government) took place at the Puente del Toledano (a bridge near the Plus supermarket) and all kinds of objects such as plastics, wood, etc was found dumped at this point. The analysis of the water showed fecal contamination (430,000 in fecal coliforms, 9,300,000 in total coliforms, 4,000,000 in fecal streptococcus and 214 in solids in suspension). The conclusion is that at some points of the Rambla there are broken pipes where the sewage is getting into the general canal water supply. It is alleged that Motril Town Hall is aware of this problem but say they do not have the money to make the necessary repairs. From the Puente del Toledano the water from the Rambla is used by farmers to irrigate their crops as it travels towards the sea. This gives serious new meaning to whether you really want to purchase that lettuce or those green beans in the future. As for the beach, there are no signs warning you of the dangers of swimming or using the beach but if you get close to the mouth of the Rambla you will notice a horribly pungent smell wafting in your direction.