News from Andalucia & Costa del Sol
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Illegal home owners told to install sewage pipes
Mijas town hall says sewer connections will be a key element for legalisation
By Oliver McIntyre
MIJAS town hall has stated that it is going to call on the owners of illegal homes to install sewer connections as part of an effort to ensure that the town is properly treating all of its wastewater.
The announcement was made last week by councillor Mario Bravo following a meeting of the province-wide action group for sewage compliance, the Foro de Seaneamiento Integral de la Costa del Sol, which was hosted by Mijas town hall.
Sr Bravo explained that there are some 3,000 illegal homes in the town, as well as a number of urbanisations that are currently not connected to the sewage system. For the illegal homes - many of which are expected to be legalised under the regularisation plan currently being developed by the Junta de Andalucía - having a sewage connection will be a key element gaining legal status, he said.
And the level of debt continues to grow. From the end of 2010 to September 30 of this year the money owed has increased by 23 per cent.
Record October confirms tourism recovery
British tourists are leading the resurgence, say officials
By Oliver McIntyre
SPAIN'S important tourism industry continues to show strong signs of recovery, posting a record October for foreign tourist arrivals.
A total of 5.19 million tourists visited the country in October, up eight per cent from the same month last year and the largest number recorded during the month of October, according to the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce's Frontur report.
Andalucía received 750,000 foreign tourists, up 9.9 per cent from October 2010.
The October figures bring the year-to-date total to 50.9 million foreign arrivals to Spain, up eight per cent from the same period last year, and 7.2 million visitors to Andalucía, up seven per cent.
Andalucía's tourism chief, Luciano Alonso, highlighted as "particularly positive" the resurgence of UK tourist arrivals in October, consolidating the trend seen over the summer months. Other markets such as the Netherlands, France, Italy and Belgium also performed well.
7,000 visit World Cup trophy in Alhaurín
The tour of seven Málaga towns was arranged by the provincial council
By Oliver McIntyre
MORE than 7,000 people stood in line for a chance to view Spain's World Cup trophy when it visited Alhaurín de la Torre on Sunday.
There was a queue out the door at the El Limón sports complex as local football fans awaited their chance to view and be photographed with the fabled cup, which Spain won in summer 2010 when they defeated the Netherlands in South Africa.
The cup was on view from 11.30am to 8pm and visitors were treated to a festive atmosphere that included music, face-paining and bouncy castles for kids, a variety of exhibitions and two large screens showing highlights from Spain's triumphant performance during the 2010 World Cup.
"The trophy's visit to Alhaurín was the start of a four-day tour (CDSN, November 24) of seven Málaga towns. On Monday it went to Alhaurín el Grande and Cártama; on Tuesday to Archidona and Ronda, and on Wednesday to Estepona and Fuengirola.
The Fifa World Cup trophy stands 36.5 centimetres high and is made of five kilos of 18-carat gold, with a base of malachite.
The trophy depicts two human figures holding up the Earth. It has been the victory trophy for the World Cup since 1974, when it replaced the original Jules Rimet Trophy, which was awarded to Brazil permanently in 1970 when they won the tournament for the third time.
FATHER-SON TRAGEDY
Man and seven-year-old boy killed as car drives onto pavement
By Dave Jamieson
A FATHER and his seven-year-old son died on Monday afternoon when they were hit by a car while walking along a pavement in Málaga. A second son suffered a broken leg while an older brother received lesser injuries.
The accident happened at about 5.25pm on Monday when the group were on their way to a swimming class near the Cerrado de Calderón school. Witnesses told police that an Opel Meriva had struck a man who was with three children in Calle Rodeo, east of the city centre. The 45-year-old father was declared dead at the scene while the seven-year-old was rushed to the Materno Infantil hospital where he later died. The five-year-old was also taken to hospital where he was said to be stable, while the older brother received only light injuries and was taken to his home.
The school said the family often used the swimming facilities in their sports annexe although the children did not attend the school. The family is understood to live in El Palo and had four sons.
Lights out for Marbella stretch of A7 road
Marbella council joins other Costa towns in electricity bill protest
By David Eade
THE lighting on the A7 coast dual carriageway (formerly the N340) in Fuengirola, Mijas and Estepona has been turned off for some weeks after town halls refused to continue paying the bills.
They say although they have funded the lights for years the bills should be sent to the Ministry of Public Works instead and that the municipal coffers should get a rebate. The ministry's response has been that it doesn't pay for lighting elsewhere in Spain and is not going to do so on the A7 along the coast.
Marbella town hall had decided to wait for the ministry's response to the other town halls before taking a decision. The deadline for that decision is today, Thursday, December 1. Marbella insists it will not back down and its section of the A7 will also be shrouded in darkness as of tonight. The significant point is all the town halls involved, except Manilva which is governed by the left-wing Izquierda Unida, are Partido Popular run and the ministry is part of the outgoing PSOE government. So was this action politically motivated? No, says Marbella town hall - the action will continue.
Troubled start for MÁlaga port commercial centre
Inauguration was postponed and town hall ordered temporary closure of shops
By Dave Jamieson
THE new shopping and leisure facility in Malaga's port area became a centre of controversy on Tuesday, its official opening day. First, the formal inauguration ceremony was postponed although the public were allowed in, and then the town hall ordered its closure.
The 80 million-euro development at Pier One, or Muelle Uno, includes around 40 retail outlets plus bars and restaurants, most of which opened for business as planned on Tuesday. However, when it was discovered that an opening licence for the 1,000-space car park had not yet been issued, organisers were forced to announce that the lunchtime inauguration would have to be postponed.
Later in the afternoon, Malaga town hall advised the facility's management and the Port Authority that it was concerned that some construction work was continuing, especially in the pedestrian connection between the pier and the city's La Malagueta district. In view of this, the new centre was ordered to close until work was completed and authorisation had been obtained, "for reasons of public safety." The town hall further claimed that the centre's management did not have and had not applied for a licence of utilisation, formerly called a licence of first occupation. Reports suggested the town hall would be willing to allow the facility to open in phases.
The director of Pier One, Patricio Gutiérrez del Álamo, said that the town hall had been in communication by fax but denied that he had been ordered to close the centre. He said his technical team would be working to clarify the problems cited by the town hall. However, as CDSN went to press, it was still unclear whether or not Malaga's newest commercial development would remain open or closed.