Marbella

Residents in Calle Miguel Cano have complained to the Town Hall about a disco which has opened, they say, without the appropriate licences. The neighbours say that it is open until the early hours of the morning and that the noise and disturbance is excessive. It appears that the owners of the business have a demolition order, but not at the moment a licence for building works. The residents have asked the Town Hall to take action and also say that they were deceived by the business who announced that they were opening a cafeteria and were shown plans, they then opened the disco. The Town Hall has confirmed that no licences exist and last week sent a building inspector to the premises as a result of which the business has been forced to close. If the business defies the order and re-opens they will be liable for substantial fines.

Local groups and residents have voiced their concern at the state of the Pecho de las Cuevas an area of natural beauty. They say that the caves are full of rubbish, including bottles and discarded syringes. The area is popular with walkers and climbers, but many say they are put off by the state of caves and the land and complained that there were no rubbish bins in the area. Residents have called for an immediate intervention by the Town Hall to prevent further deterioration in the area. They want rubbish cleared and security patrols introduced at night to discourage the drink and drugs parties. The area is a natural haven for wildlife and has possible palaeolithic remains which are protected in the new PGOU.

In just a few months’ time people will be able to walk from the promenade in Puerto Banús to the one in Marbella without going on the beach. A 60 metre wooden foot bridge is to be constructed over the Río Verde to link the two, at a cost of 750,00 euros. The Town Hall has ambitious plans to connect all parts of the Paseo Marítimo along the coast.

The Town Hall has given a council owned property to the regional government for the establishment of a new office for the the National Police. The office, in San Pedro, was previously the Sala de Exposiciones and will issue DNI and passports. The mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, said this was part of the plan to decentralise public services. She said that a second office to serve the foreign community probably in the La Patera area is part of the PGOU plan.

Four years after the closure of the hotel Don Miguel 80 of the 200 employees made redundant are demanding the promised severance package. They were promised 45 days pay for each year of work and new jobs. The hotel is now run down and rubbish blows around the grounds and legal wrangles go on. One ex worker said that the best thing would be if someone would buy the hotel. On Tuesday, workers gathered in front of the hotel to mark the four years in which nothing has changed and the hotel remains empty.

Nerja

The seafront at the El Chucho beach is to be given a complete makeover at a cost of 743,019 euros. The work, which has already started will give a boost to the tourist industry in the area providing a six metre wide, 285 metres long promenade with garden areas, shrubs and trees. The area will be wheelchair friendly with a maximum of a seven per cent incline and three specially adapted access points onto the beach.

The well known Balcón de Europa promenade will be illuminated this Christmas with specially designed low consumption lights. The individual units will be at the side of the walkway between the palm trees and are part of the major improvement programme that has been taking place during the year. Works start this week and will continue for 45 days at a cost of 76,000 euros.

A purpose built funeral home opened its doors on Tuesday to provide the local area with a much needed facility. The new building, next to the cemetery, has been constructed and equipped at a cost of just under three million euros and has rooms for mourners, wakes, a chapel and cafeteria.

Fuengirola

The Iniciativa project being introduced in Fuengirola will provide around 13 courses to help the unemployed back into work. Initially 195 people will benefit from the scheme. The scheme will have nine new courses in 2009, with a theory module being backed up with 200 hours of practical training followed by work placements. The courses are designed particularly for those from the less advantaged unemployed, such as women with family commitments and the disabled.

The citizens of Fuengirola have saved more than 125 million litres of water in the last three months, compared to the consumption in the same period last year. The Town Hall has also undertaken considerable works to renovate and renew pipework to prevent wastage through leaks.

Estepona

The owners of the ‘chiringuitos’ in Estepona have asked the authorities to speed up the process of granting permissions for the re-location of their premises. The process was begun in 2003 and at the moment the owners still do not have licences for the works. The ramifications of operation “Astapa”, which revealed a number of irregularities in the handling of the chiringuitos case and effectively brought everything to a stop, are still delaying the licences.

Residents in the old town area are still waiting for the approval of licences to carry out building works on their homes. Around 50 owners have heard nothing since their applications, but ten who started work without the approvals have been sanctioned. The plan for the area was set in 2002 but the local council and the Junta de Andalucía had been unable to agree on some points. In September the Mayor wrote to the Junta in the hope that the final approval could be given to the plans, and suggesting a conservation area be formed and three sites be declared of special historic interest. As yet no reply has been received.

Vélez-Málaga

The Junta de Andalucía has approved a grant of 50 million euros to improve and enlarge the port and marina at Caleta de Vélez. The plan will include 531 new berths, giving a total of 808 and will double the size of the current fishing and sporting zones. There will also be a new harbour wall of over 1000 metres which will attract fishermen and provide adequate moorings for the fleet of fishing boats. The plans also include two areas for fishing and sailing related activities and parking for 460 vehicles. The Association for the Protection of the Seashore has expressed some concerns about the environmental impact of the development on the surrounding wetlands.

Torrox

The planned private hospital to be built in the Calaceite area will provide health care for 150,000 people. The development is a joint project between the Town Hall, Fuerte Hoteles and Bescanvi SL. The agreement means that around 40 percent of the beds will be available to the public health service. A spokesman for Bescanvi SL said that the location had been chosen for the climate and the proximity to Malaga, Motril and Vélez. Torrox has a foreign population of some 40 per cent, who will also benefit from this facility.

Mijas

A project to create a social and cultural centre bringing together existing local facilities has been presented by the Town Hall. The centre, on the site of the existing council offices will provide a complete range of social and cultural services in an enlarged and modernised facility suitable for the growing population. The plans include an adult education centre and library. It is hoped that the project can move quickly if the budget of nine million euros is accepted for 2009.

The Town Hall has given two plots of land in the Las Lagunas area to the Junta de Andalucía for the construction of two new schools. Each school will occupy around 12,000 square metres, one close to the Doña Ermita and one in Las Lagunas. The area has seen the largest growth in population and the new schools will provide much needed places, reducing class sizes in the area as well as providing other facilities for the local residents.

Malaga

The City Hall is taking a hard line with those who cause disruption and littering in the street of Malaga. In a bid to make the city the cleanest and quietest on the Costa del Sol a new raft of bylaws have been introduced which carry heavy penalties. Noise and other public disturbances are covered by 72 laws with fines from 600 euros to 300,000 for the most serious and persistent. Littering and related offences are covered by 113 new ordinances and the fines range from 750 euros to 3,000 for each incident.

Work has started on the enlargement and upgrading of the P2 parking area at Malaga Airport. The facility will be closed to the public for at least seven months and visitors to the airport will need to use the P1 or P3 parking areas, both of which have a free shuttle bus service. The remodelling of the P1 car park will cost around three and a half million euros and is part of the overall extension works at the airport.

Rincón de la Victoria

The town’s old railway station is to be renovated and enlarged to become the new tourist office for the area. The Andalucía Tourist Board has given 140,000 euros towards the 235,000 euros cost of the work which will mean that the tourist office, currently located in the Town Hall, will now be in the Paseo Marítimo making it more accessible to tourists and residents. The old station had previously housed the local library which is now housed in a new building. It is hoped that the work will be finished by the end of 2009.