Benalmádena mayor promises to resolve all problems caused by overrun of works on main access road to marina

The mayor of Benalmádena, Juan Antonio Lara, and the councillor for Roads and Works, José Luis Bergillos, have held a meeting with local residents, business owners and the hospitality sector that have been affected by the delay of the works on Avenida Alay, which were due to be finished in June. The mayor promised to respond to all the numerous requests made during the meeting, saying that the problems were caused by the previous local government team.

Among the complaints aired was the unevenness of parts of the access road and pavement, the lack of loading bays for the commercial businesses, and also the absence of bus stops and insufficient parking spaces. In addition, they explained that they consider one of the access steps of the new road a hazard, claiming that several incidents where people had “tripped” had already been reported.

The mayor apologised for the unfinished work and promised to solve all the deficiencies, adding, “We took it for granted that everything was correct, but the evidence shows that it is not.”

All of those attending the meeting requested the partial re-opening of Avenida Alay, in order to facilitate access to the port, although Berguillos pointed out that it would first need address the necessary modifications before this could be achieved.

“The work has to be finished in order for the road to be opened. We will undertake the rest of the actions needed to solve the existing problems with our own funds. This work needs to be done individually, because each affected person has a different problem,” Bergillos explained.

The business owners also expressed their dissatisfaction that they have not received any financial aid while the work was being carried out, a promise they said was made by the previous council.

According to the president of the local traders’ association (ACEB), Rosa González, the commercial businesses and nightlife establishments in the Puerto Marina are “desperate”, because the delay in the completion of the main access road had severely affected trade this summer.

“In many cases there has been a considerable reduction in sales compared to other summers, and these losses have resulted in owners having to put money into their businesses to keep them open,” González said.