Andalucía - Six Towns of Distinction

The Regional Government has announced that stricter guidelines have been drawn up for awarding the title of ‘Tourist Municipality’. The Junta de Andalucia’s new decree has reduced the number invited to apply from 300 to just 43, as the Junta tries to enforce higher levels of quality for visitors to the region.

On the Costa del Sol, the Mayors of Torremolinos and Fuengirola are the latest hopefuls asking to be admitted as a Tourist Municipality. There are currently only six towns with this distinction in Andalucía - Cazorla, Nerja, Roquetas de Mar, Benalmádena, Santiponce and Ronda.

Cártama – Online

Cártama Town Hall's Web site (www.cartama.es) has received more than 24,000 hits since its launch in October and is currently receiving around 200 visits a day, according to municipal data. The recently approved draft local development plan (PGOU) has now been posted on the site. "Since we posted that information, the number of visits has increased," said Mayor José Garrido, who also highlighted the wide variety of municipal information available on the site.

Estepona – Apartment Owners Win Battle

After more than a year of discussions, owners of apartments in two blocks in Estepona have won their battle for the developer of a neighbouring block to pay for repairs to their properties. Apartments in Edificio Monterroso and Edificio Miramar, which are between Calle San Roque and Avenida de España, have suffered damage as a result of the construction of the 'Martín Méndez' building, and the owners say there are cracks in the walls big enough for a hand to be inserted, some doors cannot be opened and others cannot be closed, they are suffering from damp, and one of the buildings has tilted slightly.

After several surveys were carried out, it was ascertained that the structure of the two apartment blocks has not been damaged, but the problems had been caused by the new construction. The developer has now agreed to pay for the repairs, the cost of the surveys, legal costs, and for hotel accommodation for the families who have to move out of their homes while the repairs are being carried out.

Marbella – Local Council Ignored Orders

The Junta de Andalucía has now begun the process of withdrawing Marbella council's town planning powers, and details were released last week to show why the regional government decided to handle matters in Marbella itself.

The local council is said to have ignored 80 orders from the Superior Justice Tribunal of Andalucía to stop building works which did not have a legal licence, to have also ignored 250 provisional suspension orders, and to have failed to respond to 40 requests by the Junta to check all building licences granted by previous mayors of Marbella when the developments in question appeared to contravene the 1986 Urban Plan, which is the only one the Junta considers valid.

The mayor of Marbella, Marisol Yagüe, is consulting legal experts to see if anything can be done to defend the Town Hall's interests, although she is reluctant to enter into a direct conflict with the regional government, and there have been mixed reactions among the different political parties in Marbella. The Partido Popular fears that the move will increase insecurity among property investors and will be economically damaging to the town, and it blames the Junta de Andalucía for having allowed the situation to go on for so long during the period when the GIL party was in power. The PSOE, on the other hand, sees the move as positive and beneficial for everybody, and says the Junta had no option but to take over town planning powers because of the Town Hall's record of illegal building.

Benalmádena – Council Now Owns TWO Mountains!

Benalmádena council now owns 3,200,000 square metres of the mountainside behind the municipality, as it has just purchased 1,497,838 square metres known as Finca Los Castillejos. The local authority already owned the former quarry and the Calamorro Mountain, and it aims to acquire the whole range so it can be protected and the people of Benalmádena can enjoy it. The latest acquisition has cost the council 2,088,828 euros, which is far more expensive than the 1,448,121 euros it had offered for the land. The price finally agreed is the same as the official valuation of the site, despite the mayor of Benalmádena, Enrique Bolín, originally describing the cost as exorbitant and threatening to expropriate the land instead, and it will be paid off in four years. Sr. Bolín says the council wants the whole mountainside between the motorway and the telephone antennae to be a green zone which is free of construction.

Malaga Airport - Plans Approved For Second Runway

The Ministry of the Environment has provisionally approved plans to build a second runway at Málaga Airport, and the proposal will now be made available to the public for inspection before definitive approval is granted. The plans will be on display at the Governmental Sub-delegate's Office in Málaga for 30 days.

The second runway is to be constructed to the east of the existing one, near the Guadalhorce River, and it will be 2,750 metres long. This was considered to be the best option among five possibilities suggested by the Ministry of Public Works.

Because of increased noise from the second runway, 560 properties in Castañetas and Estación (Campanillas), San Julián, Churriana and the Zapata district of Alhaurín de la Torre will need soundproofing. Málaga council may also have to rethink plans to build 10,000 new homes to the south of Campanillas, because of disturbance from the second runway.

Andalucia – Services Cut to Two Building Projects

The Junta de Andalucía's Public Works department has ordered the electricity and water supplies to be cut off to two projects in Alfarnatejo and Benahavís because they are allegedly illegal. In Alfarnatejo, the order refers to a campsite in El Cortijuelo, where the regional government claims that prefabricated dwellings have been erected on cement bases, on land which is not zoned for construction, and have been put up for sale with most of the properties having been bought by British people.

The company in question has had a licence since February 2005 for a camping site, and the mayor of Alfarnatejo, Antonio Benítez, says the licence is for a mobile home site and is therefore valid. He is angry that the Junta de Andalucía did not give him prior warning that the electricity and water was to be cut off, although he has admitted that they had previously asked him to stop the works. He says he did not do so because they did not give a reason, and because everything appeared to be in order.

The other project, in Benahavís, is in the Briján area, where ground is being cleared and roads are being created, allegedly without the relevant planning permission.

Estepona – Plans Changed For Selwo

Estepona council has changed its mind about future plans for Selwo adventure park, after the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Manuel Chaves, opposed the idea of building luxury housing there because such a project is incompatible with the quality of environment the regional government wants on the Costa del Sol.

The mayor of Estepona, Antonio Barrientos, was quick to point out last week that the proposal to change the zoning for the land so residential properties could be built was totally legal, and that he had backtracked on the scheme for aesthetic reasons only. The company running Selwo applied recently for permission to build on the site because the adventure park had run into financial difficulties, and the council was then faced with an awkward decision because the land had been ceded to the company running Selwo for a period of 70 years. This meant that in theory the park could be closed down and the land could be abandoned for over 60 years, so the local authority decided the best option would be to cancel the original agreement and to invite offers from other companies to take over the project but in a different form.

The new Selwo would have a small zoo, and about two-thirds of the land would be re-categorised so that luxury properties could be built on it, but in return the new company would also have to repay the money the original investors had spent during the six years Selwo has been open. The council is now asking the Junta de Andalucía to help find a solution to revitalise the adventure park and make it profitable, because it should be one of the Costa del Sol's principle tourist attractions.

Fuengirola – Marina Expansion Moves Forward

The Junta de Andalucía's regional Port Authority (EPPA), has put out to bid the project to draw up the architectural plans for the expansion of the Fuengirola marina. Officials say they expect to award the contract in May so that the plans and environmental impact study can be completed by year end. After a public comment period and other bureaucratic steps necessary to finalise the project, construction could start in 2008, with a three-year completion timeline. The project has an estimated cost of 60 million euros.

The conditions set for the tender process lay out some basic guidelines for the expansion design. One major facet is that the mouth of the marina will be switched from the east to the west side, which officials say is more compatible with the "dynamics of the coastline." Another is the addition of a second docking zone, to the north of the existing one. There will also be a large dry dock in the area of the current mouth of the marina.

The expansion will double the size of the marina, to around 30 hectares, and will increase its number of moorages from the current 124 to "a minimum of 1, 000," says EPPA. In terms of creating new parking to handle the increased marina size, the Port Authority says there will be a ratio of 1.3 parking spaces per moorage space.

La Vega de San Pablo – New Development

La Vega de San Pablo is located in the beautiful village of San Pablo - Cadiz, just 30 km inland from Sotogrande on the Costa del Sol, and consists of 8 lovely townhouses of 3 bedrooms.

The townhouses are located overlooking the future golf course which is currently under construction. San Pablo is located only 2 km from the beautiful white town of Jimena de la Frontera – Cádiz.

Price start from €179,436.

Payment Terms are: 3.000€ Deposit, 30% PPC, and 70% on Completion.

Atalaya de Mojacar – New Development

Atalaya de Mojacar is located in Mojacar - Almeria. The residential complex is located in an exclusive enclave, five minutes from the beach, in a key position. From here, you can enjoy 180º views of the sea and the whole coastline, whatever the season.

The complex is made up of small groupings of one or two bedroom apartments with first class finishes and large terraces that can be up to 50 m2. All of the apartments offer a large garage space and storage room.

Designed so that you can enjoy your spare time, this exclusive housing development offers ample landscape garden areas with a large communal swimming pool, footpaths and a winter acclimatized and covered swimming pool.

Payment Terms are: 6.000€ Deposit, 15% PPC, 15% During Construction and 70% on Completion.