Stepping out for grey power - Carvajal Spain

4 SUR IN ENGLISH OCTOBER 2ND TO 8TH 2009
News Costa del Sol Here&There
Junta gives Estepona urgent
500,000 euro cash injection
The regional funds
will be used to pay
the Town Hall’s
outstanding
electricity, gas and
telephone bills
ANTONIO ROCHE
The Junta de Andalucía has decided
to help revive the Estepona
Town Hall coffers with an emergency
cash injection of 500,000
euros. The Andalusian Government’s
delegate in Malaga, María
Gámez, said that the “exceptional
grant” was a matter of “cooperation
between institutions” in
which the Junta has a responsible
role to play. She pointed out
that last year exceptional grants
of a total of 800,000 euros were
given to other municipalities, including
Fuengirola, although she
stressed that non of those was in
the “difficult financial situation
that Estepona is currently going
through”.
The mayor of Estepona, David
Valadez, explained that the money
URGENT HELP. DAVID VALADEZ AND MARÍA GÁMEZ IN MALAGA ON MONDAY. C. MORET
wouldbeusedtopayoff thelocal
authority’s debts with the suppliers
of “basic services”, such as
electricity, gas and water.
Valadez admitted that the council
owed money to more than 600
firms and that in 2008 alone the
municipal deficit increased by 63
million euros.
He went on to say that the total
debt was as high as 160 million
euros, of which 42 million corresponds
to the Social Security, although
talks are taking place to
find a solution so that the town
can start to receive state funds.
Estepona
Building project threatens
Saladillo dunes
The varied fauna, including
some protected species, and archeological
remains on the Saladillo-Matas
Verdes dunes in Estepona
are under threat from current
plans to construct a hotel
complex.
The area is recognised and
protected as a green zone on the
new urban plan, PGOU (Plan
General de Ordenación Urbana),
however this has not yet been
approved. The site where there
are plans to build, near the Casasola
beach, is privately owned.
José Sotano, who has researched
the natural and archaeological
value of the area,
said that, “If the undesirable
happens, we will be witnessing
the greatest environmental
crime in Andalucía in the past
40 years.” Sotano has caused for
a special partial urban plan to
SALADILLO DUNES. THREE
KILOMETRES OF NATURAL BEAUTY.
be drawn up for the area and approved
“in extremis” or for the
Coasts Department to apply the
Coasts Law and expropriate the
site in question. Mayor David
Valadez emphasised that the
council’s intention is to preserve
this space of environmental
value.
Western Costa
Oña attacks water rates increase
On Monday the Mayor of Fuengirola, Esperanza Oña, described
Acosol’s plans to increase water charges as “atrocious” and an “unprecedented
outrage”, while linking this to “an increase in the executives’
salaries” within the company that belongs to the Mancomunidad
of the Western Costa del Sol. Acosol has described the
rise (around 9% after four years without change) as “extraordinarily
moderate”. The new rates are due to be passed on October 9th.