Crumbs from the table – Budget 2015 invests in Almeria

The 2015 Andalucian Budget has been revealed in all its glory, and this region finally get some much needed TLC. 61 million euros will be spent building sewage works in Mojacar, Antas, Huercal Overa and Nijar. You will remember that the Antas sewage works was washed away in the great Vera floods, leaving all the waste to go down to the Garrucha one, which can’t cope and so causes those horrible smells. And then is Continue reading Crumbs from the table – Budget 2015 invests in Almeria

Llano Central will be approved in 2015

The new 2015 Budget for Andalucia stipulates that the Llano Central must be approved early next year, and contains a budget allocation for the paperwork to be drawn up and approved. What’s the Llano Central? Well, it’s a plan that contemplates the building of three golf courses (minimum – sic), 7,000 hotel rooms, xx,xxx new homes and apartments and much more in the vast, wind swept area between Turre, Los Gallardos, Vera and Garrucha, known Continue reading Llano Central will be approved in 2015

Llano Central draft POTALA recommendation document published

The Great and the Good of Almería have been in meetings recently to discuss our Future, namely, the Plan de Ordenación Intermunicipal del Llano Central del Levante Almeriense, or POTALA. This “Plan for our Future” (note caps) contemplates the building of three golf courses (minimum – sic), 7,000 hotel rooms, xx,xxx new homes and apartments and much more in the vast, wind swept area between Turre, Los Gallardos, Vera and Garrucha, known as the new Continue reading Llano Central draft POTALA recommendation document published

Luciano Alonso witters on about tourism (you’d almost think it was his job)

There is an incredibly boring, yet long, article in today’s La Voz de Almería by Luciano Alonso Alonso, Andalucian Minister of Tourism, Commerce and Sport, in which he manages to quote Shakespeare, Washington Irving and Darwin whilst reflecting on the importance of tourism for Andalucia. All of them, of course, great exponents of tourism. It seems that today is the World Day of Tourism (sadly, I missed the fireworks and free paella). Tourism, as Luciano Continue reading Luciano Alonso witters on about tourism (you’d almost think it was his job)

Mojacar’s tourism future – quality or quantity?

There is currently a debate raging about the future of Mojácar’s tourism. To understand the debate, you must understand that Spain attempts to quantify tourism into neat little socio-economical blocks, which academics can then pigeonhole into whatever half assed plan the politicos come up with. So we have many different types of “theoretical” types of tourism, such as turismo rural, where people go and stay in a rural hotel; turismo gastronomico, which are tourists attracted Continue reading Mojacar’s tourism future – quality or quantity?

The future of Mojácar…. gazing into a crystal ball

After a pleasent evening, during which we were chatting about the future of the area, I got out the old POTALA plans and had a bit of a think. After all, what does the future have to hold for this area? Irrespective of what we Brits think or do (we are, after all, in a minority amongst immigrants to the province – there are 40% more Romanians, 60% more Moroccans than Brits here) our benevolent Continue reading The future of Mojácar…. gazing into a crystal ball

Llano Central one step closer

Here’s a name that would gladden the heart of any Stalinist bureaucrat: Orden de 10 de noviembre de 2009, por la que se acuerda la formulación del Plan de Ordenación Intermunicipal de la zona de reserva del Llano Central del Levante Almeriense, de acuerdo con el Plan de Ordenación del Territorio del Levante Almeriense, aprobado por Decreto 26/2009, de 3 de febrero, de la Junta de Andalucía. No wonder lawyers charge so much. ANYWAY. The Continue reading Llano Central one step closer

Ecologistas en Accion ask Supreme Court (And) to cancel POTALA

Ecologistas en Accion have filed a submission at the Supreme Court of Andalucia (TSJA) to cancel the POTALA plan, saying that it is far removed from the official model of “compact Mediterranean cities” that the Junta of Andalucia is supposed to be behind. They argue that the plan to build up to 60,000 houses (35,000 in the Llano Central, 10,000 in Ballabona, 18,000 in El Puntazo, etc) are unsustainable, against all logic and not desired Continue reading Ecologistas en Accion ask Supreme Court (And) to cancel POTALA

Latest POTALA plans

Here’s a link to the latest version of the POTALA plans as published on the Junta de Andalucia website: http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/site/web/menuitem.a5664a214f73c3df81d8899661525ea0/?vgnextoid=15bf5f4eecac9110VgnVCM1000000624e50aRCRD (Thanks to Mick Petty for forwarding the link, I missed this!)

BOJA publishes plans for the POTALA and creates steering committee

Here we go. The BOJA (Official state bulletin for the Junta de Andalucia) has published approval of the POTALA and has created a steering committee to see it through to the bitter end. Spain has so many layers of bureaucratic nonsense (even the Diputacion de Almeria admits that there is no real need for the Diputacion de Almeria) that it’s quite a big steering committee. Hopefully done that way on purpose so nobody has to Continue reading BOJA publishes plans for the POTALA and creates steering committee