News
Vélez disturbance
A man was arrested in Vélez-Málaga last month after throwing glasses from a fifth floor apartment . One narrowly missed a police officer in the street below and smashed into his patrol car . The officer was talking to a local man who had called for help after the suspect had been creating a disturbance and was showing signs of drunkenness .
Metro plans
A project to develop draft construction plans for the next phase of Málaga ’ s metro has been awarded by the regional Development Ministry . The € 1.37 million , 18-month assignment will lead to a 1.8 kilometre extension of Line 2 from Guadalmedina to the Hospital Civil . The later part of the project will coincide with the environmental study of the proposed route .
Bathers rescued
Six bathers were rescued from heavy seas off the beach at Torrox on September 14 . Several got into trouble near the lighthouse where the breakwater installed four years ago has created dangerously strong currents at times . It is understood that all of them ignored the red flag which was flying to advise people not to go into the water .
Migrants rescued
Four Moroccan migrants were rescued from a boat two miles off the coast of Nerja in the early hours of September 10 . A launch was sent to the area after the Maritime Rescue Service in Tarifa was alerted that a small craft carrying the migrants had been spotted . They were taken into the port of Málaga .
Arms arrests
National Police have arrested two people believed to be responsible for selling arms at a brothel in Vélez-Málaga . Five firearms , including one adapted to take a silencer , were seized in the operation , along with ammunition , drugs , cash and a high performance vehicle . Those detained are the bar ’ s 61-year-old owner and a 53-yearold Málaga businessman .
Surplus saved
Nerja ’ s mayor , José Albert Armijo , has criticised the “ temerity ” of central government over plans to seize any surpluses found in municipal budgets . The move was rejected in parliament last month . He added that , if it had been passed , around € 16 million would have been unavailable for investment in the town .
Major fire in Estepona started in shack
A Spanish couple , arrested in Estepona on suspicion of starting the fire which destroyed the town ’ s Laguna Village complex at the end of August , were provisionally released by a judge on September 3 . They are facing charges of serious negligence and making an illegal connection to the public power supply . The judge also confiscated the passports of the man and woman , aged 43 and 51 , while ordering them to report to the court office every fortnight . Estepona Town Council said it might also start a private prosecution against the couple alongside the public charges .
A Level One emergency was declared on August 29 as flames spread rapidly . Around 30 homes , a restaurant and an hotel were evacuated , while the A-7 motorway was closed in both directions . One home was destroyed and evacuees spent the night in a municipal sports centre .
When the flames reached Laguna Village , the fire spread rapidly between wooden buildings with thatched roofs , leaving the area completely gutted within minutes . Remarkably , despite considerable panic , no one died or was injured in the incident which razed 42 hectares of land in total and was attended by around 50 fire fighters supported by four helicopters .
Investigators from the National Police say that a failure in an electrical appliance in the couple ’ s home began the fire which spread rapidly fanned by high winds . They added that the shack where they lived , four kilometres from the town centre , had been connected illegally to the public electricity supply 100 metres away by a cable which ran across the ground .
The mayor of Estepona , José María García Urbano , has called on business owners at Laguna Village to work with the town hall to rebuild the shopping and leisure complex by next Easter . The town hall has already waived rent and local taxes for those who hold concessions on the land which is council owned , while approval has been given to plans to restart building as soon as possible .
SOHA suggestions reviewed
The residents group SOHA ( Save Our Homes Axarquía ) has released the submissions it has made to the authorities regarding new legislation being drafted to replace the current Urban Planning Law ( LOUA ). The group is made up of mainly foreign residents who bought homes using municipal licences which later turned out to have been issued illegally , and has been attempting to regularise the owners ’ situations for some considerable time .
SOHA says that all of its 12 suggestions assume that the homes can be considered irregular , but not illegal , as their owners paid municipal fees and taxes demanded by their local town hall , after which their building licences were issued , “ creating an appearance of legality .”
The group estimates that the new legislation , the Law to Promote the Sustainability of the Territory of Andalucía ( LISTA ), will force the authorities to review around 600,000 administrative acts , based on the fact that each of around 300,000 irregular properties in the region was issued both a building licence and first occupation licence . SOHA ’ s recommendations have been sent for approval to Málaga ’ s provincial government ( the Diputación Provincial de Málaga ) and to the body which represents 31 municipalities east of Málaga ( the Mancommunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Axarquía ).
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