EROSKI TO BUILD ITS LARGEST SUPERMARKET IN ANDALUCÍABy David Eade
These might be times of financial crisis but it has not hit the plans of Eroski to build its largest supermarket in Andalucía in Ronda. The Basque company has nine commercial centres in the region but this will be the biggest yet.
The budget for the construction project on the town’s soccer stadium and hopefully the old fair ground will be around 102 million euros. The mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, who has firmly backed the scheme says it will generate 1,300 jobs.
The town hall and regional government have now approved the sale of the soccer stadium but there are complications over the adjacent old fair ground. The Andalucía authority says this is a recreational zone the town hall insists it isn´t.
At some stage this will be sorted out but the determination of Eroski to come to Ronda is self-evident. It has been waiting for 12 years to be given the go-ahead and at least it now has that for the football site.
The sale of the soccer ground raises 9.8 million euros. Only 2.5 million of that goes to the town hall as cash with the balance being spent on a site for a driving training centre and a 512 place car park where local residents can buy spaces for 10,000 euros.
However whilst the mayor of Ronda is euphoric about the supermarket, commercial and cinema centre the town’s small and medium sized businesses are looking on in horror. They fear that the creation of such a trading giant in their midst will be the death toll for their businesses and the traditional shopping areas of the town.
MUSICAL PROTESTRonda was treated to a musical protest on Saturday when some 500 musicians gathered in the plaza del Socorro. They were demanding that Ronda be granted a professional music conservatory. Currently some 50 pupils are studying music at the Ronda music school but after completing their second level tuition then have to continue their studies in Málaga. This requires at least two trips a week to the provincial capital and not surprisingly many pupils drop out at this stage. The campaign to have a professional conservatory established in Ronda is backed by the town hall and the present music school.
WRONG SIGNAL
The municipal broadcaster, Radio Ronda, lost 150,485 euros during 2008 with the shortfall will have to be taken from local taxes. It has also been revealed that the station’s director general, socialist Rubén Morales, appointed as part of the PSOE-PA coalition pact, receives 3,400 euros a month. This is a 23 per cent rise over the salary taken by the previous boss.
FAKE ROBBERY
The National Police have charged a woman who falsely claimed that she been the victim of a 600 euros robbery in Ronda’s main shopping street. It appears that she constructed the story so as to be able to claim the same amount from her insurance company. The police stressed that such false reports were a serious offence and she had been charged with fraud.
NO PAYCUT
At last week’s council meeting in Ronda the Partido Andalucista – PSOE coalition rejected a motion from the Izquierda Unida backed by the Partido Popular for a ten per cent cut in councillors pay. The IU wanted all councillors’ salaries to be cut by 10 per cent and the ruling group by 50 per cent. The budget this year will rise to 28 million euros.
DEATH CRASH
A fatal crash took place on the MA 7401 in Benaoján last Saturday. A vehicle left the road at km 8.6 and hit a crash barrier. The young victim who was sitting in the back on the left hand side was seriously injured, was rushed to Ronda hospital where she later died. The driver and other passenger only suffered light injuries.
TRIAL DELAYED
The trial of the former mayor of Gaucín, Francisco Corbacho, the municipal architect and five serving or ex councillors for town planning offences has been delayed. The court agreed to the move so that various facts can be checked. Corbacho faces 18 months in jail and being barred from office for 10 years. He recently resigned from the council after being convicted of corruption.
CRIME WAVE
In the last two weeks there have been a series of robberies or attempts on Ronda dwellings that have commercial premises attached. Where the thieves succeeded in gaining entry they made off with money and goods. Even a school has been targeted with a computer and other items being taken. The local police say they believe it is the work of local residents.
LUCKY FAMILIES
Twenty-nine lucky families in Ronda are to receive subventions from the regional government via the town hall for the refurbishment of their homes. The majority of the grants do not exceed 10,000 euros but where structural work is needed it can rise to 14,000 euros. The money is only paid to those families with limited financial resources and equates to 50 per cent of the total spent.
