LOS MERINOS MAKES ANOTHER MASSIVE PAYMENTAlmost 9 million euros paid to town hall to date
By David Eade
Work at the site of Los Merinos in Ronda may have been halted because of the economic crisis but that has not stopped the owners of the controversial golf development from paying 866,258 euros to the town hall. Copisa have now handed over nearly nine million euros in eight payments to date as part of its town planning agreement with the town hall.
It is proposed that apart from two golf courses Los Merinos would also be home to a major luxury urbanisation and a number of hotels. There has been widespread opposition from environmentalists and surrounding communities including Cuevas del Becerro town hall who fear that the development will steal their valuable water resources and damage the ecology of the area.
There are also a number of court cases pending in which the mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, has been accused of giving the go-ahead for the development decree flying in the face of the environmental laws. The regional government is also trying to have the project legally halted on the water resources issue.
Copisa avoided an immediate clash last year by halting work because of the slump in the construction market. It also laid off the majority of those working at the site as well as sub-contractors just keeping a skeleton staff for essential maintenance. This week 14 new workers have been contracted and they will be employed on fire prevention over the hot summer months.
Once construction starts in earnest Copisa say they will invest around 100 million euros in the project. In recent weeks directors have met with the mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, to discuss the future restarting of work. As Marín has now switched from the Partido Andalucista to PSOE he could find himself in conflict with his new party at Andalucía government level over the future of the controversial development.
LUCKY’S FAMILY PRESENT A 16,000 SIGNATURE PETITION
The family of Luis Alberto Ramírez, known to his friends as “Lucky”, have presented a 16,000 signature petition to the Andalucía Ombudsman, José Chamizo.
As was extensively reported in the Costa del Sol News at the time in April 2008 the youngster from Gaucín died of peritonitis after having been discharged on a number of occasions by staff at Ronda’s hospital.
The petition calls for an investigation in to the causes of “Lucky’s” death and demands an improvement in the general level of medical services in the Valle del Genal.
Speaking after handing over the signatures “Lucky’s” sister, María José Ramírez, stated: “The hospital has said it was going to hold an internal investigation, but at the moment nothing has been done and the situation is the same.”
The family also have a case in the Ronda court, a ‘curso de reforma’ which prevents it from being filed by the judge. They have also issued legal complaints against five medical staff at the hospital and one at the medical centre in Gaucín.
Luis Alberto Ramírez died in April 2008 whilst being driven in a family car from the health centre in neighbouring Algatocín to Ronda hospital as an emergency ambulance was not available. Previously he had been sent by the local medical staff to the hospital but had been discharged without receiving the appropriate treatment. It is also alleged that the local doctor refused to visit him at his home stating there was no cover at the health centre.
BODEGAS LA SANGRE HONOURED
The Ronda wine producer – Bodegas La Sangre – has been awarded a major prize for its wine by Radio Turismo. Its gold medal for 2009 was given to the wine Espinel 2007. In the competition 300 bodegas in Spain presented 1,300 wines. Sergio Flores the director of Bodegas La Sangre stated: “this is an important recognition and is welcomed by our project.” To visit the vineyard’s website click on the Bodegas La Sangre banner on the right side of this web page.
POWERFUL ROW
The regional government has given the go-ahead for a power line from Buitreras sub-station in a protected environmental zone to Corchado-Casares. This will pass through Gaucín and Casares and as previously reported here has been strongly opposed by the town halls and Gaucín residents’ groups. The Andalucía government says it has approved the scheme because of public need but protestors say no such need exists.
POISONING FINE
The Málaga provincial court has ordered a campsite in Algatocín to pay over 20,000 euros to four members of the same family who ate tortilla there in September 2006 contracting food poisoning causing them to require medical treatment for three weeks. A Ronda court first ruled the compensation should be paid and that decision was upheld on appeal by the higher court.
IMPROVED ACCESS
Work has started on creating new access routes and roundabouts in Ronda to improve the road network from Sevilla, San Pedro, Campillos, El Burgo and Algeciras. The major road improvements are being funded by the regional government in a 17 million euros scheme that will take some 30 months to complete. The IU has complained that no environmental impact study has been carried out.
CORK HARVEST
Ronda owns nine fincas in Los Montes de Propios that each year produces a large quantity of cork that is then sold at auction. This year’s harvest is reported to be of less quality than in recent years and the economic crisis has also seen a drop in prices. None-the-less the municipality expects to earn between 500,000 and 600,000 euros from the harvest.
HEALTH AWARENESS
Twenty children from the infant’s school in Benaoján have visited the village health centre to learn more about the services on offer. The five-year-olds had the chance to meet the staff, talk about their work and how they could look after their own health. They also saw demonstrations of the electric medical equipment including heart machines and visited the emergency service ambulance.
LIGHTNING STRIKE
The Serranía de Ronda has had its first forest fire of the summer and the culprit was a lightning strike. The flash ignited ten hectares of scrubland at Parauta in the Sierra de las Nieves last Monday and took four hours to control. Two fire-fighters were hurt after being hit by the water from a fire plane and were treated at Ronda hospital.
CASH BLAZE
There was alarm in Ronda on Friday when a security van delivering cash to the Banco Santander in the avenida de Málaga caught fire close to a petrol station. The blaze started after a fault developed in the van’s engine. The three security guards fled the van the called the fire brigade and the traffic was held up on the town’s busy main road.
WINE WORKS
Work has now started on a one million euros multi-functional wine centre in Ronda. The project has been organised by the town’s agricultural department in the old water deposits complex that dates back to the 18 th century. Once completed there will be a wine bodega in the old cellars, a museum, a teaching centre for wine growers and a research unit.
NO CHANGE
PSOE in the Andalucía Parliament has rejected a call by the Partido Popular to reduce the limits on building homes, farm or industrial units or rural tourism complexes in Los Alcornocales national park. The PP argued that the current rules are far stricter than in other protected green zones in Andalucía and need amending to allow economic development. The IU abstained in the vote.
