EROSKI STARTS TO CLEAR SITEBy David Eade
The Eroski commercial centre becomes a step closer. The Basque supermarket chain has started work on demolishing the football stadium on which it will build its largest shopping and leisure complex in Andalucía.
The project has been 12 years in the making and now that Eroski has finally been given the green light no time is being spared. The company’s director general of expansion, Alfonso Fernández, has stated that the first brick will ceremoniously be laid in the near future.
Eroski will invest 102 million euros in one of the largest commercial centres in Málaga province that will serve the needs of Ronda, the Serranía, the Sierra de Cádiz plus the Costa del Sol. It will cover 65,000 square metres and create 1,300 jobs.
Not only is the football stadium to go but the demolition crews are also removing the old fair ground installations on adjacent land. This area will also be given over to commercial use.
PAY ON THE INTERNET
Ronda town hall has signed an agreement with Unicaja that will allow residents to pay their local taxes and charges over the internet. At the launch the director of Unicaja in Málaga interior, Salvador Navarro, and the mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, who decide to use this form of payment and register their accounts can save 5 per cent on their taxes.
Other advantages are the elimination of queuing at Unicaja offices to pay the bills and there are no hour restrictions on when the taxes can be paid. There is also a guarantee of security and once the resident has been given a special access code the internet can also be used to consult the tax – charges account.
EURO WIN FOR PSOE
PSOE topped the Euro vote in Ronda although the PP took many of the other municipalities including Málaga, Torremolinos, Fuengirola and Marbella. Nationally the PP took 23 seats to PSOE’s 21 with 42.25 per cent of the vote over the socialist’s 38.50. In Málaga province the PP attracted 43.66 per cent of the vote to PSOE’s 43.46 but in Andalucía PSOE was still well ahead with 47.92 per cent compared to 39.81 for the PP, 5.23 for the IU and just 1.01 for the Partido Andalucista.
Now the Euro campaign is over the mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, and his fellow PA councillors are expected to abandon the party this week, sit as non-aligned councillors and the majority will then join PSOE. The political shenanigans are not expected to have any effect on the governance of Ronda.
DAVIS CUP
In the centre of Puerto Banús bullring there is not a bull but a bulldozer as work is underway to create a playing surface and extra seating for the Davis Cup encounter between champions Spain and Germany. The quarter final in Marbella is from July 10 -12, tickets are 90 to 300 euros available from 902 15 00 25, www.ticketmaster.es, FNAC and Carrefour.
JOBLESS DROP
Whilst unemployment in Ronda reached a record level of 3,958 with a year of consecutives rises May brought a respite from the steady increases with 118 less people being on the jobless roll making the new total 3,842. The credit for the temporary halt has been laid at the doors of the central, Andalucía and local government job creation schemes.
LOWER DEBT
The ministry of the economy in Madrid had placed Ronda’s debt at 37 million euros with various banking institutions. However it has now revised its figures and says the town hall only owes around 19 million euros – just under half the original figure. Ronda has always maintained that it did not agree with the ministry’s data but owes other amounts to various entities.
GAS ALERT
A pipeline carrying natural gas ruptured by the Cervantes school in Ronda causing alarm amongst staff, pupils and parents. Technicians from Gas Meridional were called to the scene with sophisticated equipment to carry out repairs and the fire brigade were on hand to deal with any emergency. Thankfully there was no fire or explosion and the repairs were expected to take several days.
MACHISMO INSULT
Ronda’s Partido Popular is taking court action against the Partido Andalucista mayor, Antonio Marín, after he shouted machismo insults to the PP spokesperson, Maripaz Fernández, during a council meeting. The PP councillors walked out in protest and Fernández stated at a press conference that the mayor always attacked women rather than men adding – “we’re going to court because we won’t allow sexist attacks.”
MEAL AID
Ronda’s small and medium sized business association, Apymer, is co-operating with Caritas to provide families in need with free meals. The scheme will start on June 15 and will see 600 meals donated by restaurants in the town to people on the dole and those who are not receiving any benefit. To claim people must present their ‘libro de familia’ and unemployment certificate.
OUTRAGEOUS FINE
A Ronda woman has been fined 300 euros because her home is in a bad state with excessive damp. Leonor Francés has twice had cancer surgery, is infirm and lives on a monthly pension of 300 euros – the same amount as her fine. Two other families live in the property and the local police reported that it was below the minimum standards in which people should live.
