WHAT FUTURE FOR THE CASA DEL REY MOROBy David Eade – Costa del Sol News
The Casa del Rey Moro, one of the most important historic buildings in Ronda, has been saved from auction. The court that had issued an order for the property to be sold on July 27 because of a long standing unpaid bill has announced the debt of 150,000 euros has been settled.
The small palace dates from the 13 th century and also gives access to La Mina created by the slaves of the Muslim rulers plus historic gardens. Its German owners have wanted to create Ronda’s first five-star hotel in the building but over the last ten years the project has been held up by red-tape and the need to receive permission from the Andalucía culture ministry because of the site’s protected status.
The owner, Johen Knie, having stepping in at the 11 th hour to pay the debt must now decide what to do with the Casa del Rey. The property is in a state of ruin and earlier this year Knie staged a rooftop protest claiming the town hall was deliberately holding up his applications to develop the site.
This led to his arrest by the local police followed by claim and counter claim over whether his detention was illegal. To add spice to the mix the mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, has talked of the compulsory purchase of the historic building to save it from collapse.
FRAY LEOPOLDO CENTRE FOR ALPANDEIRE
Fray Leopoldo was born in the small Serranía de Málaga village of Alpandeire. He will be beatified in a ceremony expected to draw 300,000 people in Granada on September 12. The humble friar is renowned throughout Andalucía for his work amongst the poor on the streets of Granada.
Now work is underway in Alpandeire on a two floor shrine that will have various uses. The mayor Gabriel Jiménez says the sanctuary will not be completed to 2013. It will have a hall that can be used for religious services and meetings. These will be a museum dedicated to the life of the Capuchin monk with objects from his life.
The budget for the centre is 400,000 euros part of which comes from Málaga province and the friends of Fray Leopoldo association. It will have a small shop in the building to sell t-shirts and memorabilia in order to raise funds.
JOBLESS DOWN
For the second consecutive month the jobless total has fallen in Ronda but whether that is a result of economic policy or the holiday peak season has not been determined. There are now 4,042 unemployed and it is hoped the figure will fall below 4,000 by the year’s end. Women are still the worst hit with 2,138 of the total, men 1,904.
FRAY ROAD
The president of the Málaga deputation, Salvador Pendón, plus mayors from the Serranía inaugurated on Friday the newly resurfaced road that connects the scenic Genal Valley with Alpandeire. The refurbished road is five kilometres long and cost 2.3 million euros to complete. Fray Leopoldo, who will be beatified in Granada in September, is from Alpandeire and many are expected to visit his birthplace.
SAME DAY
Residents of Ronda who wish to carry out small works or improvements to their property can now obtain a licence on the same day. The town hall says it will take ten minutes to process the required paperwork. Excluded from the system are projects in the protected old quarter which still have to be examined closely plus any work costing over 2,000 euros.
BULLFIGHTING OK
Cataluña has banned bullfighting but Ronda deems itself to be the home of the fiesta nacional. Hence the mayor Antonio Marín has asked the Andalucía government to deem the town the centre of studies and investigation of “Tauromaquia”. Ronda’s bullring was founded in 1785 – the oldest in Spain – and the mayor wants it to have the role to defend the traditions of Andalucía.
TRAFFIC DELAYS
The work to build a by-pass around the village of Arriate so heavy traffic passing to and from Ronda can avoid going through its narrow streets has been put on hold because of the economic crisis. The work started in the Spring of last year and is very advanced. The ministry of public works insists the paralysation will not dramatically affect the road.
RESIGN, RESIGN
A second Partido Popular councillor in Gaucín, Diego Trujillo, has resigned. He follows in the footsteps of Manuel Moreno in 2008. The PP mayor, Francisco Ruiz, also announced he was stepping down earlier this year but has still to leave the bankrupt town hall. There are rumours of rows between Trujillo and Ruiz although he insists his departure is purely for personal reasons.
PAY LESS
Public employees had their salaries reduced by 5 per cent in the government cuts. This led a Ronda furniture manufacturer to offer a 5 per cent discount to all government and town hall workers. If you are a teacher, in the police, Guardia Civil, health service then you can apply. The company also has special plans for the unemployed geared to individual circumstances.
