DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY DECEMBER 22, 2011

JÚZCAR STAYS BLUE AND HITS WORLD HEADLINES


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Júzcar is a small municipality in the Serranía de Ronda. On Sunday its residents voted for it to stay blue. The news was flashed around the world and appeared on many TV news programmes as the village of the Smurfs lives on.

This remarkable story started earlier this year in June with the Sony film company. They wanted a village, somewhere in the world, to be painted blue and to be the home of the Smurfs for the promotion of the new movie – The Smurfs 3D. They decided on Júzcar, just one of the many famous white villages of Andalucía, and in so doing changed the life and wealth of the entire valley.

Júzcar and the other surrounding villages of the Genal Valley are not on the main road but off the beaten track. So the fact the mayor of Júzcar had to hire three additional local police officers to control the increase in traffic shows just what an impact the promotion of the movie had. People came to see the village with its nameplate ‘Primer Pueblo Pitufo’, eat in its bars and restaurants, stay in its hotels and guest houses, buy its local produce and take part in Smurf themed events.

The PSOE mayor, David Fernández, decreed that once the Spanish general election was out of the way villagers would vote on whether to stay blue or revert to white. Sony had made it clear it would pick up the 60,000 euros bill for the repaint. The debate was should Júzcar stay as the village of the Smurfs or revert back to being a sleepy backwater.

On Sunday 141 people voted to stay blue with just 33 saying they wanted to be white. Six people sent in blank votes. A total of 250 people were allowed to vote; those who are on the town hall census along with people who own businesses in the village. Voting was from 10.00 to 18.00 and 73.6 per cent of those eligible to vote turned out.

Speaking after the vote David Fernández pointed out that his village had been transformed into an example of sustainable tourism in the Ronda region. “We have been visited by around 80,000 people. We are in times of crisis and these initiatives are very necessary, the village can remain blue during this time.”

So if the children are bored over the holiday season or you just fancy a drive, why not head up to the village of Júzcar for a unique blue day out.

CHARITY SLASHED

The Catholic charity Cáritas which helps the homeless and those in need in the parishes throughout Spain has seen a dramatic collapse in its income in Ronda. Up to the end of November 48,600 euros had been received compared with 131,000 euros last year. Seventy per cent of the funds are used to purchase food stuffs and necessary household items for needy families.

JOBS STIMULUS

The regional government is investing seven million euros in developing projects to create employment in the Serranía de Ronda. This will see the formation of at least a dozen employment schools and workshops next year. Funding will go to the municipalities of the Genal – Guadiaro – Serranía consortium which excludes Ronda. It is hoped that over 220 unemployed people will benefit from the schemes.

PROVINCIAL CASH

Málaga province is handing over 510,000 euros to eight municipalities for projects that have up to now been put on hold. Those to receive the cash are Algatocín, Benarrabá, Gaucín, Jimera de Líbar, Jubrique, Montejaque, Parauta and Ronda. In Ronda funding will be made available to finish the roundabout and road resurfacing on the industrial estate. Elsewhere schools, tourism and infrastructure will benefit.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY DECEMBER 15, 2011

CONCERN OVER PROPOSED AVE ROUTE


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The town of Ronda has wanted the AVE high speed rail system to come to its station for years. Now the ministry of public works has finally announced the project has been approved there is anger amongst residents who suddenly find themselves living alongside the proposed route.

Around one hundred residents of Llano de la Cruz have formed an association to have the route changed. Its president is Cristina Piek who owns the Hotel Fuente La Higuera which instead of currently being in open countryside will have the twin tracks going past its door.

Cristina Piek says there are up to 100 properties in the valley along with 200 houses and four rural hotels. Some 2,500 people live in the zone and their lives will be disrupted by the AVE rail track that will link Antequera with Algeciras via Ronda passing through their midst.

The association points out that the economic and environmental consequences for Llano de la Cruz with its numerous farms and vineyards as well as rural tourism bases will be very negative. Piek also stated that the noise from construction and the trains will generate a high degree of stress.

The ministry is proposing that the majority of the line will follow the existing single track which currently just carries local and freight trains. This will go from Antequera via Almargen, Alcalá del Valle, Setenil then through Llano de la Cruz to La Indiana.

A new AVE station will be created at La Indiana just on the outskirts of Ronda. However the service will pass through Ronda itself and the town hall wants this section placed underground. It argues not only will this not divide the town but will create useable space where the present rail track exists.

JÚZCAR VOTES ON STAYING BLUE

The Serranía de Ronda is famous for its white villages but Júzcar is now known around the world for being blue. The buildings were painted by Sony as part of its international promotion for the new Smurfs movie in which Júzcar was transformed in to their home.

This has brought thousands of visitors to the Valle del Genal to see blue Júzcar and the town hall has had to employ an additional three police officers to control the traffic. Local businesses have prospered, Júzcar has been placed firmly on the map but should it stay blue?

Now the general election is out of the way the residents will go to the polls to decide the future colour of their village. Mayor David Fernándéz says everybody over 18 years of age who is registered at the town hall along with business and property owners will be able to vote.

The mayor has written to everybody to explain how it is important for them to vote. However he stresses he is not stating any preference and whichever way the vote goes that is fine by him. He adds that if the village goes back to white it will regain its tranquillity and be visited just by the lovers of nature and those seeking rural tourism.

It will cost 60,000 euros to repaint Júzcar white and the bill will be paid by Sony. However the village has been enjoying its moment of fame and it may well be that this Saturday – December 17 – the residents vote to stay blue and enjoy the fame of the Smurfs for a while longer.

HAVE A GAY ST VALENTINE’S DAY

The Serranía de Ronda village of Montejaque is staging a unique event to boost rural tourism to the area. It has announced the first Encuentro de Solter@s Gays which will run over the 10 th – 12 th February weekend with the objective of celebrating St Valentine’s Day, which of course is on the 14 th.

It is organised by the tourist office and as the title suggests is for single Gays although a look through the programme suggests they should also be donkey lovers. The town hall says the objective is to encourage visitors to the stunning beautiful Montejaque area as well as encouraging singles to meet their perfect partner.

DRINK THEFT

Thieves have started returning to the industrial estate in Ronda. The latest robbery was at Distribuciones Cantero which handles alcoholic drinks and general food stuffs. On this occasions the thieves made off with 500 boxes of drinks and cash. The value of the stolen items was 80,000 euros and a van was taken from a nearby chicken product company to remove the booty.

JOBLESS UP

The number of unemployed in Ronda has risen again. In November another 28 workers went on the dole bringing the total to 4,756. However whilst the total of women out of work has risen to 2,478 the number of men has dropped by 11 to 2,289. In November 941 new work contracts were signed of which 915 are temporary and the rest permanent.
INDY ADVANCE
The move to make the outlying enclaves of Ronda into separate municipalities continues. Serrato and Montecorto will be the 102nd and 103 rd municipalities in Málaga province. The regional government has issued for public inspection information on the transition which should be completed in the next two years. One problem: the law says they must have a population of 2,500 whereas its 600.
GET WALKING
The Andalucía project ‘Por un millón de pasos’ which encourages people to walk for the benefit of their health has been launched in Gaucín and El Colmenar. Residents are being encouraged to take exercise and to eat a sensible diet to prevent illnesses and cancer. Currently 161 people in Gaucín and another 98 in nearby El Colmenar – Estación de Gaucín over 6,200 kilometres.
PLANNING PROTEST
The PSOE group on the Málaga provincial authority have protested at the cancellation of the scheme which saw town planning assistance given to the rural municipalities to draw up their local development plans. The cuts say the socialists leave these town halls without any support, have thrown dozens of people on to the dole queue and have put a break on development projects.

HORSE SCHOOL

The equestrian school in Ronda now has 50 pupils. The school is located next to the municipal stud. The lessons are open to all at the basic level and include various styles of riding. There are special sessions for the handicapped where working with the horses is used as a therapy. The Andalucía government pays 60 per cent of the costs with the town hall the balance.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 1 DECEMBER 2011

DOUBLE VOTE AND PSOE VICTORY


As the voting statistics for the general election are analysed it’s emerged the Partido Popular achieved double the votes in Ronda compared with the May municipal poll. Marí Paz Fernández came to power with 5,406 votes for the PP but 9,897 backed Mariano Rajoy. The difference between PP and PSOE in Ronda was 14.57 per cent, one of the lowest recorded in the province.

The Serranía de Ronda has always been a bastion for PSOE. In last week’s general election 13 municipalities backed PSOE with the highest vote 1,015 in Cortes de la Frontera. Izquierda Unida took traditionally communist Arriate where PSOE came second with the PP trailing third. However the Partido Popular managed to win majorities in Benalauría, Benarrabá, Gaucín, Igualeja, Jimera de Líbar and Júzcar.

ROBBERY APPEAL

Asaja, representing the young agriculture sector in the Serranía, has held a meeting at Ronda town hall with officials and representatives of all the police forces. They’re concerned at the number of robberies from farms. Whilst Asaja appreciates it is difficult to patrol such a wide area they asked police to investigate scrap metal merchants, the sales of machinery and stolen olive oil.

NOT GUILTY

The former president of the Asser association for the deaf in Ronda has stated that he is not guilty of misappropriating funds between 1997 and 2008. It is alleged that at least 17,000 euros are missing much from member’s fees. The investigation is now in the hands of Ronda court and whilst it continues the ex-president says he maintains he’s innocent.

HOLA! HONOUR!

On Saturday a ceremony was held in the form of an extraordinary session of Ronda’s council at the Convento de Santo Domingo convention centre. It was to confer the status of Hijo Predilecto on Antonio Sánchez Gómez at which famous bullfighter Francisco Rivera was in attendance. Sanchez Gómez is famous throughout Spain for founding ¡Hola!, the most popular gossip magazine in the country.

CORTIJO RENTED

When the Partido Popular came to power in Ronda is announced it intended to sell one of its prize assets, the Cortijo San Juan covering 77 hectares. However when offered at auction there were no bids. Now it’s agreed a rental that will bring in 85,240 euros a year which will hardly dent the town hall’s debts but does remove its running costs.

ANGRY RESIDENTS

Those living on Ronda’s calle Los Remedios are hopping mad. Road works started in September but have been idle for a month. The street is dug up, machinery lies abandoned and rats run free. “They say it will be finished by Christmas but we are not mad, Easter is more likely,” said one resident. Red tape over the constructor’s documentation is to blame.

GOING CATALAN

Ronda’s famous Hotel Reina Victoria, which is designed in the English style and was built for the railway line connecting the town with Algeciras where it has a twin (Reina Cristina), has a new management company. Catalonia has taken over from Husa and it is the Catalan company’s fourth hotel in Andalucía. Next year will see a major investment on refurbishing the interior.

WATER ROW

Back on October 28 the villages of Benaoján and Montejaque had their water supplies turned off because of contamination detected at the Molino Santo well. Now the Partido Popular has raised the issue at the Andalucía parliament demanding an immediate statement on the issue. The regional government says there was a danger of gastroenteritis and since then the taps have been dry.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2011

AVE LINK REPORT OPENED TO THE PUBLIC


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The ministry of public works has announced through the State Bulletin (BOE) that it is making public the findings of its study on bringing the AVE high speed train connection from Antequera to Ronda.

The objective of the study has been to select the best route for the track to run from Antequera-Santa Ana to Ronda at La Indiana. Those involved had to take in to account the geography along the possible routes, technical conditions, planning implications and any adverse affect on the environment.

The current line to Ronda and on to Algeciras is used by diesel trains. The AVE would require dual electrified tracks with dual use for the existing diesel freight train service to the busy port.

The proposals are the line should connect with the service at Bodadilla as it currently does. It would then follow the exact same route as the current line to Ronda. From there it would go to La Indiana where the future AVE station for Ronda would be constructed. The plans are open for public inspection for 30 days during which time suggestions or complaints can be lodged.

The cost of bringing the AVE to Ronda is set at over 711 million euros. It will mean the town of the Tajo will be connected with Ronda in two and a half hours. It is also proposed the service will be extended to Algeciras. The project would open up Ronda and the Serranía and bring increased economic and tourism activity to the region. Via the AVE network Ronda would also have improved access to other cities in Andalucía.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR BIRD WATCHING TOURISM

Málaga has allocated 214,000 euros to the provincial network of ornithology tourism. Bird watching is seen as a popular activity that can be offered alongside traditional tourism and will help boost the current static market on the Costa del Sol.

The network of bird watching zones is being coordinated to promote the pastime with 43,000 euros being spent on information panels throughout the Serranía de Ronda. Another 60,000 euros is being assigned to the migratory zone to be found at Ventorrillo de las Corchas in Benarrabá, 42,000 euros for a viewing zone in Cortes de la Frontera and 70,000 euros for observatories in Villaneuva del Rosario’s Laguna de Hondonero, Cuevas de San Marcos on the Genal river and the artificial Laguna at Cuevas Bajas.

Major investment is also destined for Cañete la Real which sites on the major migratory routes from the Straits of Gibraltar. Here there is to be a viewing platform to see the Leonardo Vultures which have nearby one of the most important breeding sites in the south of Spain. This viewing area is handily placed as it is alongside the Cañete slaughter house and the carcasses can be used for feeding the vultures.

Also nearby are the breeding ground for a species of eagle that is protected and highly valued by bird watchers. Numerous small birds live in the woodlands around Cañete with other habitats including the Royal Eagle and Eagle Owl amongst a number of noteworthy predators.

TOURISTS ROBBED

Guardia Civil arrested two people who broke into a car and stole items whilst the vehicle was parked at the Cueva de la Pileta, Benaoján. Officers were alerted by a neighbour who’d seen the pair acting suspiciously around the car. Sadly this is not an uncommon occurrence at the popular caves and visitors are advised not to keep any valuables in their vehicle.

OLIVE JOY

For the last three years the harvests of olives have been very poor indeed. This year it is the turn of the chestnut crop to suffer but the expectations for olives is a high yield. No figures have been given for Serrania de Ronda but the co-operative predicts the total crop for Málaga province to be 65,000 tonnes, 11,000 more than in 2010.

LOW BUDGET

Ronda held an urgent council meeting to set its budget for 2012. The councillor for the economy, María del Carmen Martínez, set the total at 25.5 million euros which is over seven million euros less than this year hence major cuts in all departments. In addition the town hall is paying out 1.3 million euros to suppliers thanks to an ICO government loan.

WINE CENTRE

The project has been aging like a mature wine but work is now underway on a wine centre for Ronda to be created in the buildings of ironically the old water deposits. The scheme has a 1.2 million euros budget; should take 18 months to complete with a bodega plus an information and exhibition area and will be used to train wine professionals.

BLIND THEFT

Police and Ronda court is investigating the case of the former president of the ASSER association dedicated to helping the blind over the misappropriation of 17,000 euros between 2007 and 2008. It is also believed monies may have been taken from 1997 to 2000. The accused was president from 1997 to 2008 and investigations are remaining open whilst the exact amount is calculated.

QUALITY TOURISM

The plan to promote quality tourism in the Serranía de Ronda has seen 4.5 million euros invested in the past four years with the financing of over 100 projects. These include the creation of visitors’ centres in Pujerra, Cortes de la Frontera and Júzcar. The working group also studied 65 establishments; if they meet quality standards they receive major promotion nationally and internationally.

GETTING THIRSTY

Anger is mounting in Benaoján and Montejaque where residents still cannot drink the potable water. The mayor of Benaoján is considering issuing an official complaint against the health delegation saying the situation is damaging tourism and the pork product industry. PSOE claims the contamination of the Molino del Santo well has been caused by sewage. Drinking water is being supplied by the Legion.

PAY DAY

Mayor of Cortes de la Frontera, Antonio Granero, has confirmed all the municipal workers have been paid for July including those involved in collecting the cork harvest. This still leaves August, September and October to be settled. Cortes banked 1.2 million euros from the cork sales and Granero says the due salaries of the 100 town hall staff will be settled this month.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2011

FORMER GAUCÍN MAYOR GUILTY OF TOWN PLANNING OFFENCES


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The former mayor of Gaucín, Francisco Corbacho, who had first sat as an independent then as a member of the Partido Andalucista, has been found guilty of town planning offences. He was in the dock along with the municipal architect, three current councillors and two ex-councillors. They were accused of between 2000 and 2003 granting planning licences for land which in some cases was protected.

All the accused except one councillor were given a fine of 12 euros a day for 21 months plus are barred from holding public office for nine years. The other councillor has a lesser sentence of 12 months of fines plus seven years ban from office because he only participated in one of the cases involved with the licences.

This is one of the first cases that has involved a municipal architect. Francisco Arenas had worked at the town hall from 1988 and had given permission for the projects to proceed whilst fully aware that to do so was against the planning law. The plans had been signed by his daughter.

The three sitting councillors barred from office are Francisco Medicina, Francisco José Macías and Carmen Cantudo. All currently are independents but had previously been associates of Corbacho in the Partido Andalucista. The two former councillors also represented the PA.

Ex mayor Francisco Corbacho already has a previous conviction for embezzlement and obstructing justice plus planning to misappropriate public funds dating back to 2008. The Supreme Court had suspended his employment in public office, handed down a nine month fine and also barred him from office for seven years.

BENAOJÁN AND MONTEJAQUE HAVE NO DRINKING WATER

Málaga province has stepped in to give urgent aid to the 2,600 residents of Benaoján and Montejaque who have no drinking water.

The Serranía de Ronda villages discovered last Friday that their water supply was not fit for human consumption. The president of the Málaga province authority, Elías Bendodo along with the deputy for the environment, Juan Jesús Bernal, met on Monday with the mayors of the two communities.

The regional government says that three tests have been carried out in recent days on the Molino Santo well and serious contamination was found. At present this contamination has not spread to the water supply.

Whilst the problem is sorted out the residents are thankful that their neighbours are the Spanish Legion whose barracks are nearby. The military have offered three vehicles that can carry 2,000 litres of water each to supply the 1,600 people in Benaoján and the 1,000 in Montejaque.

GHANA VISIT

The Ambassador of Ghana in Spain, Fidelis W Yao Ekar, last week visited the town of Ronda and met with the mayor Marípaz Fernández. He had travelled to the town of the Tajo with his wife to offer thanks for the work of the Associación de Cooperación Internacional Solidaria ‘Sierra de las Nieves’ which gives aid to hospitals in the West African country.

WORKER BATTLE

Ronda recently declared war on its workers in the municipal companies cutting their budgets, suspending agreements and withdrawing social help. Now it is the turn of those employed at the town hall to feel the heat as the Partido Popular –PA administration attempts to slash costs. The unions are furious at the announcement that municipal employees either accept cuts or will be sacked.

DRUGS TRIO

Guardia Civil from Ronda have seized over 30 kilos of marijuana found at three dwellings in Benaoján. Officers have also arrested three people from the village who have been charged with owning the drugs, cultivating the plants, preparing them for sale and trafficking. They also confiscated 800 euros in cash and the equipment used in weighing the marijuana and running the sales outlets.

POOR HARVEST

Lack of rain and the summer heat has badly affected the chestnut harvest in the Genal Valley and elsewhere in Málaga province. Growers predict they’ll only gather half the crop of chestnuts this year compared with last of 3.9 million kilos. The chestnut is a major source of income in Igualeja and 70 per cent will be exported to Italy, Germany and France.

A CORKER

Celebrations amongst the 210 town hall workers and those employed in gathering the annual cork harvest in Cortes de la Frontera. Their last pay packet was for June but now the town hall is to settle the salaries owed for July, August and September. This has been made possible as 1.2 million euros has been banked from the sale of the cork collected.

WAR HOMAGE

On All Saints Day families visit the cemetery to pay tribute to their deceased relatives. However in Ronda it was also the day the Asociación Memoria Hístorica paid homage to those who were killed during the Civil War. The association is campaigning for all those buried in common graves in Ronda to be identified and then given the dignity of a proper burial.
HURRY UP
The mayor of Ronda has called on the regional government to speed up the process of making Serrato and Montecorto the 102 nd and 103 rd municipalities in Málaga province. In May the green light was given for the villages to pass from ELA self administrating entities to full municipalities but it could take up to two years them to become totally independent.
CHURCH THEFT

On Saturday night one or more thieves broke in to San Antonio’s church in the Dehesa area of Ronda and stole 200 euros. Damage was also caused to the church building. The raid was discovered on the Sunday morning when the priest arrived to say mass. Police are investigating and believe the culprits tried to make off with some of the religious images.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 27 OCTOBER 2011

PICUDO ROJO ARRIVES IN SERRANÍA


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The Picudo Rojo beetle that has caused devastation amongst the palm trees on the coastlines of the Mediterranean has arrived in the Serranía de Ronda.

Ronda biologist Andrés Rodríguez says temperatures of around 30 degrees have attracted the beetle to the zone as they are cold blooded and need heat to survive.

He has found examples of the insect at the Cerro del Almendro urbanisation on the Ronda to Campillos road just five kilometres from the centre of the town of the Tajo.

The first red beetles were found in a privately owned palm tree after it had been pruned by specialists to treat it against the plague. Now Ronda’s delegate for the environment, Rafael Flores, has confirmed the same specialists have traced other examples of these beetles on the urbanisation.

The owners of the trees have now been advised of what courses of action they should follow and the required treatment for each of their palms. The treatment has to be applied to the centre of the palm where the beetle’s larvae attack and the removed fronds have to be burnt.

It is not believed that the deadly beetles have yet infected the palm trees in the urban areas of Ronda. However it is suspected some of the palms in the historic centre have been attacked and new methods of prevention are being examined.

THIRTY YEARS OF THE LEGION IN RONDA

The Unicaja foundation along with the Tercio ‘Alejandro Farnesio’ Cuarto of the Spanish Legion has inaugurated an exhibition in Ronda dedicated to the 30 year of the military force in the town of the Tajo. It features over 120 photographs showing the life and times of the Legion between 1981 and 2011.

Chronicled in images are the Legions' participation in a large number of social, political and cultural events in the town as well as the traditional festivals such as the Semana Santa parades. The activities at the barracks are also shown as well as the force’s work on numerous peace keeping missions overseas.

The exhibition is part of the celebrations for the 30 th anniversary of the re-founding of the Tercio de la Legión and is open to the public in the Sala de Exposiciones Fundación Unicaja. Opening hours are 10.00 – 13.30 and 18.00 – 21.00

ANGRY WORKERS

Discontent at bankrupt Ronda town hall where officials and employees have been told they face cuts in their productivity payments and social help. Unions have threatened protests in the coming weeks. Those employed in the sports delegation are the worst hit and have been told there will be no extra payments for October and their November and December salaries are not guaranteed.

TAX FREEZE

Ronda’s to freeze its local taxes and charges for 2012. The move was announced by the mayor Maripaz Fernández who says it will be put to the vote this week. The mayor said that at a time when many families were suffering from the economic crisis it was not right to increase their burden. Her administration hopes to improve management to save costs.

RONDA MOTORWAY

One of the main proposals in recent years from the Partido Popular has been a motorway to connect Ronda with Antequera. PP president in Andalucía Javier Arenas was in the town of the Tajo last week and said there was a lack of access and communication in Ronda. He also pledged his support for Ronda’s application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

PLANS CRITICISED

Izquierda Unida has roundly criticised the announcement of two plans for tourist reception centres in Ronda. IU councillor Rafael Ruiz says it was hypocritical to ask the regional government to declare Ronda a natural monument and at the same time present it with these proposals. Ruiz said there are far better locations for such a centre which the IU says is certainly required.

RESIGN CALL

The Partido Andalucista in Cortes de la Frontera has called on the mayor, Antonio Granero, to resign. Granero is a member of the PA but the party says it no longer has any confidence in him. Cortes is in financial crisis, Granero has sacked two councillors and there are court cases against him. He may stay as mayor and join the non-aligned councillors.

NO INTERNET

Andalucía PP MP, Mayte Domínguez, has protested that the school in Jimera de Líbar does not have an internet connection despite numerous complaints. The mayor has offered to pay for the service herself and also offered the facilities of the Guadalinfo centre. Domínguez said it should have been a minor problem to solve but the lack of action has created a major headache.

PAY DAY

The PP mayor of Gaucín, Pedro Godino, says he has now paid the 34 municipal workers their salaries for July of 47,000 euros. This still means he has to find 85,000 and 90,000 euros for August and September. Godino said he did not know the total municipal debt but the town hall’s main problem in making the payments was the lack of liquidity.

BLOCKED PAYMENTS

Many of the small town halls in Málaga province are now in crisis with Gaucín and Cortes de la Frontera being the first to leave their workers unpaid. Worse news is on the way as the tax ministry in Madrid has blocked the October payments to Gaucín, Cortes, Atajate, Genalguacil and Ardales because of the money they all owe to the central government.

GOING SWIMMINGLY

Málaga province is funding two projects in Serrato and Montejaque. Serrato will have a municipal swimming pool. Work has already started and it will be finished by the end of the year co-financed by the province, regional government and the municipality. Next year a day centre for both handicapped and elderly people will be built in Montejaque again financed on a three-way basis.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY AUGUST 4, 2011

INDICATIONS OF CRIMINALITY


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The former mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, and his ex councillor of public works, José Herrera, will be called again before the local court to answer charges they broke the town planning laws by giving permission for a building to be constructed in the Hoya del Tajo.

The court is now at the stage of oral hearings ahead of a full trial being ordered if the judge finds “indications of criminality” as has been suggested in judicial reports.

The added spice in the case is that the former Partido Andalucista mayor Antonio Marín (now the spokesperson for PSOE on the council) was in coalition at the time with the Partido Popular and José Herrera is of the PP. PSOE were ousted at the last election and now Ronda is governed by a PP-PA coalition so revenge is on the cards.

The case dates back to 2006 when Ecoligistas en Acción discovered an agricultural building had been constructed illegally in the Hoya del Tajo, an area that enjoys environmental protection. The environmentalists notified the Policía Autonómica who carried out an investigation and sent a report to the prosecutor who brought court proceedings.

When Marín was called to give evidence he insisted he had no responsibility for the building as the matter was in the hands of his councillor for public works José Herrera who had insisted it was legal.

Of course it clearly isn’t and both Marín and Herrera will now face a full trial. Also in the dock will be the owner of the building but he insists that he only proceeded because he was assured it was legal and the town hall had issued the licences.

RONDA’S FOUR YEAR AUDIT

On taking control of Ronda town hall the Partido Popular – Partido Andalucista coalition announced that the municipality was bankrupt. It has ordered an external audit to determine where the money has gone. The investigation will be solely on the previous four years when Antonio Marín was mayor.

First he governed with his Partido Andalucista councillors in a coalition with the PP then when he broke that pact, he and all his PA councillors quit the party and become non-aligned whilst forming a coalition with PSOE. Both Marín and his former PA councillors then became members of the socialist party and he was their candidate for mayor in May.

At a council meeting held last Thursday night whilst approving the audit the proposal put forward by Marín for its to cover the past three legislatures was roundly rejected. Both the PP and PA had included in their election manifestos a promise of an audit and they insist that pledge is now being honoured.

Both the mayor Maripaz Fernández (PP) and her deputy Isabel Barriga (PA) have spoken of the town hall’s finances being in ruin. In addition they have accused Marín and the socialists of “ill fated economic management” over a three year period and have referred the accounts to the State auditing body.

MUSICAL HOME

A recent session of Ronda council decided that when the Giner de los Rios College is returned to the town hall’s ownership it will be used as the future home of the Municipal Music School. Councillors were very keen the building should be reserved for educational uses and it will also be home to the municipal band. The move was opposed by PSOE.

EROSKI GO

Málaga’s commission for town planning which falls under the Andalucía ministry of public works - housing has given its approval for the lands of Ronda’s old fair ground to be given over to commercial use. The site is adjacent to the former football ground which means that all the land required for the Eroski commercial centre has now been freed by the regional government.

FUNDING LOST

PIAGRO, which represents the agriculture sector in the Ronda area has issued a statement condemning the poor management of the previous council led by Antonio Marín. The Andalucía ministry of agriculture had offered a subvention of 250,000 euros to repair rural roads severely damaged by the heavy rains. However the cash has been lost because of numerous errors in the town hall’s application.

ECO WINE

The Andalucía government is very keen to boost the production of ecological wines. The Málaga delegate for this sector, Mónica Bermúdez, has allocated 380,000 euros for Thalassa Taller de Vino in Ronda as its contribution to the 1.4 million euro project to establish an ecological bodega at the finca Corchero. Thalassa is made up of local, Spanish and overseas businesses committed to eco-wines.

NEW ACCESS

The regional government projects to create two new access points in to Ronda may be frozen till next year because of lack of funds but work is underway to create a new southern roundabout to serve the San Rafael –San Jorge quarters. It is due to be completed in six months and is being funded by the town hall with an ICO loan.

SUPPORT PLEDGE

The Andalucía minister of culture, Paulino Plata, has written to the mayors of Ronda and Antequera to reiterate his ministry’s support for the candidacy of both towns for UNESCO World Hertitage status. Ronda is basing its candidacy on its natural beauty, the famous Tajo gorge and its bridges. However Ronda has ruled out a joint application with Antequera and will go it alone.

ROBBED CUEVAS

The mayor and councillors of Cuevas del Becerro have threatened to lock themselves in the town hall unless the 380,000 euros taken by the former municipal secretary – accountant is repaid. The theft was denounced in 2009 and in May 2010 the former employee was ordered by the court to pay 400,000 euros. This has not been done nor have his assets been embargoed.

POSTER ROW

Atajate is furious with the nearby village of Montejaque. Atajate held a competition for its fair poster using Tuenti and Facebook with the Sevilla artist Raúl Castellano beating 29 entrants. However the poster for Montejaque’s fair is virtually identical with just the names changes. In its defence Montejaque says its poster was a year in the making and used images from the internet.

SAGE ADVICE

An interesting initiative in Ronda where past mayors since democracy was declared in Spain have been formed in to a council of wise men. Last week the PP mayor Maripaz Fernández met with Juan Harrillo, Juan Fraile, Juan Benítez and José Herrera for the first of these encounters. The idea is they meet quarterly to give advice and suggestions to the current administration.

DATELINE RONDA MONDAY JUNE 9, 2011

YOUTH ACCUSED OF MARÍA ESTHER’S MURDER PLEADS INNOCENCE


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The 17-year-old youth arrested over the murder of María Esther Jiménez Villegas in Arriate in January has declared his innocence before the prosecutor of minors in Málaga. The 13-year-old victim was found in a swimming pool pump house behind the village just 24 hours after her disappearance on January 19 and had been brutally murdered by a violent blow to the head.

The lawyer for María Esther’s family, Bárbara Royo, said the youth had not admitted to the crime as he believes there is insufficient evidence to prove his guilt. She added he had refused to answer any questions and maintains he shouldn’t even stand trial let alone be convicted.

However Royo went to on to state that the biological evidence gathered by the Guardia Civil “in this case is very clear” and it has not been necessary to request more tests at this stage of the court process. In the lawyer’s opinion there has been no problems with the investigation, all is clear even if the youth declares his innocence.

During the testimony the 17-year-old complained about his treatment in detention but the family’s lawyer said this was just a ploy by his defence lawyer to discredit the investigation.

The accused was arrested in Arriate just two weeks after María Esther’s murder. Investigators found her blood on a sport’s shoe belonging to the youth after they search the house where he lived with his family. The Guardia Civil arrested him after DNA tests also linked him with the crime.

The Málaga youth court ordered the accused’s detention in February and he can be held at a centre for six months. It is possible for that to be extended by three months but after that period he must be released.

The parents of María Esther had moved to Arriate to seek work. They have now left the village and returned to Paterna de la Rivera in Cádiz province in an attempt to restart their lives.

LESS DEBT

According to a ministry of the economy report on the level of debt at Spain’s town halls Ronda in 2010 owed 13.418 million euros which is 4.1 million euros less than in the previous year. This makes Ronda proportionally the least indebted town hall in Málaga province. However back in 2008 the debt stood at 18,871 making Ronda the most indebted after Benelmádena.

MARIPAZ MAYOR

If all goes to plan on Saturday Maripaz Fernández will be the PP mayor of Ronda. Her party have pacted with the Partido Andalucista; its leader Isabel Barriga will be deputy mayor. PP take the key posts but it is a return to power for the PA which controlled the last administration before the mayor and eight councillors defected to PSOE.

KNIFE ATTACK

A man aged between 40 and 50 caused alarm at Ronda’s Sur health centre when he threatened a doctor with a knife last Tuesday morning. He shouted insults at staff and patients fled to the reception area. Police soon arrived, the man was tranquilised and after being taken to the emergency unit at Ronda’s hospital was transferred to the Málaga mental illness unit.

HOME GROWN

The National Police have raided a house in Ronda and arrested a 21-year-old woman and 27-year-old man both of whom are accused of growing marihuana on the premises. The couple had set up a nursery to cultivate the illegal plants with heat lamps, thermostats and pump driven ventilation systems. Officers confiscated ten plants and seeds which have been destroyed by the health authority.

NO HANDICAP

Montejaque has put into effect the first guided walks for handicapped people. This is the first initiative of its kind in Europe and allows those with various physical handicaps to enjoy the walking experiences for which Montejaque is internationally famous. They can now experience the Serranía de Ronda and Grazalema national park taking the route to La Raspa which is 900 metres high.

WATER AWARD

The Plataforma Cueveña del Agua has been awarded the Dragona Iberia 2011 prize by a foundation dedicated to promoting a new culture in guarding and using water resources. The Cuevas del Becerro action group works to defend the valuable water aquifers in the Sierra de Morinos, Carrasco and Bobollón which are under threat from urban and golf developments in the Serranía de Ronda.

HOW MANY

The Partido Popular has reported irregularities in the electoral census in Atajate, Málaga province’s smallest municipality. The party’s candidate Julio Sánchez says at the 2009 European elections the number of voters was 127 but this rose to 157 in May adding such an increase is rare amongst so few residents. He suspects voter fraud with votes going to ruined houses and non-existent properties.

CLASSIC RALLY

Lovers and owners of vintage cars and motorbikes should head for Benalauría on Sunday when the municipality in the lower Genal valley holds its first rally. Participants have to enrol between 9 and 11 then set off for the Mirador del Genal in neighbouring Algatocín. Details of the events and how to get to Benalauría can be found on the town hall’s website.

TEACHER ASSAULT

The 19-year-old boyfriend of a 17-year-old pupil at the Martín Rivero school in Ronda attacked her teacher in an access way to the educational centre at 8.00 on Friday. The youth pushed the teacher to the ground inflicting light injuries. The incident was reported to the National Police who arrested the lad from Pontevedra. The attack is said to have been education related.

NIGHT SHOPPING

Ronda’s calle Nueva is to open on selected Friday nights over the summer months in an effort to beat the economic crisis. Many people pass through the central street to shop in the Carrera Espinel known as La Bola. However there are bars, restaurants, shops, hotels in the calle Nueva and traders say whilst tourists shop there currently the people of Ronda don’t.

BLUE MOVIE

The normally white village of Júzcar in the Serranía de Ronda has turned blue. The media giant Sony is to blame as it has selected Júzcar as being the most like the Pueblo Pitufo featured in the movie for its world wide publicity campaign. The film Los Pitufos 3D launches in the USA on August 3 and here in Spain two days later.

PENSIONER ALERT

The local police in Ronda have alerted the elderly to take a family member with them when they go to collect their pension from the bank or cash machine. This follows a recent attack and robbery on a vulnerable pensioner. The police say such small robberies are the most common in the town and tourists should also be alert when using cash machines.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY MARCH 25, 2011

PLEA TO REOPEN CASE OF LUIS ALBERTO RAMÍREZ


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

In April 2008 the Costa del Sol News gave wide coverage to the case of 24-year-old Luis Alberto Ramírez who died in Ronda’s hospital from peritonitis.

The Gaucín youth had been correctly diagnosed at Algatocín health centre on March 31 and sent to the hospital with the expectation that he would be operated on. However he was twice discharged from the hospital with doctor’s insisting he had a virus or food poisoning. He was eventually admitted to the hospital after suffering a heart attack as his family attempted to transport him to hospital in traumatic circumstances after lengthy delays as no ambulance was available.

Since then his family led by his sister, María José Ramírez, and their lawyer Luis Ferrary, have campaigned to have those they deem responsible brought to trail for medical negligence. However the judge provisionally filed the case in March 2009 without any of those involved being questioned.

Although both María José and her lawyer insist there is clear evidence of negligence involving the hospital and Gaucín health centre they cannot take the case forward as it is in judicial limbo. Until the judge makes a judgement it cannot pass to the provincial court on appeal because there is nothing to appeal against.

The Alberto Ramirez family have appealed to the Andalucía Ombudsman, José Chamizo, asking him to intervene. He says he has now power to say whether there was or was not any negligence in the medical staff’s actions.

However Chamizo has been highly critical of two aspects of the case. First over the report that stated only one ambulance served the Valle del Genal area and this was not available for Luis Alberto because it was attending an emergency in Ronda. Secondly the ambulance did not return to serve the area it was allocated to for over 90 minutes leaving the widespread villages without any ambulance cover.

Now the pressure is on for the case to be re-opened so what happened to Luis Alberto can be judicially examined. There have also been widespread demonstrations in his home village of Gaucín for an independent enquiry. In addition all the town halls have been united in a campaign for ambulance over in the Serranía de Ronda.

PEOPLE PLAZA

The plaza Carmen Abela in Ronda is to be converted into a pedestrian zone. The square with the calles Lorenzo Borrego and Sevilla is in the heart of the open commercial centre based on the called Espinel known as La Bola. Over 800,000 euros has been assigned from an ICO tourism loan for the work with 23 companies keenly bidding for the contract.

SUMMER HOSTEL

The first youth hostel to serve Ronda and the Serranía is to open this summer. It will have the capacity to cater for 74 people who will be housed in 15 rooms. It’s located on the El Fuerte industrial estate between the calles Guadalcobacin and Fernando de los Rios. The building is self-sufficient in power terms and is totally adapted for handicapped people.

CASH CRISIS

Asprodisis in Ronda caters for handicapped people and is in crisis as the town hall has not paid 142,000 euros in grants. It cares for 243 people but will have to lay off 90 in its employment schemes and cut services. Over 84,000 euros is the 2011 grant, 22,000 comes from the Andalucía health service with the balance owed by Ronda from 2010.

SAD FAIRWELL

The parents of 13-year-old María Esther who was murdered in Arriate on January 20 allegedly at the hands of a 17-year-old youth from the village have now left for Paterna de la Rivera. Over the weekend they collected up all their possessions, bade a sad farewell to their neighbours and friends and returned to the home village to start a new life.

PSOE CHOICE

It’s already known PSOE would be led in to the local elections in the key municipality of Gaucín by Teodoro de Molina who for a short period after the last poll was mayor with the support of the PP. De Molina will head a list with Maribel Casas as number two plus another eight candidates which includes foreign resident Jorrian Van Der Chaaf.

WALKER FEST

Keen mountain walkers should head for Genalguacil over the weekend of March 26-27. Enrolment is free and can be carried out by email by contacting encuentrosenderista@genalguacil.es. The programme will start with a gathering of the walkers in the plaza on the Saturday, the inauguration of a new walk and an expert talk on walks in the Valle del Genal and Serranía de Ronda.

HORSE SCHOOL

In July Ronda will have a 320,000 euro equestrian school housed at the Parada de Sementales on the road to Llano de la Cruz. The objective is to open to the public a sport that is traditionally associated with the elite. There will be a covered area for riding practice, 19 horse boxes plus an equine therapy unit for use by handicapped people.

ASTON SUNDAY

On Sunday the latest Aston Martin model was presented in Ronda. The internationally renowned British car was to be seen in the plaza Duquesa de Parcent in the centre of the old town. The new Aston Martin has also been a common sight on the roads around Ronda in recent days as it is filmed and photographed for the world wide publicity campaign.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY MARCH 17, 2011

COURT FILES LOS MERINOS CASE AGAINST RONDA’S MAYOR


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

After the Málaga prosecutor recently announced it had no case to put against the mayor of Ronda over the case on the proposed Los Merinos golf course development the court has now followed up by filing the proceedings.

The court ruled that Antonio Marín had not obstructed justice by approving the project by his own decree to build a luxury golf, residential and tourism complex at Los Merinos. The prosecutor had stated that it believed the mayor had acted unethically but could not find grounds for a legal case.

The case was brought by Izquierda Unida in 2007 when it complained to the Málaga prosecutor that the mayor had committed an offence against the town planning laws, the natural resources of the area and the environment.

The mayor had given the go-ahead for the two golf courses, 800 luxury homes and three hotels even thought the Andalucía water authority had produced a report stating the site did not have its own water resources to sustain such a development.

The water issued has seen widespread protests by environmentalists and residents of Cuevas del Becerro the nearest village to Los Merinos which is many kilometres from the centre of Ronda. Residents and farmers fear the development will drain the water aquifers on which they have depended for generations.

After the court announced its decision the spokesperson and candidate for mayor for the IU in Ronda, Rafael Ruíz, announced they would appeal against. Ruíz labelled it a bad decision and intends to call the former provincial delegate for the environment, Ignacio Trillo to give evidence.

Los Merinos covers around 1,000 hectares near the boundary of Ronda with Cuevas del Becerro. Although the developers have maintained the scheduled payments to Ronda town hall demanded by the planning accord work has been halted since 2008 because of the economic crisis in the construction sector.

APPEAL AGAINST THE GO-AHEAD IN THE TAJO STABLES CASE

The decision by Ronda’s court to proceed to the pre-trial stage in the ‘Caballerizas” case has been appealed by the lawyers acting for the ten councillors from a former administration implicated in the investigation.

The case revolves around the illegal construction of a house and a stables complex in the Hoya del Tajo area of Ronda – a zone that enjoys strict environmental protection.

In the dock are the promoter plus the ten councillors from PSOE, PP and GIL. They are accused of breaking the town planning laws and also offences against the administration of justice.

In 2005 the councillors were all members of municipal commission of works that approved the construction despite the lands protected status. However they insist all they agreed to was the refurbishment of a building that already existed on the site.

The judge has called on the Málaga prosecutor and the individuals presenting the case to formally request the opening of oral hearings or the case would be shelved.

The majority of the councillors implicated in the case have now quit public life. Three are still on the council and the socialist Isabel María Aguilera has since become director general of the regional government’s rural sustainable development authority.

SUSPECTED SUICIDE

A 45-year-old man disappeared last Wednesday in Montecorto after having drinks with a friend then going to move earth near the village square. On the way back from another property in search of a more powerful machine his tractor slid into a ditch but despite a widespread search there was no sign of him. On Saturday his body was found near his home and police suspect suicide.

NO PROJECT

The controversial toll motorway between Ronda and San Pedro officially doesn’t exist. Proposed by PSOE before the last elections it was due to be completed next year but work never started. PSOE in Ronda have been featuring it on their election material but when IU asked the Andalucía ministry of works for details of this phantom motorway the answer was it doesn’t exist.

NEW PARISH

Ronda is to have a new parish in fast growing San Rafael district. The Bishop of Málaga has allocated two million euros for the church and is due to lay the first brick shortly. The faithful in the zone have had to worship in San Cristóbal. The new church will be built on land donated by the municipality and will accommodate 500 people.

POPULAR MAYOR

Benalauría’s Eugenio Márquez is a much sought after politician. He sits as mayor as an independent but both the centre right PP and centre left PSOE wanted him to head their lists at the municipal elections. However he has rejected their advances and will stand again for the independent Agrupación de Electores de Benalauría which last time received 13 votes more than PSOE.

BLIND TOURISM

The tourist office in Montejaque in the Serranía de Ronda has presented a special tourism plan of the municipality designed for people with impaired sight. Montejaque is only the second municipality in Europe to make specific provisions for visitors who are partially sighted or blind. Montejaque is a key walking centre and a special route has been created for those with eyesight problems.

FOOD FAIR

Ronda Abierta wants to help integrate foreign residents living in the municipality with the local population. On April 15, 16 and 17 it’s organising at the Casino the first Feria Gastronómica Internacional where food from various countries will be on display and can be sampled. Currently there are 22 participants in what is billed as an international celebration of the arrival of spring.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2011

ACINIPO IS NOW AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROTECTED SITE


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The council of the Andalucía government last week placed in the catalogue of historical heritage sites the Roman ruins at Acinipo. It has been entered in the section relating to archaeological zones.

Acinipo is within the municipality of Ronda some 20 kilometres from the town centre. It was the original settlement in the area and is one of the most important archaeological sites in Andalucía. It dates from the first century BC and was used until the Nazari era.

Acinipo has been well preserved given that it was largely uninhabited after the end of the Roman epoch. The site also contains remains from a fortified Iberian settlement with some circular and rectangular prehistoric homes.

Of the Roman town there are the vestiges of the wall, the urbanisation with terraces and some private homes with painted walls. Near the Roman theatre are some ceramic ovens and two necropolises where they held funerals. There are also baths that were part of the forum complex with painted stones dating from the first century AD.

All these remains along with the theatre have been protected since 1931. To this has now been added the Mesa de Ronda la Vieja which takes in a zone of 251.66 hectares.

The theatre is one of the oldest and best preserved in Spain. To this day can be seen the graded seating in consecutive rows. At the front is the orchestra or semi-circular spaces reserved for the dignitaries. These are marked out in pink local stone. Behind the stage rises the high frontage of the building which in the Greek style has three entrances.

The archaeological excavations currently underway have been very fruitful. Amongst the discoveries has been a large extension dating from the first century AD possibly associated with the forum of the town which includes three tiered bathing pools. Also uncovered is part of the water heating system.

Ronda town hall is to create an interpretation centre at Acinipo. However this has been put on hold as both the regional government and environmentalists have objected to its location.

MAYOR ARRESTED

Alpandeire - a Serranía de Ronda village best known as the birth place of Fray Leopoldo – has had its mayor arrested by the Guardia Civil. Gabriel Jiménez is accused of buying stolen heavy construction machinery. A man in San Pedro and Estepona have been arrested for robbery plus another in Ronda for receiving. It remains to be seen whether PSOE insists he resigns.

HABITUAL ROBBER

Local police recently arrested a 35-year-old Ronda man for breaking into a bar in the plaza Duquesa de Parcent making off with the till. First arrested in mid-January he was charged with a total of 18 such offences - that total has risen to 24. The one man crime wave was released by the court but now has been jailed for 18 months.

BONES FOUND

During construction work on a site between the calles Torrejones and Empedrada in the San Francisco old quarter of Ronda ten skeletons and coins have been uncovered. All face towards Mecca and it is believed the site was a burial ground dating back to the Muslim era. Two of the skeletons have been identified as children aged around 3 and 8 years.

ROUND-ABOUTS

Roundabouts are on the agenda in Ronda where large amounts are being spent to easy the traffic flow. The new 23,000 euros roundabout inaugurated last week is easing traffic through the industrial estate which has seen its flow increase to 13,000 vehicles a day because of diversions caused by the massive new access programme. Two new roundabouts are planned for the industrial zone.

SERRANÍA PROJECTS

Two villages in the Serranía de Ronda are benefiting from projects funded by the province. In Faraján there is now an old people’s residence which can cater for 29 people from throughout the area and has created ten jobs. In Alpandeire the first brick has been laid for the new municipal swimming pool. Catering for 156 it will be completed for next year.

LIGHTS OUT

Montejaque faces having the plug pulled. It owes around 240,000 euros to Eléctrica Serranía de Ronda with the town hall’s bill dating back to 2001. The case has gone to Ronda’s court because money was assigned to pay the debt and used for other purposes. The mayor says the debt is no higher than other municipalities and money was used on vital services.

LEAVING TOWN

The parents of María Esther, the 13-year-old murdered in Arriate on January 20, will leave the village after the mass in her memory. They are from Paterna in Cádiz but moved to Arriate to work five years ago. A petition is making the rounds in Arriate demanding the Ley del Menor is changed to increase the penalties for minors convicted of blood crimes.

MOUNTAIN RESCUE

An 8-year-old girl was rescued from the Sierra de las Nieves by Ronda’s Guardia Civil, fire brigade, Protección Civil and forest guards. The child was enjoying a day at Puerto de Los Pilones, one of the highest peaks in the park, with her parents when she fell injuring her back. Rescuers took her by stretcher to Quejifales refuge where an ambulance was waiting.

STORK’S NEST

A campaign is underway to extend the number of stork nests in the Serranía. The birds are widespread in Cádiz and Huelva but less so in Málaga with nests in Alameda, Ronda and Arriate. A new nest has been placed in the high chimney of an old soap factory in La Indiana and it is hoped that young birds from Ronda and Arriate will nest there.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY DECEMBER 30, 2010

LOS MERINOS PAYS OVER ANOTHER 866,000 EUROS


By David Eade

The development of the controversial Los Merinos golf, residential and luxury hotel project in Ronda has been idle for 19 months. The Catalan company Copisa halted the work because of the down turn in the property market. However it has been scrupulous in maintaining its payments to the town hall due under the town planning agreement.

So far it has handed over 11 payments, the latest of 866,000 euros, just before Christmas. This means the municipal coffers have benefited to date from payments of 11.6 million euros for a development that does not exist.

Indeed just weeks ago Copisa issued a statement saying it had no immediate plans for re-commencing the project. Mayor Antonio Marín says the company had justified the halt on the economic crisis and although it has so far handed over nearly 12 million euros to the town hall the cost of the overall scheme is far more.

Initial work has been carried out on the land but no construction of the 800 villas, three luxury hotels or two golf courses plus all the other leisure infrastructure has been carried out. The mayor says Copisa has already spent 103 million euros with just 50 million to go.

The major problem would appear to be the very legality of the development. Ecologists and residents of the zone such as Cuevas del Becerro – which is far nearer to the project than Ronda’s urban area – fears it will drain their water aquifers which have supplied local agriculture and homes for generations.

Indeed the Andalucía government is taking legal action to have the development halted. There are also questions over whether the mayor of Ronda acted legally in granting permission for the scheme. If the Copisa project is halted then would it demand a return of the payments to the town hall – which have been spent – plus compensation for its multi million investment?

NEARLY THERE

Ronda will soon have its first youth hostel. The building’s located on 2,138 square metres surrounded by 1,200 square metres of green zone on the calles Guadalcobacín and Fernando de los Rios. Spread over three floors it will be able to accommodate 74 people with special access for the handicapped. The project has a budget of 781,849 euros and will use renewable energy.

BRIDGE INSTALLED

Dramatic scenes at La Dehesa in Ronda last week as the bridge for the new intersection on the road linking the town with Sevilla was put in to place and will be operation by February 15. It is all part of the major improved access programme funded by the regional government costing over 13 million euros which is about 70 per cent complete.

ENGLISH WALK

Ronda’s Paseo de los Ingleses runs for three kilometres along the Cornisas del Tajo. Once again its one of the major tourism spots in the town. Sadly the dramatic walkway had fallen into neglect and been vandalised in recent years. Now with over 300,000 euros funding from the ICO for tourist projects the footpath has been fully re-laid, with new furnishings and lighting.

NOT GUILTY

The man accused of starting the fire that engulfed 16 hectares of wooded land at Los Frontones in Ronda on August 28 2007 has been found not guilty by a jury. The cost to the environment was 67,000 euros plus the major expense of tackling the blaze. If found guilty he would have faced a five year jail term and a massive fine.

BRIDGE VIEW

Ronda’s famous Puente Nuevo over the Tajo will now be able to be seen around the world in real time over the internet. The tourist office is installing cameras having contracted a telecommunications company to offer the service. However it’s not only the bridge that will be displayed but also the plaza de España, the calle Virgen de la Paz and La Merced.

FURIOUS RESIDENTS

Residents of Llanos de Aguaya in Ronda are furious over the damaged to their local lane. Three years ago they clubbed together to spend 30,000 euros relaying the surface of the road. Now they say it’s been destroyed with the delegation of Málaga province to blame. It has heavy equipment in the area which has used the road and dug up the surface.

DANGEROUS ROAD

The Guardia Civil has issued a warning over the dangerous state of the MA 7401 that links Ronda with Benaojan and is the responsibility of Málaga province. It has been the scene of two fatal accidents in recent weeks both claiming residents of Montejaque with another in February 2009 and all on the stretch as the road passes the Cueva del Gato.

CASTLE WORK

The ministry of public works is funding four projects in Málaga province one of which will see El Burgo’s Miraflores castle restored. The ministry will be allocating over a million euros for the project which will come from its special ‘1per cent Cultura’ fund. In addition the regional government will allocate the same amount on restoring one of the major monuments in the area.

OLIVE HARVEST

Sixty-per-cent of the olive harvest in Ronda is now in. Five million kilos will be collected which will be processed into a million kilos of oil. The quality this year will be excellent as compared with the last season that suffered from the heavy rains and winds. Also more workers have returned to the sector having been laid off by the construction industry.

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH

People from Ronda and the surrounding Serranía who want to study English through the Cambridge University courses can now do so without leaving the town. The Escuela de Hostelería that has been established in the Casino in the calle Molino will be organising the four year courses. Pupils can now enrol for the first course – the closing date for candidates is January 21.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY DECEMBER 23, 2010

RONDA MAN ARRESTED FOR CORRUPTING MINORS


In Ronda the National Police have arrested a 61-year-old man accused of corrupting two minors. The youths run away from a care centre in Gaucín as they feared they would be arrested for robberies in Zahara de la Sierra as one of the property owners had seen them.

They fled from Gaucín to Ronda where they were befriended by the accused. He sheltered them at his home in the town and was intent on having sexual relations with them and gave them money and drugs. The man has no previous convictions and is being held by the court.

WIKI RONDA

Ronda has made it into the Wiki Leaks file. According to the website the then Spanish foreign minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos and the American ambassador in Madrid met in the town of the Tajo to discuss international subjects as well as the state of relations between the two countries. Included was the sale of patrol boats by Spain to Venezuela and Cuba issues.

ANOTHER DEATH

Last Thursday afternoon a 31-year-old motorist died on the Ronda to Benaoján road by the Cueva del Gato. His car went off the road, excessive speed it the likely cause. From Montejaque he was well-known in Ronda where he ran a bar. This is the second death at the same spot – in October a 34-year-old businessman from Montejaque was killed in a motorbike accident.

WIFE BEATER

The National Police arrested a 23-year-old man from North Africa after he attacked his wife at their apartment in the calle Jerez in Ronda. He is said to have struck his wife last Thursday afternoon whilst she was caring for their nine month old child. He was duly arrested on domestic violence charges and is being held at the disposition of the court.

FULL MONTY

The National and local police in Ronda stopped a vehicle and gave a breath test to the 40 year old driver on suspicion of being drunk. It proved positive and it transpired that he had stolen the car, he did not have a driving licence, the vehicle was not insured and to complete the list didn’t have a current ITV road worthy certificate.

HISTORIC SIGNS

Ronda’s tourist office is changing the street signs in the historic centre. They will be larger and will include biographic information on famous people who have lived nearby or events. The change over comes after the Plataforma pro Ronda Patrimono de la Humanidad heritage association lobbied for the new signs initially in the Pedro Romero, Vicente Espinel and Virgen de la Paz streets.

DIESEL RAID

Guardia Civil arrested in Estación de Benaoján three young Rumanians accused of stealing diesel with violence. When their Nissan car was stopped they had inside a carafe with the fuel plus the equipment to siphon it from a vehicle’s tank. Wearing masks they had previously threatened two people. One of those detained had breached an order excluding him from the Schengen Treaty area.

ME NEITHER

The mayor of Ronda recently appeared in court where he denied he was responsible for the publication in his magazine of confidential information about the president of the PPs Nuevas Generaciones, Juan Ignacio Vega, which came from the local police. Now the councillor for security, Rafael Lara, has told the judge it wasn’t him either although his mayor says they were his responsibility.

CATASTROPHE UNIT

The Serranía de Málaga health authority held a simulated exercise for its new catastrophe unit in Ronda. The team, made up of 22 professionals, attended to volunteers contaminated in an incident involving chemical, nuclear or biological agents. It forms part of the Andalucía plan for emergencies centred on health service hospitals for which the region receives 3.7 million euros from EU funds.

FASTER TRIP

Trains on the Algeciras – Ronda – Granada line have been upgraded by Renfe from December 19. There are three trains a day in each direction and depending on the schedule the overall journey time has been cut from between 15 to 40 minutes. Granada to Algeciras now takes 3 hours 53 minutes, 2 hours 20 minutes to Ronda and hour 16 minutes to Antequera.

EXPENSIVE WINE

A new project to establish the Bodegas Excelencia in Ronda has received almost 400,000 euros from the regional government in development aid. The vineyard will have a budget of three million euros and will be located on seven hectares at Los Frontones. There are now 37 bodegas in Málaga province producing vines on 1,300 hectares in Axarquia, Serranía de Ronda and Los Montes.

STAMPING MAD

When a flamenco artist stamps his or her feet in a performance it’s about passion but dancer Juan Andrés Maya has been to court to stamp his feet furiously at Gaucín town hall. Contracted to appear at the July flamenco festival his 3,000 euros fee is still unpaid. Gaucín is bankrupt and the administration says it will pay when it has the cash.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY DECEMBER 16, 2010

ECOLOGISTS OPPOSE LOCATION OF ACINIPO CENTRE


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Ecologistas en Acción in the Serranía de Ronda have lodged a number of objections against the project to construct an interpretation centre at Acinipo – the ruins of the original Roman town of Ronda.

They have made it clear they are not against the historic site having such a centre but they believe it should be away from the impressive ruins. The ecologists argue that the proposed location would have a negative visual impact and it should be placed outside of the monument’s perimeter.

Ronda town hall and the regional government’s culture ministry signed a collaboration agreement in 2007 to carry out excavations at Acinipo amongst them the recovery of the Roman baths and theatre which date back to the third century AD. The heritage site is rated as one of the most important in Málaga province.

The ecologists consider the installation of the centre inside the ruins is not acceptable and are campaigning for it to be moved. The building, of which part would be below ground, has a budget of 900,000 euros and would cover 730 square metres. It would include a reception area, exhibition hall and visitors’ centre.

The construction of the complex is envisaged as the final part of the 2007 agreement. Over the last year security measures at the historic site have had to be improved with night patrols as there have been a number of robberies of artefacts.

Acinipo is thought to have been an important Roman town judging by the numerous historic references at the time and the inscriptions found to major Gods and personalities of the epoch.

UNION SAYS SERRANÍA RAIL SERVICE IS UNDER ATTACK

Just weeks ago the Partido Andalucista warned that villages in the Serranía de Ronda would be left without bus services once the regional government withdrew its subventions.

Now the SFF-CGT union says that the rail service in Málaga province is under attack from Renfe after it made changes to its timetable. This is because the regional train that leaves Málaga at 7.45 will no longer connect with the Granada to Algeciras train.

The loss of this connection will insists the union leave over 100,000 people in the municipalities of the Serranía and the Valle del Genal without this service and it could endanger the viability of many of the stations along the route.

Not only is Renfe in the firing line but also the ministry of public works which is also accused of attacking the rail connections between the Ronda region and the Campo de Gibraltar. This the union insists will have a negative impact on tourism as well as affecting the access of residents to places of work, medical centres and leisure facilities.

The SFF-CGT says the populations of Campillos, Almargen, Teba, Ronda, Benaoján, Jimera de Libar, Cortés de la Frontera, Gaucín, Jimena de la Frontera, San Roque and Algeciras will all feel the effects unless the decision is reversed.

QUICKER TRAINS

Renfe has carried out a series of improvements to the Algeciras - Ronda - Madrid track that will see trains cover the journey between Ronda and the capital in less than four hours. Trains will leave Algeciras at 8.45 (14.05) and 15.05 (20.25) and Madrid at 8.40 (13.46) and 15.05 (20.15). Trains between Ronda and Algeciras are quicker taking one hour 25 minutes.

RESERVE FUNDS

The new reserve of the biosphere in the Sierra de las Nieves is to receive 1.4 million euros for its conservation – part of the seven million euros allocation by the regional government’s environment ministry. A large part of the spend will go to municipalities that take in the reserves where the funds will be used to promote sustained development to protect the areas.

FOUND CAPTURED

Ronda’s delegate for security, Rafael Lara, has been giving information about the four people arrested on the street on December 6 who were seeking donations for an association with which they had no link. It has since emerged that one of those detained was subjected to two find and capture warrants issued by the courts. Lara warned residents to look out for scams.

GOOD GRIEF

A story from El Burgo which beggars belief. A 37-year-old man has been arrested by the Guardia Civil for stealing a chainsaw plus other items of agricultural equipment from a neighbour’s finca by forcing the property’s door. Officers received a tip off from locals and found the items in his possession. At the time of the robbery the deceased neighbour was being buried.

MORTUARY PROTEST

PSOE is leading the protests in Benaoján over the location of a new mortuary in the village. The site is adjacent to a school, a nursery, the football pitch and swimming pool. The socialists have collected a petition with 300 signatures and will raise the matter at the next council meeting. The works have already started with 165,000 euros of job creation funds.

TOXIC ADVICE

The Serranía de Ronda health authority has produced a leaflet advising people who collect the wild mushrooms from the mountains on which are safe to eat. At this time of year this activity is very popular yet many mushrooms are toxic whilst others are simply deadly with no known medical cure. Therefore knowing what mushrooms are edible is a life and death matter.

JOB TRAINING

The 20 municipalities of the Genal – Guardiaro – Serranía consortium of town halls which excludes Ronda have decided to create a new employment training workshop. Sixty people will benefit from the scheme that is being backed with 800,000 euros. Montecorto, Jimera de Líbar, Montejaque, Gaucín, Benarrabá and Atajate are amongst the villages being helped with schemes on renewable energy and national park vigilance.

SOCIAL WELFARE

The president of the Catholic Church aid agency Cáritas in Ronda and the Serranía, Enriqueta Carrillo, has reported on the organisation’s activity up to November. Over 131,000 euros has been given in aid, of which 52,000 euros went on food – a 20 per cent increase over last year. Another 25,000 euros went towards paying rents and deposits plus 4,700 on water and electricity.

OPPOSITION MOUNTS TO COAST MOTORWAY LINK

OPPOSITION MOUNTS TO COAST MOTORWAY LINK


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Ecological groups, Los Verdes, residents associations and other organisations have presented a catalogue of objections to the proposed Ronda to Costa del Sol toll motorway.

The regional government is in the process of publishing the study carried out in to the viability of the route. It has established the construction would cost 350 million euros for the 32.8 kilometres from Ronda to San Pedro de Alcántara. Current travel times of 50 minutes would be slashed to just 20.

The date for presenting allegations against the project passed on Monday of last week. However the ecologists have asked the Andalucía ministry of public works to extend it as the study has not yet been put on public display by the town halls through whose municipalities the route passes for all to examine it.

The ecologists oppose the road because they say a new motorway is not necessary and it will bring a mass of urbanisation in its wake although that has to be questioned in the present economic climate. They have also proposed major improvement to the existing road – one of the major black spots in the Málaga road network.

In 2007 the then minister for public works, Concepción Gutiérrez said the road would be completed in 2012. Now it is clear it is unlikely to even have started by then.

However the ecologists have said from the start that such a road would have a great negative impact on the environment and would pass through areas declared of Community Interest by the EU because of their valuable flora and fauna. They have also raised fears that the construction could free potentially cancer causing materials that have been covered for over 20 years.

The spokesperson for Izquierda Unida, Rafael Ruiz, has said his party has presented no comments on the plans for the simple reason they do not believe it is a serious project but just an electoral ploy to gain votes.

RONDA’S HOMAGE TO KEN LOACH

Many major names attended Ronda’s first political film festival held all last week at the Convento de Santo Domingo conference centre. Amongst them was Spain’s internationally famous campaigning judge Baltasar Garzón. Yet pride of place went to the veteran British film director Ken Loach who received a special ‘Goyesca de Honor’ for his life’s work at this cutting edge of socially orientated cinema.

Loach is renowned for his social comment films. He received his ‘Goyesca’ last Friday evening from his collaborator screenwriter Paul Laverty. A number of films on which they have worked together were shown over the week.

Amongst the Loach films shown was his latest Route Irish. This involves two young Irishmen who have known each other from school. They decide to go to Iraq as part of a security team earning 10,000 pounds tax free a month.

One of the lads Frankie dies in Iraq and his friend Fergus returns to Liverpool and anger by the cover up of his death starts his own investigation. Loach was on hand with Laverty to talk to the audience about this film and other shown during the festival.

The festival which featured ten films amongst its official entries attracted large audiences. Over 200 university students and 700 pupils studying for their Bachillerato attended the various screenings and sessions along with members of the public.

The fledgling Ronda festival has now been linked with the festival of political cinema in Buenos Aires which will be held next March. The director of the first Ronda event, Piluca Baquero, was to promote synergies between the two festivals and not to compete. The Ronda festival is the first of its kind in Europe and the event in Buenos Aires will be the first on that continent.

FIVE YEAR JAIL TERM FOR OLIVE GROVE BLAZE

The Málaga prosecutor is seeking a five-year jail term for a man who is accused of starting a fire that destroyed or damaged 16 hectares of olive groves in Ronda. The ecological damage and loss of trees has been put at 67,600 euros.

The fire ignited on August 28 2007 when the accused “started the fire that caused environmental damage”. It occurred in the area known as Los Frontones on a plot of land. Because of the dry summer and the high winds at the time the flames raced along and up the high terrain with great virulence and were a major danger to those in the area.

The fire was finally put out on August 30 and covered 16.07 hectares of which 15.25 were forest land with the rest agricultural. Amongst those attending the inferno were eight environment agents, 15 fire specialists, support groups, five fire engines, five helicopters and two aircraft – all of which cost 46,216 euros.

The prosecutor says that apart from the jail term the man should be fined 16,200 euros and also pay the specialist fire fighting organization Infoca 46,200 euros – its costs in fighting the blaze. In addition another 67,670 euros should be paid to the Andalucía ministry of the environment for the damage and losses.



HANDICAPPED HOME

Ronda will have a residence for handicapped people before 2012. The regional government is funding the project with 1.2 million euros. The town hall will have to finance a similar amount which will come from the sale of the former football ground to Eroski. Located in La Isla building which is 55 per cent constructed it will have a swimming pool and solarium.

THIEVES ALERT

Farmers in Ronda have met with the local and National Police as well as the Guardia Civil to ask for improved security because of the wave of robberies on their lands. Mostly the thieves make off with young cattle, chestnuts and olives. As a result of the meeting the town hall will meet with the 700 members of Asaja to discuss the issue.

OPERATING NORMALLY

Ronda hospital which serves the town, Serranía and parts of the Sierra de Cádiz has returned to normal after 50 operations had to be cancelled in a single week due to the lack of anaesthetists. The health authority has now added another specialist to the staff with a further addition due in the near future. The hospital had five of its allotted seven anaesthetists.

FIRE BREAK

The regional government has invested over a million euros in upgrading the Forest Defence Centre in Ronda. The landing area has been extended so it can now cater for seven helicopters. A giant water reservoir has also been created holding 200 million litres of water which can be used by the helicopters and land based crews to fight forest fires in the region.

JOBLESS UP

November saw a rise in the number of people unemployed in Ronda. The new total is 4,441 which is 113 more than in October. Since the start of 2010 the number of jobless in the town has risen by 284. The majority of those out of work are women. The town hall has created a number of job creation schemes to boost employment.

NOT ME

Again the mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, has appeared before the courts and claimed others were responsible for the offences he is accused of. In this instance the case surrounds his publication La Gaceta de Lunes which published confidential information about the president of the PP’s Nuevas Generaciones. Marín said he was blameless - he didn’t approve their publication it was PSOE’s political secretary.

POLITICAL FRICTION

Friction between the Partido Popular and Partido Andalucista in Montejaque. The PA spokesperson, Cristóbal González has dumped the party, joined the PP and will be their candidate for mayor in next May’s municipal elections. This has led the PA to say it will break all ties with the PP in Málaga because of this disloyal act, accusing it of being the extreme right.

MOSTO CIRCUIT

Atajate has been famous for its mosto grape based drink for generations and its Fiesta del Mosto celebrates its 25 th anniversary. Now an open museum has been created with the various exhibits showing the history of the brew spread around various areas of the Serranía village. It takes just a short and pleasant walk to complete the route aimed at boosting tourism.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY DECEMBER 2, 2010

SERRANÍA DE RONDA VILLAGES COULD LOSE BUS SERVICES

By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The Partido Andalucista in Ronda has issued a warning that the majority of municipalities in the Serranía will lose their bus lines in 2012. That is when the regional government will liberalise its public transport policy and the PA says that 15 of the 21 villages in the area will be without public transport.

The claims were made by the PA’s spokesperson for transport and communications, Francisco González. He said the majority of the bus connections in the Serranía and in the Genal and Guadiaro valleys run at a deficit.

The services had been maintained by regional government grants but that will end in 2012. Companies will not compete to run routes that operate at a loss so they will simply disappear.
González stated that 15,000 people who live in villages in the western zone of Málaga province will suffer badly from this development as the majority are elderly and do not have their own transport. In addition most of these communities do not have a railway station nearby.

Ronda is the major centre for the villages that surround it but also feeds of the income provided by their residents. Hence both Ronda and the villages will suffer if the transport links go. Villagers come to Ronda to shop but also many use its hospital, health centres and administrative offices.

The PA is suggesting that Ronda and the affected municipalities should act quickly to form their own transport consortium. Such consortiums operate in many parts of Andalucía and the regional government pays over 25 per cent of the costs which is matched by another 25 per cent by the province. This would mean that Ronda and the other 20 municipalities would only have to co-finance the balance.

GARZÓN VISIT
Amongst those scheduled to attend Ronda’s first political film festival is the controversial campaigning judge Baltasar Garzón. The event runs through to December 4 with a homage to British film maker Ken Loach. The budget is 500,000 euros funded by the town hall, the ministry of culture, Málaga province and Unicaja with ten films from various countries in the official section of the competition.

DELAYED DECISION
The recent meeting of PSOE in Ronda was meant to vote on the executive’s decision to back current mayor Antonio Marín as the party’s candidate for the post in May’s elections. However members were only informed on the background to the executive’s choice. The vote will now be in January with an error in interpreting the rules being given as the reason.

OPERATIONS CANCELLED
A crisis at Ronda’s hospital which also serves the Serranía and parts of the Sierra de Cádiz. Fifty operations have had to be cancelled in one week alone because of the lack of anaesthetists. The Andalucía ministry of health says it intends to solve the problem by allocating another anaesthetist but the medical union insists this situation at the hospital is not new.

MORTGAGE WOES
Three Gaucín municipal workers could be in danger of losing their homes because they have not been able to make their mortgage payments. The situation has been caused by the constant delays in paying the 24 employees their salaries. The PSOE opposition alleges that 15 workers engaged in rural job creation schemes have never been paid although the town hall received the money.

POISONED LAND
PSOE’s spokesperson at Gaucín town hall, former mayor Teodoro de Molina, has reported the existence of an illegal toxic waste dump. The earth is said to be black from oil, carbon products and other contaminates near the Ronda to Algeciras railway line at El Pritchuelo. De Molina says he presumes the dump was authorised by the town hall and wants an urgent explanation.

CORK CRISIS
Cork producers in the Serranía de Ronda say they’ll receive 30 per cent less for their harvest this year. One of the major reasons for the slump is wine producers now increasingly switching from cork to plastic stoppers for their bottles. They are asking consumers to demand a bottle with a cork as some 4,000 people depend on their livelihoods from this sector.

SEWAGE ALERT
Izquierda Unida is calling on the Andalucía ministry of the environment to complete its plans to provide sewage treatment plants for the municipalities in the Guadiaro valley. IU says the river is now one of the most polluted in Andalucía and has alerted residents not to take water from it. Arriate, Montejaque, Benaoján, Jimera de Líbar and Cortes are all awaiting sewage plants.

HANDICAPPED WALK
Montejaque’s tourist office has created the first walk specifically designed for handicapped people. The area is very popular with walkers and this route goes from the village to the shrine on a nearby mountain side. The route runs for three kilometres and Ana María Montes from the office explained that it could be used by people with mobility problems and in wheel chairs.