No matter which party wins the general election on Sunday, the new Government is going to have to deal with a number of matters in the province of Malaga which have been pending for many years, even though this time of economic crisis may not be the ideal moment. The conversion of the Benítez military camp into a park, the remodelling of the Baños del Carmen, the northern access to the airport, the coastal railway, the Antequera rail test ‘ring’ and the construction of sewage plants are some of the main projects which are still outstanding.

The Baños del Carmen are a good example of an ‘eternally pending’ project in Malaga. It has already been delayed by more than a decade and it was only last year that the Ministry of the Environment finally approved the plans to recuperate this lovely spot on the coast of the provincial capital. The total cost will be 13 million euros and 400,000 euros have been included in this year’s budget so that the project can be put to tender.

Outside Malaga city, essential projects include the construction of the pioneer rail test ring which is planned for the Vega de Antequera. This will be 57.9 kilometres in length, will cost over 400 million euros and trains will be able to reach up to 450 kilometres per hour. The new Government, together with other public administrations, will also have to set to work on the creation of a coastal railway line between Malaga and Estepona. The Ministry of Public Works and the Junta de Andalucía signed the protocol this week but its high cost – five billion euros – will make it very difficult to put into effect at the moment.

Access to Arroyo
The Government will also have to consider a number of measures which would greatly improve the daily life of people in Malaga province. One of the most important is the modification of the Arroyo de la Miel exit from the A-7, which is notorious for traffic congestion, along with the construction of the northern access to the airport from the new second ring road, the plans for which were also drawn up about four years ago, and an extension to the suburban railway to reach the Andalucía Technology Park. This would also mean that the local railway would be extended to Campanillas, which is where major residential expansion will take place in forthcoming years.

The Government will also have to take action on sewage plants if it is to comply with the EU demand for a ‘zero waste’ limit to be attained by 2015; this would also improve the quality of the beaches and help tourism. Nerja still does not have a sewage plant and is the only large municipality on the Malaga coast to lack such a facility, and Estepona’s sewage plant needs to be enlarged. With regard to water supply, the project to build a 61.7 million desalination plant at Mijas is waiting to go ahead when the local council hands over the land.

Marbella
In Marbella, numerous projects are pending including the coastal railway which will be a great advantage to this, the only town in Spain with a population of over 100,000 which has no railway station. In the shorter term, the main concern is the road tunnel at San Pedro. This project is very advanced and is expected to be ready for the Ministry of Public Works to carry out the safety checks and arrange its inauguration by the end of this year. The Government will also have to decide whether or not to reactivate the project to eliminate the direct accesses onto the A-7, something which Marbella council has been demanding for years. The 54 million euro was among those dropped last year to save money.

On economic matters, the new Government will also be faced with a request from Marbella council to help with the 300 million euro debt with Social Security and the tax authority, which arose from non-payment during the GIL era. The local authority is having to pay one million euros a month, just in interest, and this is severely affecting the municipal coffers.

Finally, Marbella’s list includes two environmental projects. One is to stabilise the beaches: the survey to determine what measures should be adopted to stop the loss of sand is being carried out in Marbella but has been suspended for technical reasons in San Pedro. These reports are expected to cost 400,000 euros. The other major project is the recuperation of the sand dunes at Artola, Bahía de Marbella and Real Zaragoza.

New police stations and seafront promenades
As well as major infrastructure works, the central government will also have to deal with matters which may be smaller and less important but are still necessary, including the construction of new Guardia Civil and National Police stations.

In Mijas, a plot of land has been set aside for a Guardia Civil barracks but definitive plans have never been provided by the Government. In Alhaurín de la Torre, a 5,000 square metre piece of land was reserved for the same reason five years ago. In Antequera, construction of the new Guardia Civil barracks began three years ago but has been suspended due to lack of funds. Benalmádena and Vélez-Málaga are also still waiting for their new police stations, having provided suitable sites nearly four years ago.

Beaches
Many local councils also hope that the Government will take action to improve seafront promenades and beaches.

Fuengirola, for example, has been waiting since 2004 for the final stretch of the promenade at Carvajal to be finished and has even taken legal action to try to resolve the matter. Rincón de la Victoria has never received the plans for improvements to the promenade at Torre de Benagalbón and in Vélez the promenade at Chilches and the recovery of the beaches at Mezquitilla and Lagos are still pending, as is the regeneration of the Ferrara beach in Torrox which was badly damaged by the storms.

Inland, the high speed AVE railway line which will connect Antequera with Algeciras is something which has been discussed for many years but this too is still pending.

Source: Sur in English

The decree on the illegal properties was meant to have been ready within six months of its announcement back in March but is still not ready and the provincial delegate for Public Works and Housing has stated that will not be ready until November, more than likely December.

So there are still around 50,000 home owners of illegal properties in Andalucía that will have to wait several more months before the new regulations come into force. Once they are it is hoped they will be able to start the process of legalising their properties.

According to the Junta de Andalusia’s legal department, they have only started to study the recommendations recently as the information was presented to them in July. It is expected to take several more months as the relevant legal experts have to make sure that the new decree will not contravene any existing documentation. Once they have confirmed this, it will then more onto the Junta’s Government Committee to approve it.

In the meantime, while the affected property owners wait, they are still in the situation where they do not even know is the new decree will even benefit them. Although a minority, there are property owners who cannot show any documents showing they bought in good faith. If these properties comply with the safety and habitation conditions and were built long enough ago that the period of legal action has expired, then those properties will be moved into a special property classification.

Unfortunately, although I hope I am wrong, I do not think this will end well for all 50,000 property owners.

Regards
Andrew Bellés

Since 2005, the golfing sector has seen visitor numbers increasing by more than three per cent each year, and in 2010 alone, 427,000 golfers spend €687m in Andalucia.

Malaga province has 50 golf courses, more than 55 per cent of the total in Andalucia and almost 30 per cent of the total number in Spain.

The first study carried out in Andalucia since 2005 by the Junta de Andalucia Tourism Council reveals that the Costa del Sol has become the main point of reference for golfers in the region, thanks to the wide variety and quality of golf courses, improved connections via train and plane, and the number of hotels, golf properties  and other services available.

The Costa del Sol is also seen as a pioneering area for the golf sector, and has internationally recognized courses such as Valderrama and Sotogrande.

Tourists who visit Andalucia mainly for golfing account for two per cent of the total number of visitors, and 4.5 per cent of the total tourism income. A high percentage of golfers who visit Malaga province are British and Germans, who stand out as those with the highest purchasing power.

Amongst British golfers, the average profile is that of a group of friends over 35 years old, with a wide social status, all belonging to the same club who want quality golf courses as well as varied leisure and cultural alternatives.

Most prefer destinations with direct flights from their home locations and short transfers to the golf course.

The average golfer in Malaga stays 15.8 days, visiting the golf course 4.6 days, while in Cadiz, visiting golfers only stay for 6.9 days and visit the golf course 3.5 days on average.

Due to upcoming competition in Portugal, Turkey and Morocco, the Junta de Andalucia study advises golf clubs, courses and hotels to offer better value for money in order to keep clients happy.

Article Source

The project should lead to the creation of 25,000 jobs directly, with an additional 80,000 indirectly over the full period of the project. The 15 years development project will be broken in three 5 year stages, with work to commence as soon as 2011.

The project location should lead to its long term sustainability as it will be located within easy reach of the Malaga airport, the new ring road, the university, the port and the business and technology areas. Additionally it will be within easy access of the rest of the Costa del Sol.

Not only a commercial and industrial development project, the area will also create new parks, wide avenues, green zones, leisure and hospitality facilities with 20% of the project to be designated as residential housing. This should help the are to becoming more active and dynamic area. They may even de3cide to include a monorail transport system connecting the area to the nearby airport.

Although it could be argued that this is not the best climate to start such an ambitious project, the recent expansion of the airport means that in the following years quite a few of the Costa del Sol businesses based at the airport will need to find new premises. This could be an additional opportunity of the Alhaurin de la Torre project.

Regards
Andrew Bellés

Experts are certain that the cutbacks will mean delays for the projects that are considered “the least urgent” in Malaga, which include the airport’s second runway, the high speed rail line with Granada, the A-7 from Nerja to Almeria and the San Pedro Tunnel.

Nevertheless the same experts believe that the cuts will not affect other projects considered as more urgent to such as great extent. These include the completion of the out ring road (as here work is almost complete), the widening of the Ronda Este to three lanes, the tunnel to take the Cercanías train service to its new underground station in Terminal 3 of the airport and the southern access road to the airport from the A-7. The new Las Pedrizas toll motorway will not be affected by the cuts as this is a privately funded venture.

The Government’s savings plan will also mean that the announced schemes will not get off the ground as soon as expected. These include the bus lane between Malaga and Torremolinos and the railway tunnel for the goods trains that go into Malaga Port. What’s more the experts agree that the future of the proposed coastline train is now more uncertain.

As far as the second runway at the airport is concerned, the experts believe that the delay of around a year (according to the minister’s calculations) is reasonable given that the recession as caused a fall in the numbers of flights and passengers. They consider the improvements to road and train communications with the airport as more of a priority, however.

Author: Ignacio Lillo. Article first published in the Sur in English May 21^st

Local Government Minister Rosie Winterton this week welcomed progress to give better protection to UK citizens living in or considering moving to Spain and pressed the Spanish Government to seek long-term solutions to the current property problems faced by some UK citizens.

Ms Winterton met with Manuel Chaves, Spain’s Third Vice-President and Minister for Territorial Policy, and Gaspar Zarrias, Spanish Minister of State for Territorial Affairs, to discuss the property ownership problems some UK nationals are facing in Spain despite purchasing homes in good faith.

Ms Winterton welcomed, as a positive first step, agreements, announced recently by Mr Zarrias and Chis Bryant that will be signed between the UK and both the Junta de Andalucia and the Valencian Regional Government for a regional civil servant from each of the two regional governments to advise UK citizens on integrating into Andalucia and Valencia.

They will give local, informed advice to British citizens in these regions, on a range of issues such as purchasing property, registration with local authorities, and healthcare coverage in Spain.

But Ms Winterton also made clear the importance of finding long-term solutions to help those facing difficulties at present, to ensure that nationals living in or considering moving to Spain feel better protected.

Ms Winterton said:
“The agreement is a positive first step and such innovative co-operation is certainly the way forward. Having regional civil servants in our consulates to advise UK citizens will help people to feel reassured and better protected.”
“But we remain absolutely committed to working with the Spanish Government to find long-term solutions to the problems currently faced by those who bought property in Spain in good faith.”

Minister for Europe, Chris Bryant said:
“I met with Gaspar Zarrías, Minister of State for Territorial Affairs, and Juan Espadas Cejas, Consejero de Vivienda y Ordenacion de Territorio at the Junta de Andalucía at the British Consulate in Malaga earlier this month to announce the appointment of these two Spanish civil servants. I’m fully supportive of Rosie Winterton’s work in this area to ensure that the British Government does all it can to help British citizens affected by this issue.
“I would advise people to be extremely careful with property purchases overseas. Through our Travel Advice we suggest that prospective buyers seek independent legal advice and contact relevant local associations of those affected by property problems.”

Source

Earlier in the day, the Minister visited four British families in Albox whose homes have been threatened with a demolition order as, according to the Junta de Andalucía, they were built illegally. “There are eight British households in that area but probably around 500 homes are affected by this. They are not all British either. Many other Northern European nationalities have been caught up in this problem and, of course, Spanish families too.”
During his visit, Bryant went to the home of John and Muriel Burns. “It is these kinds of people we’re trying to help – the people who dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s when they were buying and went through all the correct channels as they were told to do. The local government had issued licences and then the regional government stepped in, following a court order and said that they should never have done so, thereby making the homes effectively illegal. It is extremely distressing for these families. John and Muriel are in their eighties and they’re worried they will lose everything. It is heart-breaking, really.”

Whilst in Albox, the Minister met with the Mayor, José Navarro García, who towards the end of last year described the proposed demolition of the eight British owned homes as “barbaric.” He said in December: “I believe the Junta de Andalucía has leaned heavily on the Supreme Court to obtain this decision and I cannot understand why. Demolition is a barbaric solution and I do not know who would benefit from it. We will explore every legal possibility to stop this barbarity.”

Bryant says he is now hopeful that the homes of the eight famililes in Albox will be safe but that the problem is widespread. “These are just the tip of the iceberg. But I think the Spanish regional and national governments are now more focused on having these issues resolved,” he said.

Economy
Chris Bryant told SUR in English that finding “real solutions” to property issues, like the ones affecting John and Muriel Burns, would help improve the Spanish economic situation.

“The economy of Spain will not be resuscitated until we have these kinds of things sorted. The Spanish economy is dependent upon tourism and people buying properties. Images of bulldozers going in and demolishing family homes is not going to help,” he said. “There is a lot of work to be done in the housing market here.” Bryant also noted the decline in the number of British tourists to visit Spain, going from 17 million in 2008 to around 11 million in 2009. “We need a combined approach between the local, regional and national authorities to avoid any further problems. We’re hopeful that the appointment of these new people in our consulates in Malaga and Alicante will help coordinate the various governing bodies.”

At a press conference in Malaga, Bryant was joined by the Spanish Secretary of State, Gaspar Zarrías, and Juan Cejas, leader of the Junta de Andalucía’s Housing and Town Planning Department where he said “legal experts would ensure the real estate interests of Brits.”

Zarrías, meanwhile, stressed that the agreement should be viewed as “a preventive information service” to avoid problems as “once these cases enter into the judicial machinery it is more difficult to reach solutions.” The Junta de Andalucía will provide and pay for the extra staff although the British Embassy will be responsible for the material costs.

Communication and votes
Having spent part of his childhood in Madrid and Bilbao, Chris Bryant describes himself as “a Brit who loves Spain” and says he understands why so many British people choose to live in the country. Being able to speak Spanish has also been advantageous. “I think speaking fluent Spanish helps in these kinds of situations too. It helps break down some of the barriers. It just helps everyone reach an understanding more effectively,” he adds. “This is why the civil servants coming to help us in a couple of weeks will be a great help: they speak the language, know the rules and rights and know the system at every level.”

The Minister said that he had heard many opinions and views from British people who reside in Spain during his brief visit and that he and his team “would work hard to make sure things get done.” He was also keen to point out that it is the “obligation of British expats to register themselves at their local Town Hall” and that they should “exercise their right to vote.”

G.P
Chris Bryant MP is the Minister of State for Europe and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He has been the Member of Parliament for Rhondda since 2001 and is the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.

Chris spent his childhood in Madrid, Bilbao, Cardiff and Cheltenham. He speaks fluent Spanish and describes himself as “a Brit who loves Spain.”

Source: Sur in English

The new Civil Servant will be able to answer questions on a range of issues such as registration, healthcare and property problems. Some British citizen’s homes are currently under threat of demolition in Andalucía.

The Minister started his visit in Torrevieja on Saturday where he hosted a public event at the Hotel Cabo Cervera. He answered questions from residents on a wide range of issues affecting British citizens living in Spain including property, pensions and benefits.

Also during his visit the Minister met with Mayor of Albox, José García Navarro, and British families affected by a demolition order in Albox in Andalucía. The Minister said: “We continue to work with the Government of Spain and relevant local authorities on resolving the issues that the people of Albox face.”

For more information visit UK in Spain

Regards
Andrew Belles

Last week a spokesman for the opposition party, Partido Popular (PP), said that it is to take the case to the Prosecutor in Malaga to clarify how this development went ahead “without adjustments to the 1995 General Urban Plan (‘PGOU’) being given approval.” The PSOE, the party which leads the Mijas Town Hall, has issued a statement saying that they would study the case but that it occurred “outside the current council’s time.”

“We just don’t know what is going on,” says one British resident who didn’t want to be named. “It’s a worrying time for people who own properties here as there are all sorts of rumours going around. Everyone pays their taxes and complies with all the regulations… and it is not the residents’ fault the authorities didn’t get their act together in the first place. Now we’re stuck in a kind of limbo.” Her neighbour, a Swedish tenant says, “The Parties are using where we live, our homes, as a political football. It is not fair.”

According to the PP, those responsible for the situation include the former Mayor, Agustín Moreno, the then Town Planning Councillor, Luis Vasco, and the department’s current leader, Juan Cruz, who they accuse of being an “accomplice.” In addition, the party claims the Junta de Andalucía “turned a blind eye” and “ignored their town planning supervision duties.”

“We invested nearly everything we had buying our place here and we’re really, really worried about what will happen next. It was meant to be peaceful retirement home for us; it was a long-standing dream and we’re not sure of anything any more,” says the British home owner. “It feels like the wind has been taken out of our sails a bit.”

“We’ve not had any problem with the contracting of the utility services, like water or electricity, so I cannot understand why, all of a sudden, this is coming up,” says the Swedish proprietor in Calahonda Royale. “Why are they doing this now? Maybe it is part of large-scale plan as there may be other places nearby in the same situation. If they’re doing this to us here, they should do it to everyone or it seems to be victimisation. But I love living here and want it all sorted.”

Source: Sur in English, March 5th to March 11th 2010 author: George Prior

source: Mijas property

For the properties still outside the urban plan there is still hope though as, in theory at least, the courts are meant to consider the interests of all involved, which will include those who occupy the properties.

There are also several groups of residents that will more than likely appeal against the current  PGOU Urban Plan. I personally don’t think they will be successful as a majority of interested parties have been waiting a long time for this and will want to get on with their lives.

If your property is still affected, it will be down to the courts whether the property  is demolished, if there is any compensation, who is responsible for the payment of  compensation or better yet, a legal way to keep the owner-occupied properties standing.

Regards
Andrew Bellés

How it works?
The way it works is developers participating in the scheme have to offer their property for sale at mortgage cost, wiping out their margins and giving a discount of 20%. Participating banks, for their part, will loan 100% interest only for the first 3 years. Starting in the fourth year the Junta will offer loans to subsidise mortgage payments for up to 5 years and a maximum of 15,000 Euros. As a result, buyers will save as much as 40% over 8 years, according to calculations by the Junta.

More conditions: The offer stands until the end of 2010, the properties must be newly- built, and the mortgage no greater than 245,000 Euros, the price limit for social housing. Mortgages must be 100% LTV, up to 30 years, charging an interest rate of Euribor +1%

Read the fine print, though, and the Junta isn’t being so generous. In year 9 mortgage lenders have to reimburse the subsidy to the Junta and add it onto the outstanding mortgage, so the borrower pays in the end. Nevertheless, thanks to inflation, buyers will probably have to pay back less, in real terms, than they borrow. Many people expect inflation to take off in the next few years.

Criticisms?
You could argue that it is morally questionable for the government to be spending 1 billion Euros subsidising home buyers when there are so many other more needy causes. And isn’t this is just a wheeze to get buyers to pay inflated prices for homes today whilst transferring the burden of payment onto tax payers in the future? Wouldn’t it be cheaper, and cause less economic distortion, just to drop prices today to a level that people can afford without crucifying themselves on a 30 year mortgage subsidised by the government?

Source: Spanish Property Insight

The confrontation between Marbella and the Junta revolved around certain lived in properties currently deemed illegal. At this moment in time it appears there are 500 homes that could not be legalised through the new PGOU’s compensation scheme.

Properties not included
The properties at the centre of the debate are around 500 homes that could not be legalised through the new PGOU’s compensation scheme, which includes apartments in the Banana Beach complex, properties in Río Real and La Víbora and several homes next to the Río Verde.

For those not familiar with the compensation scheme, in return for the legalisation of the 16,500 (out of a total of approximately 18,000 properties) properties already built, the developers have been ordered to donate land for parks, schools, etc… (Basically for the public good).

The town hall will continue to work with the Andalusian Government to find a legal way of keeping the 500 homes on the plan; although once the PGOU has been finally approved the matter will be in the hands of the courts. And with the courts involved there will not be a general amnesty, but a look into the advantages and disadvantages of whether the individual properties should be demolished. But if you are an owner of one of these properties do not despair, you as the owner of the property have the right to take legal action to defend your interests. This should include having had the property built and occupied on the basis of licences granted by the Marbella town hall in the past.
It also appears that of the although properties in Jardines de la Costa in San Pedro appear as legal on the new PGOU, they seem to have been designated as part of the compensation land to be given by the developer. For this to happen the developer will have to buy back the properties.

Now we just need the Junta to give the final go ahead and life for many in Marbella should finally start to return to normal after waiting since 1986. Once the final approval is in place the stagnant Marbella property market should start to finally pick up.

Regards
Andrew Belles

These are 2 of the 8 properties that the Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, has promised to demolish in exchange for the Junta de Andalucía granting temporary trading licences to businesses located in other illegally built buildings. Although it appears that the Junta are going to want to see further demolitions in the future.

One of the properties to be demolished in Rio Real is owned by Avila Rojas, currently facing charges under the Malaya case and the other is located in San Pedro and was built by the builder Prosavi

News source: www.typicallyspanish.com