Police called in over suspicious earth movements at planned quarry
SUSPICIOUS earth movements at an estate whose owners want to open a quarry, have been reported to the police.
Opponents to the planned Los Jarales quarry inside the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park have denounced the movement, as well as the cutting down of various trees.
“He told us that the town hall can’t afford to get into a legal row as it is in debt”
The Casarabonela Platform Against the Quarry also claims that tracks have been widened inside the estate and various large boulders moved.
A spokesman claimed that this had happened despite the owners – believed to be an English company Cox Howes Salmond – not having permission to reopen the quarry.
A spokesman insisted that the works were ‘illegal’ and that the works licence is ‘paralised’, according to the town hall.
The local villagers are growing increasingly suspicious that mayor Sebastian Gomez is secretly negotiating with the company behind the quarry.
Aroused
Their suspicions were further aroused when he refused to attend a round table debate about it in February.
The Olive Press reported last year how the mayor had announced his agreement to let a new company start mining last year.
This was despite promising that the disused site would never be reopened.
But the mayor claimed he was powerless to stop the moves. “He told us that the town hall can’t afford to get into a legal row as it is in debt,” said David Biram, who lives nearby.
“What is his motivation? Is it the big licence fee that will no doubt come to the town hall?”
The company had originally got a licence to reopen the quarry from the town hall 14 years ago. It first shut down in 1992.
Company Cox Howes Salmond, while having a main office in Fuengirola, has a phone number listed in Casarabonela. This week nobody was answering it.
Does anybody know what The Verosa Company is building across the road from our 8 Villas in between Casarabonela and Zalea on the ma403. We endured it as a quarry, mining the stone for widening of the road for nearly 2 years.With all the noise and dust. We have asked at the town hall what it is they are erecting, not forgetting this is suppose to be a protected area,with walk’s right next to the opening on the main road.( How was that allowed, was it anything to do with Mr Verosa bieng the mayor’s cousin?) All this work is bieng carried on behind a screen of quarried stone about 25 to 30 foot high! We cannot get any answers from the town hall. Can anybody tell us?
If you go back to last year at one of the Council Plenos there was an agreement and permission given for Verosa to build a Warehouse/ Garage, how the vote of the political parties was shown i cant remember but i think it was nearly all in favour .I presume this will be to service and repair his fleet of earthmovers and trucks,similar to what he has now near to the village. If you look at his old depot on the way into the village you will see it is being promoted for house building.Putting 2+2 together . Buy a Finca as Rustic land cheap , strip it of material, crush it and sell it to the company building the new road and all the other projects you are involved in. Get permission to build a warehouse/ garage complex for your fleet on cheaper land ,move said fleet to new site,promote and build houses on what becomes now valuable building land. That today is called good business i am afraid and everyones a winner, well except for those who live nearby who bought a house in the countryside to retire to. The Town hall have full details of this project as it went to a council meeting and was passed,i cant understand how you are not aware of it?