Wendy WilliamsEXCLUSIVE by Amie Keeley
IT is a long-running dispute that has caused continual harrassment, assault and even death threats.
But now all-out war has erupted between a German-run restaurant and its British neighbours in the hills above Marbella.
On one side, the new tenants of the restaurant that has been shut down before, and on the other, the neighbours who cannot sleep.
Local residents insist they have become the victims of late-night partying and illegal live music as a result of the re-opening of Nueva Kaskada restaurant, which sits off the road to Ojen.
They claim that the 323-seat restaurant should not have been allowed to re-open after it was closed due to complaints over noise in 2009.
One couple has allegedly been forced to move due to sleep deprivation, despite spending 200,000 euros on soundproofing their villa.
“It is a total nightmare,” said Carol Hewitt, 52, who lives just ten metres from the restaurant.
She has been forced to call police on many occasions due to noise or customers blocking her drive.
“But any neighbour who requests a car be moved is met with belligerence from clients and staff,” she said.
“In the past this has led to physical assaults and even death threats,” she added.
She said up to 60 cars were recently blocking the private road leading to the restaurant.
And on Valentine’s Day, she claims police actually fined the restaurant for playing live music without a licence and shut the event down.
The new restaurant tenants Michael Mittag and Monica Viglioglia insist they are fully aware of the problems and are trying to rectify it.
“We have started a shuttle bus to bring clients to the restaurant so customers can leave their cars at home,” said Viglioglia.
But the neighbours have now hired lawyers to investigate why the restaurant was issued a new license despite countless letters of complaint.
The town hall insisted it ‘met all the requirements’ for its licence.
A restaurant with customers nowadays?
Brown envelopes….
…this restaurant has been there forever and a day… has a trout farm as well….. any resident close to said… would have known full well the issues at the time of buying their respective properties….. and I know that Carol was certainly aware…! Regarding the parking…. yes it is a problem as the road is…shall we sy very narrow..and in reality…more than 10 cars would cause a problem in the area.!
I know the place. And the neighbour. Who does not know what a public road means. A restaurant is not a disco. The neighbour is the freak. Ojen town hall will not say it like that. But that is my experience over there. When there is no no parking sign, you can park in a public street. Neighbour can request no parking signs. But no, backyard of neighbour wants to control the whole area. Have to say, I never went back to the restaurant. While it is a great place, nice views. Well done, neighbour!
Eats shoots and leaves anyone?
Alan is incorrect as the houses were there 40 years before the restaurant which, incidentally, has no planning permission. Don’t understand Jordan’s comments as both the article and photograph refer to private roads and driveways being blocked, and there IS a no parking sign on the gate. You may not park in a public street where it causes danger or restricts traffic, even if there is no no parking sign. The restaurant is in Marbella, not Ojen.