Eloise HorsfieldPROTEST groups and political parties are lining up against yet another horrific development scheme on the edge of Cabo de Gata natural park.
Ecologistas en Accion and the IU party have joined forces to fight the project that would see two golf courses, 1,500 homes and a hotel ‘megaproject’ built inside one of Europe’s driest regions.
So far 12,000 locals have signed a petition against the project that has been passed by Nijar town hall.
The development, in the Nazareno area, would allow for an extra 2,500 hotel beds in the area that sits inside a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
This comes despite the park rarely seeing its hotels at more than half full.
A report from Ecologistas en Accion with the Association of the Friends of the Cabo de Gata Park has called the plan ‘an aberration’ which lacks general interest.
A spokesman added that the project was socially and environmentally unjustified.
“This sort of development is merely speculative and clearly flies in the face of park laws and its protection,” he said.
The report says the scheme undermines environmental legislation, and violates the park’s classification as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which it was awarded in 1997.
On the construction of a 27-hole golf course, the report says there is ‘no economic or social justification’ for its authorisation.
The authorities have only recently agreed to demolish a hotel, the Algorrobico, that was built illegally inside the park, just metres from the sea.
The hotel was able to get planning permission after planners managed to fraudulently change the development status of the virgin beach in question.
Local town halls should be stripped of the ability to approve such projects, which are way outside their level of competence. Maybe they’ve never even heard of the UN, UNESCO, Protected Areas etc?
Buffeted by spivs waving fistfuls of euros (probably ill-gained), all sight is lost of their true purpose in life which is to nurture the wellbeing of the voters who pay their salaries.
What is left of the ‘Old Spain’ seems to be disappearing into the pockets of unscrupulous developers and their puppets the local town halls.
When will the people of Spain wake up? when it’s all gone???
But Antonio2,
these are local Spanish people who are doing this to their own country.They only care about today, tomorrow will never come.
Europe is no different from the rest of the Western world and is simply going to have to do with less materialism as if this ever brought any sense of real contentment.
What does this mean, well golfers will have to play this silly narcissistic game at home, they will not have the money to travel.
My Dutch and German friends tell me that thousands of bars/clubs and discos went bust a few years ago and why – because these people saw what was coming and stopped spending – they always have their eye on the future.
Looking at the UK the same mentality is operating there as well – The Brits along with the Spanish have the highest level of personal debt in Europe – tomorrow will never come.
The Bankers Party is right now resurrecting the idea of building on school playing fields and wants to open up the National Trust land to ‘exploitation’ – not much difference there.
The Brits do not live for today as S Crawford suggests , not if you are sane and educated , sadly the less educated in Spain and UK are the ones who do so , hence Spain still ,after all they should have learnt are still defiling their own country in the quest for a quick buck , hear that Andulcia has now even raised the sales tax on property , this is really a wonderful idea, especially when Spain has the biggest property glut in the WORLD and cant sell a damn thing , economy is a sick joke and waht do they do , make it even more off putting to buy , why should anyone care about Spain, they don`t seem to care about others only a fast buck and then stash it away anywhere other then home !!
James White,
you are good for a laugh. The rich public school educated Henrys’ are the ones who have stashed their ill gotten gains in the tax havens.
Just like their Spanish equivalents it is the greedy elites who are squeezing the last drops of blood from their countries.
It was the Bankers’ Party under that foul female who stole the UKs assets – water/electricity/gas and sold them cheaply to their family and friends in the City.
Who squandered all the north sea oil on those whose jobs were deliberately destroyed in hand outs.
Who deregulated the City and caused the tidal wave of debt – no it was’nt the chavs it was the public school hogs.
Stop spouting Bankers’ Party propoganda. Indeed you ruined an otherwise sensible rant.