News
Nerja footpath
Frustration as new law defeated
Nerja Town Hall has invited tenders for the construction of a new footpath to link El Salón beach ( pictured ), immediately to the west of the Balcón de Europa , with La Caletilla beach . The project , financed by the provincial government , has a budget of € 163,000 . The new facility will eventually form part of Málaga ’ s coastal footpath which will run from Nerja to Manilva .
Beach death
A 78-year-old man died on a beach in Torre del Mar on June 9 . The victim was spotted in difficulties in the sea and was helped to shore by two rescuers who found he had suffered a cardio respiratory arrest . They attempted to resuscitate him , but he his death was confirmed by an ambulance crew who arrived shortly after .
Walker airlifted
An 80-year-man had to be airlifted to hospital after suffering a fall in the El Torcal nature reserve on June 3 . He was unable to move in a spot which was difficult to access , and the incident triggered a large scale emergency response . A helicopter was scrambled and was able to land close by in order to take him to hospital in Antequera .
Child threatened
A 56-year-old man was arrested in Torre del Mar after he allegedly threatened to kill a ten-year-old child with a beer bottle . Witnesses said the suspect looked drunk when he started shouting at the minor . The detained man was found to be carrying a utility knife and was also charged to failing to wear a face mask .
Balconing incident
A 31-year-old Briton was seriously injured in San Pedro de Alcantara , near Marbella , last month . He had attempted the feat known as “ balconing ” by jumping from the balcony of his holiday apartment into the swimming pool below . However , he missed the water and hit the ground suffering a severe head injury and broken bones , as well as damaging his internal organs .
Great concern has been expressed in Andalucía during the last month after long-awaited legislation on planning was blocked on its passage through the regional government . The new Law of Sustainable Land Regulation ( LISTA ) is intended to enable new projects and provide legal confidence for investors , factors which are seen as an essential step towards economic recovery . It could also enable the legalisation of thousands of homes built in the Axarquía without planning permission .
The LISTA , now on hold , is intended to replace planning laws dating as far back as the mid 1990s , a move which its proponents say will mark a new beginning for urban planning . It is based on simplifying procedures and providing flexibility on the thorny question of construction on land classified as rustic .
However , when it came to the vote in the regional parliament on May 27 , the far-right Vox party withdrew its support from the coalition of the Partido Popular and Ciudadanos because of its decision to take in 13 unaccompanied minors from Ceuta .
The abstention of the 12 Vox Deputies was enough to prevent the LISTA from being approved , leaving developers , planners and property owners frustrated .
In the Axarquía , where around 20,000 house have been built on rustic land in the last three decades , there were great hopes that the new legislation would resolve problems which have been continuing for many years . Patricia Navarro , Málaga delegate for the Junta de Andalucía , said it was , “ very sad ” because investment projects would have become much simpler , while Vélez- Málaga ’ s mayor Antonio Moreno Ferrer said that without the new law , it would be very difficult to attract investors and for existing plans to go ahead .
The whole affair has put pressure on Juanma Moreno , the PP leader in Andalucía to call an immediate regional election . Opposition Deputies say he is to blame for the situation because he forged an alliance with Vox which has had seats in the regional parliament since the 2018 election .
More deaths than births
Provisional data from the National Statistics Institute published on June 17 showed that Málaga recorded 1,635 more deaths than births last year . The province reported its highest number of deaths since records began in 1941 , with the total of 14,047 up 10.1 per cent on the previous year .
There was also a drop in the number of births with the total of 12,412 around 6.3 per cent down on 2019 , which also showed a decrease on the previous year . The downward trend began as the pandemic grew and by December last year , over a fifth fewer births were recorded in Málaga compared with 2019 , a trend which is reported to have continued into this year .
Nationally , the total number of deaths in Spain during 2020 was 492,930 – the highest annual figure since the
Civil War . Last year ’ s figure was up 17.73 per cent on 2019 , although increases of over 40 per cent were recorded in Madrid and Segovia , while deaths in Andalucía increased by 10.9 per cent . In addition , the number of births nationally during 2020 totalled 339,206 , some 21,000 fewer compared with the previous year and the biggest annual drop since 2013 .
Analysts say that it is unclear how many of the extra deaths in 2020 were as a result of Covid , and point out that , in the early weeks of the pandemic , many patients will have died undiagnosed with the virus . In addition they say the impact of health centres and hospitals saturated with Covid patients will have resulted in a number of those with other diseases and conditions not being diagnosed or treated .
12