Hotel restyling
Málaga’s metro to
change direction
The regional government has
announced changes to plans for
expanding Málaga’s metro system. The
present construction work on an
extension with a terminal at the
Hospital Civil is to be abandoned in
favour of a connection to the
Campanillas district and the Andalucía
Technology Park (PTA). However, the
concession holder, Metro de Málaga,
has expressed concerns about the
profitability of such a line.
The owners of the Marinas de Nerja Hotel
have announced a major “restyling” of the
building from November. The Catalan
group Ona Hotels considers their Nerja
property as one of the most emblematic
on the Costa del Sol and says the upgrade
will “adapt it to the standards of the
chain.” The hotel has 216 bedrooms, two
outdoor pools. large gardens with direct
beach access, a main restaurant, bar, gym,
spa centre, hair salon and shop.
Pedestrianising Plaza
Councillors in Vélez-Málaga were last
month expected to approve the project to
pedestrianise Plaza de las Carmelitas
which has a budget of €800,000. Mayor
Antonio Moreno Ferrer said the town
centre area would become “a model of a
modern and sustainable city designed for
people,” and would revive the local
economy. He added the work would be
carried out so as not to clash with
traditional Easter events.
Motor homes
The presence of dozens of motor homes
in areas of Nerja is causing a headache for
the town. Local businesses claim that
their owners contribute little to the local
economy, while barriers, limiting the size
of vehicles accessing a large parking area
on El Playazo beach, have disappeared.
The town hall says local police are
monitoring the situation and telling those
parked illegally to move on.
Torre theatre
Councillors in Vélez-Málaga have
approved the new site for Torre del Mar’s
future theatre. It will be built in the Cerro
del Águila area, near the covered
swimming pool, with a budget of €5.5 –
that’s some €4 million less than the
original plan. The first site chosen was
finally discarded because of potential
flooding problems.
Details of the changes came from the
new president of the Junta de
Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, on his first
official visit to the city last month
following regional elections in
December. That vote ousted the
socialists from control in the region
after almost 37 years, leaving the
Partido Popular now controlling both
Andalucía and the city of Málaga.
The bidding process approved for the
extension by the previous socialist
administration has thus been
suspended, terminating a controversial
phase of the metro’s development.
This would have seen trains running
on the surface for much of its length, a
prospect which was opposed by
Málaga’s city council. However, Sr
Moreno added that the line to the
Hospital Civil would not remain
suspended forever. He explained that
the project was being halted for two
main reasons: the “strong” rejection of
the existing plans by local people, and
the better use of limited resources to
provide, “functional and operational
progress and welfare.”
However, Metro de Málaga, the present
concession holder, has told the
regional government that a line to the
PTA would not be profitable. It says
the 6.5 kilometre extension would cost
around €80 million to construct, would
require extra tram units and would
carry an estimated two million
passengers a year.
It adds that the vast majority of travel
would be at peak times, leaving trams
empty at other times including
weekends and throughout August. Last
year, Lines 1 and 2 of Málaga’s metro
which opened in July 2014 carried over
6.3 million passengers, an increase of
9.75 per cent on the 2017.
Commenting on past clashes between
the differing politics of the region and
the city of Málaga, Juanma Moreno
talked of now being able to resolve
projects which had been, “paralysed for
years,” including those for a third city
hospital and the integration proposals
for the Guadalmedina river.
El Trapiche inundated
Damage estimated at over €100,000 was
caused last month when a water pipe
fractured and flooded the village of El
Trapiche. Between 8,000 and 10,000
cubic metres of water poured into the
area in just 30 minutes after it spilled
from the 1.2 metre pipe which carries
supplies from the Viñuela reservoir to a
nearby water treatment plant. The
problem started at about 10.15pm on
February 4 when water began
inundating a 400 metre stretch of the
road, prompting residents to evacuate,
and forcing the closure of the A-7205
road at kilometre 11. Water up to 1.5
metres deep gathered in c/ Poeta García
Valverde flooding the lower floors of
more than 60 homes and a dozen
vehicles. One 90-year-old woman
remained trapped in her house until she
was rescued by the emergency services
and taken to hospital. No other injuries
18
were reported. Work continued
through the night to repair the break
and steps were taken to ensure
supplies to 14 municipalities served by
the fractured pipe. Reasons for the
incident are unclear, although one
suggestion is that an earthwork nearby
make have contributed. The pipeline is
owned by the Andalucían Agency for
the Environment and Water which is
reported to be liable for repairing
damage.
The mayor of Velez-Malaga, Antonio
Moreno Ferrer, said that technicians
have estimated damage in the seven
worst-affected homes at €100,000
while other damages were still being
assessed. There was also a call for
emergency transport to be made
available to those who lost vehicles or
were isolated by the flood.