News from Andalucia, and the Costa del Sol

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OCTOBER 19th - OCTOBER 25th

PEOPLE WHO COUNT

The official foreign population of Fuengirola is put as 11,300 people, 22 per cent of the 51,300 total. The majority are from EU countries, the second major group being Moroccans who come in search of work opportunities. Alhaurin el Grande has 17,900 inhabitants, an increase on 17,224 in 1999.

PENSIONERS PARTY

An estimated 2,000 pensioners from across the province met in the Axarquia village of Benamargosa on Saturday to take part in a fiesta entitles "Abuelos de Axarquia". Deemed a great success, it will now be an annual event in the Axarquia, and with 30 coaches at their service.

EUROPEAN MONEY FOR MARO CLIFFS

European Union funds could be made available for the conservation of the cliffs between Maro and Cerro Gordo. The regional government is presenting a project for the funding set at 464 million pesetas. This includes reopening of paths and walkways and replanting across an area of 1,800 hectares.

NEW SANDS

The popular La Carihuela beach in Torremolinos is to benefit from the regeneration of sand. The 500 metre stretch of beach between Rincón del Sol and the Hostal Pedro will be renewed by the end of the year.

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR

San Pedro de Alcántara is currently enjoying its Feria, one of the last of the season, although there seems to be confusion as to when the festivities end.

In theory the Feria should last five days from Tuesday 17 to Sunday 22. This year the organisers decided to start two days earl on Sunday 15, so in theory it should end on Friday. The town's saint's day is on Thursday when all businesses will be closed.

There has been a call to keep the celebrations going until Sunday. The Town Hall says it is relaxed on the matter and believes the people should have the final word. Sunday it is then!

ALCACABA NOT READY YET

Despite the nine years of restoration work at a cost of one billion pesetas, Málaga city council has refused to accept the Alcazaba monument on the grounds that the renovation work has not been completed.

The regional government has commented that their responsibility ends with the restoration and consolidation of the monument and that any final touches prior to the opening to the public should be carried out by the city council.

The Town Hall claims that another 200 million pesetas is needed to complete the project, including the setting up of a new Arab museum in the interior.

Meanwhile a total of 25 projects, one of them British, are competing for the landscaping of the restored building. The Alcazaba area is hoped to become the tourist centre of the city.

ROAD WORKS AHEAD

Marbella Town Hall is to spend 150 million pesetas in trying to solve some of the town's traffic problems. Permission has been sought from Madrid to create a new access from the N-340 to Puerto Banus and for widening part of the Ronda road at San Pedro de Alcántara.

INDUSTRIAL GREEN LIGHT

Alhaurin de la Torre Town Hall has approved plans for anew industrial estate. It will be sited on the MA-5002 at La Paredillas. The estate will be built in two phases and when completed will occupy 8,026 square metres. The decision was backed by all the political groups in the Council except PSOE who abstained.

BUDGET INCREASE ACCEPTED

Fuengirola town Hall has accepted a 10 per cent increase in the budget for the construction of the town's new Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares. It has also been decided that the management of the museum will be given to a private company specialising in museums.

HEALTHY OUTCOME

Due to the rapid growth in the population of San Pedro de Alcántara the provincial delegation of health and Marbella Town Hall have agreed to provide a new health centre for the town. The work will begin next year and provide a centre with 21 consulting rooms and three specialist treatment units.

A BIT OF CULTURE

Istán Town Hall plans to spend 125 million pesetas on creating a Cultural and tourist Centre in the town. They hope to start work on this ambitious project by next Easter. However, they are asking the provincial government to divert funds from other projects to finance the new centre.

LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES

UGC Ciné Cité España is seeking planning permission from Los Barrios Town Hall for a new cinema complex on the Palmones III industrial estate just of the N-340. If approved the complex would have 18 cinemas with seating for 4,000 people.

PUT YOUR BODY ON YOUR BIKE

Granada's science park plays host to a new exhibition of 100 motorbikes from October 22. The Guzzi Hispania bikes were made in Spain but sold successfully in Italy at the start of the sixties. The new exhibition will run in parallel to the already successful "Tour of the Human body" described as the most ambitious interactive display the centre has offered in its five years of existence.

SPORT ON THE WAY IN RINCÓN

Deputy Mayor of Rincón de la Victoria, José Francisco Ruiz Montes, has announced that work to build a new sports centre in the town will be put out to tender before the end of the year.

The project has a budget of over 300 million pesetas and will be partially financed by the regional government.

GROWTH IN NATURE FUNDING

The nature parks at Doñana and Sierra Nevada are to benefit from the Environment Council's funding of 500 million pesetas. A total of 132 projects will be covered in the two areas, 108 in the Sierra Nevada and 24 in Doñana. The Council's General Secretary, Carmen Martorelli, noted the increased spending in Andalucia with a funding for a total of 7,000 projects. The majority were instigated by local councils with additional help from individuals and private companies.

JUSTIFIED SPENDING

The Ministry of Justice and Public Administration has announced that 1,005 million pesetas have been invested in the province of Málaga over the last three years in an effort to improve services. Over that time 83 new jobs have been created to meet with the demand.

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