Spanish 'Solar Police'

The latest nail in the coffin for Spain’s solar energy producers is an Energy Law amendment which allows inspectors to enter private properties without a court order. It's a move lawyers believe could set a worrying precedent.

• '€30 million fines for solar producers a joke' (22 Oct 13)
• EU opens case against Spain over 'sun tax' plans (30 Sep 13)
• 'Let's tax the sun': new law shocks world press (21 Aug 13)

As if Spaniards had not already been dissuaded by the potential €60 million fines they face for illegally generating their own solar power, they now have to look forward to a knock on the door from the 'solar police'.
A change to the ruling Popular Party’s (PP) Energy Law allows inspectors to “raid” properties they are suspicious of, armed only with administrative authorization.
If the suspect denies entry, Spain’s Industry Department will then ask for a court order that guarantees inspectors access to the property alongside Spanish national police.
Officers will be able to seize all documents related to to energy consumption and seal off entry to the property.
Lawyers consulted by Spain's VozPopuli online newspaper raised serious doubts about whether the move was constitutional.
They also said it set a worrying precedent by obliging citizens to let inspectors enter a private residence.
All this means generating your own solar energy without paying for the privilege is a risky business now in Spain.
Whereas Spain once flung money at companies who set up solar power programmes in the country, it now plans to slap a fee on people who create their energy for personal consumption.

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As the Wall Street Journal put it, Spain is punishing "a small but growing segment of the middle class" who have installed solar panels to generate their own electricity.
Forbes also slammed the Spanish government’s move back in August by saying, "You get the feeling that government officials were out of ideas, stared up at the sky one day and thought, 'I've got it! We’ll tax the sun!'"
The PP’s plan is to raise cash to help pay off their 'tariff deficit', or the difference between the cost of operating the country's electricity grid and the money it rakes in.
"Imposed by decree, the reform aims to raise money for tackling a €26 billion debt to power producers which the state has built up over the years in regulating energy costs and prices," Australia's Business Spectator reported.
According to VozPopuli, the ‘payback’ to big energy companies has taken the form of this new Solar Energy Law.
This makes independent power generation by households one of the biggest financial risks Spaniards can currently take at a time when cutting costs is ever more necessary.

 

Gibraltar border watch

Gibraltar border watch

Motril port works imminent .....

 AN €11.9 million contract to improve Motril port has been awarded. Actividades de Construccion y Servicio (ACS) led by Florentino Perez, current president of Real Madrid Football Club, will carry out the work.

Its subsidiary companies, Dragados and Drace, will extend the dyke, dredge both the Azucenas basin and the port access, and improve Azucenas beach.

Motril Port Authority intends to extend the current dyke by 300 metres in order to improve protection. The area to dredge in order to expand the entrance channel is 500,000 square metres.

The project is included in the Motril Port Business Plan and it is partly funded by European Regional Development funds. The works will start before the end of the year and should be completed in a period of 14 months.

  

Gibraltar's Border with Spain - 18th September 2013......

Guardia Civil abuse Gibraltarian This video is evidence of the Spanish authorities behaviour at the Gibraltar / Spain frontier Guardia Civil officer directly abusing citizens.
 Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9d5_1380449120#5ZkRGBx3meoLHXC0.99

The Flag of Gibraltar Flies High over the Foreign Office, London.....

The flag of Gibraltar (left) flies next to the Union flag, over the Foreign Office in Whitehall, London, during Gibraltar’s National Day, commemorating the anniversary of the Rock’s first referendum on British citizenship.  10th September 2013.

Stolen Motril Mangos........

Agrojete SL sufre el robo de 800 kilos de mango, de su finca en Motril en el Pago de las Zorreras, con más de 8.000 árboles

Carta de Agrojete SL tras serle robados 800 kilos de mango:

Agrojete S.L. posee una finca plantada de mangos en el Pago de las Zorreras de Motril de unos 8.000 árboles aproximadamente.

Hemos observado que entre el domingo 25 y el lunes 26 de Agosto nos han robado aproximadamente unos 800 kg de mango variedad osteen siendo el primer año de cosecha de esta finca, pues se plantó hace 3 años.

Estamos muy preocupados ante el inicio de campaña contra estos robos y así lo hemos denunciado ante la Policía Nacional, Policía local y Guardia Civil de Motril; esperando hagan su labor para frenar los robos en dicha finca en la cual llevamos invertidos más de 400.000€ y tememos lo peor de no poder recolectar parte de nuestra cosecha.

Por lo dicho y expuesto requiero a los cuerpos de seguridad de Motril una respuesta rápida y eficaz para frenar a los ladrones ya, de lo contrario tomaremos nuestras propias medidas y volveremos a denunciarlo cuantas veces sea necesario para que se ponga fin a estas sustracciones de frutas de dicha finca.

Firmado: José Antonio Vallejo Franco Gerente de Agrojete S.L.



SDL free internet translation.....

SL Agrojete suffers from the theft of 800 kilos of mango, on their farm at Las Zorreras, Motril, from more than 8,000 trees.

Letter of Agrojete SL after be stolen 800 kilos of mangos:

Agrojete S. L. possesses an estate  planted with mangoes in  Las Zorreras, a suburb of  Motril, of approximately 8,000 trees.

We have noticed that between Sunday 25 and Monday, 26 August we have had stolen approximately 800 kg of mango 'osteen' variety being the first year of harvest on the estate since was planted 3 years ago.

We are very concerned about before the start of the season against these thefts and so we complained to the National Police, local police and Civil Guard of Motril; waiting to do their work to curb the theft in the estate in which we have invested more than €400,000 and fear the worst for not being able to collect part of our harvest.

What has been said by Jose and exposed to the security forces of Motril a rapid and effective response to stop the thieves already, otherwise we will make our own measures and we will return to denounce it as many times as necessary to put an end to these subtractions of fruits of the farm.


Signed:    José Antonio Vallejo Franco Gerente de Agrojete S.L.

The building plans for over 8,000 homes have been put on hold in Motril.....

PLANS for building more than 8,000 homes in Motril have been put on hold.

The new Plan Litoral law passed by the Andalucian Government is preventing any house from being built bringing negative consequences to the local economy.
 
Originally designed to protect the coastline environment, the Plan Litoral forces Andalucian towns to immediately adapt the Andalucian Urban Development Plan (POTA).
That means many of the 8,773 houses planned to be built in Motril have been ruled out by the POTA even though they are in the General Plan for Urban Development (PGOU) passed by the council in 2004.

Only 1,818 of these houses have been built and the remaining ones, even though only off-plan, have been cancelled with no possibility of amendment.

On top of that, new projects can’t be passed as the plots they would supposedly be located in are officially ruled out by the POTA.

The Motril town council has complained about this situation as it considers it is seriously damaging the local economy.
“It is a contradiction to have the regional government cancelling plans that it previously passed,” said Infrastructures Management deputy Nicolas Navarro.
“The Junta de Andalucia should be more flexible in this economic crisis,” he added.

Gibraltar - Artificial Reef & Spain's Retaliation At the Border......

Trevor Bickerstaff

The Rock of Gibraltar - 1862 showing Windmill Hill Barracks, O’Hara’s Tower and the Spanish mountains in the distance

A comparison of Lee's painting and Firth's photograph of the same subject. Both were probably created on more or less the same dates.

  http://gibraltar-intro.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/chapter_2211.html

Spanish fisheries chart steers clear of British waters.........

A screen shot of the Junta de Andalucia website showing Spanish designated shellfish fisheries near Gibraltar in red and green. None of them overlap into British Gibraltar territorial waters. The artificial reef at the heart of the current dispute with Spain is outside the nearest fishery, known in Spanish as a ‘caladero’. Under Spanish law, commercial fishing can only be conducted in such areas.

Maps freely available on the Junta de Andalucia’s official website show that shellfish fisheries designated by Spain in the Bay of Gibraltar clearly respect the boundaries of British Gibraltar territorial waters.

The fisheries, known as ‘caladeros’ in Spanish, are the only zones where Spain allows commercial fishing but stop clear of British waters.

The revelation will cast doubt on Spain’s claim that it is acting to protect the interests of Spanish fishermen in the current dispute.


When the Gibraltar Government created an artificial reef off the runway a fortnight ago, Spain complained that the 70 concrete blocks had destroyed a traditional Spanish shellfish fishing ground.

But although at least one Spanish trawler routinely raked the area for clams, the site of the reef in British waters is well outside the nearest fishery designated by the Junta de Andalucia.


Gibraltar and the UK have maintained throughout that Spanish actions at the border and in other spheres are motivated less by fishing than by politics and the underlying sovereignty claim.

Raking the seabed for shellfish in British waters is illegal under Gibraltar’s nature protection laws.




BOUNDARY LINES

The maps on the Junta website show that the nearest designated Spanish shellfish fishery ends north of the port of La Linea breakwater.

By contrast, the Gibraltar reef is inside British waters south of that same breakwater.

Spain does not recognise British jurisdiction of that area of sea but even so has not designated the site of the reef for commercial fishing.

Under Spanish law, fishing is only allowed within designated ‘caladeros’. That means that even if this was a stretch of Spanish sea, commercial fishing would not be allowed there.

In fact the nearest designated Spanish fishery in the Bay of Gibraltar, known by the Junta as Bahía de Algeciras II, ends on the northern boundary of the area of sea claimed by Britain.

The same is true on the east side of the Rock, where the shellfish fisheries designated by Spain end north of the runway on the edge of British waters.

In other words, irrespective of jurisdiction, there are no designated Spanish shellfish fisheries in British Gibraltar territorial waters.

That means that Spanish fisherman cannot legally rake for clams in these waters, whether under Gibraltar law – which applies – or Spanish law, which does not. 


 SPANISH DIPLOMACY
Yesterday a senior Spanish diplomat insisted that the current dispute would not end until the artificial reef was removed from waters off Gibraltar.

Ignacio Ibañez, director general for foreign affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, made the claim even as he denied that the tight border controls were retaliation for the reef.

“On the fisheries it’s very clear, you have to take out these blocks from the sea,” he told the BBC in an interview.

“Our request is not going to the Gibraltarian authorities, our request is going to the UK…”

Gibraltar has insisted from the outset that the reef was built for environmental reasons to regenerate an area of the seabed off the runway and Western Beach.

But this argument holds little sway with Spain, as Sr Ibañez made clear yesterday.

He said the area in question had been designated by both Britain and Spain as a designated EU nature protection site and that any activity in such an area required prior study and consultation.

“To build an artificial reef in an area where fishing is happening makes no sense,” he said.

“You create artificial reefs where you don’t have fish. You don’t create artificial reefs where fish are there and fishing activity is happening.”


 by Brian Reyes   -    15 August 2013
Gibraltar Chronicle

The Rock of Gibraltar - 1860 painting by Frederick Richard Lee, R.A. (1798-1879)

1862 - The Rock of Gibraltar - the view is from the ruins of the Spanish fort of Santa Barbara.


http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/artwork.php?artworkid=17470&size=large  

Following use of Gibraltar as a Smokescreen - The heat is back on Prime Minister Rajoy

Article by David Eade from Gibraltar's Panorama 

After Rajoy and Margallo’s recent attempts to use Gibraltar as a smoke screen to divert attention away from the corruption scandals in Madrid,  this week sees the Spanish Prime Minister back in the dock whether he likes it or not.
Not the dockyard of Gibraltar or even Rota but in the dock of the court of public opinion.
He would have been there anyway as this week the investigating judge in the Bárcenas corruption case will be questioning the PP’s secretary generals, past and present. However thanks to the Spanish daily El Mundo,   Rajoy is again under suspicion with questions asked over whether he has lied to Spain’s Parliament?

BOMBSHELL
In El Mundo’s Sunday edition it revealed that the former treasurer of the Partido Popular, Luis Bárcenas, who is currently in prison awaiting trial on corruption charges, cashed a cheque from the party in May of last year.
 It is a bombshell because Rajoy has categorically stated that at that time,  Bárcenas was no longer employed by the party.

The newspaper reproduced a photograph of the pay slip of Bárcenas dated May 2012 which shows that he received the sum of 18,257 euros.

The former PP treasurer is at the centre of a corruption scandal that has engulfed the ruling party with allegations of illegal payments to its politicians and officials.

The discovery of this payment put the embattled Spanish Prime Minister firmly back in the hot seat. He told Congress, Spain’s lower House of Parliament, on August 1 that after he won the general election in November 2011,  Bárcenas was no longer with the party.

The Partido Popular has reiterated that Bárcenas was no longer a member of the party from 2010 and that it had refused his request to rejoin after he had temporarily resigned as treasurer the year before. He had been granted leave of absence to try for a Senate seat and then been caught up in the Gürtel corruption case.

However El Mundo believes that after Bárcenas sought to be reincorporated into the Partido Popular an application was made to Social Security for him as a member of the senior management with an indefinite contract for which he would receive 14 payments plus the required legal retentions. His salary was over 255,000 euros a year. On this the Partido Popular had “no comment”.

Bárcenas, who was PP treasurer for two decades, is currently in prison accused of offences against the Spanish tax authority, money laundering, fraud and falsifying documents in the Gürtel corruption case. Gürtel also is centred on the PP and involves allegations that a network of businesses made illicit payments to the party’s politicians in return for contracts.

Bárcenas has testified before the investigating judge that the Partido Popular had hidden accounts in which monies received from companies in the construction industry were placed. He added that leaders of the party between 1991 and 2008 including Rajoy had received payments from these accounts.

Needless to say Rajoy and the rest of the leaders of the PP deny the existence of any hidden accounts or that they received any payments from Bárcenas. 
Bárcenas had accumulated around 48 million euros in Swiss bank accounts from his illicit activities.

Rajoy is on record as telling Congress that it had been wrong to have any confidence in Bárcenas but declared his innocence of having any knowledge of or receiving payments from his illegal accounts.

BADLY SHAKEN
The Spanish public’s belief and trust in the political class has been badly shaken over the corruption allegations and the support for the PP has dramatically collapsed.
 Rajoy is a leader under suspicion as he leads his country through a catastrophic economic crisis with the looming threat of Cataluña seeking independence.
The recent debacle over Gibraltar has caused ridicule for both Rajoy and Margallo coming in the same week as it was proposed that all Spanish workers should take a 10 per cent pay cut.

On Wednesday the secretary general of the Partido Popular, Maria Dolores de Cospedal, is due to appear before the judge investigating the Bárcenas case. Her predecessors Francisco Álvarez Cascos and Javier Arenas are due to testify this week also. Arenas was the PP’s candidate for the president of Andalucía at the last regional election.

The heat is going to intensify on Rajoy and the PP in the coming weeks and months.
A Transparency International survey showed that 86 per cent of Spaniards believed their politicians to be corrupt. The indications are that the 86 per cent are right.


13-08-13

What are the competing claims over Gibraltar?

By Vanessa Barford   BBC News Magazine
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23617910

Salobreña Summer Market....

On the Beach Front at Salobreña,  every day until 8th September...8pm to midnight.

In total 20 posts handmade products hundred percent, as jewelry, leather, pottery, etc. .. and all of artisans from the Alpujarra Valley Lecrin or the coast, and the Villa.


In addition, and especially aimed at children during weekends will be held activities such as recycling workshops, playgrounds or magic shows.

 

A new subduction zone forming off Spain’s coast..........

A change in the tectonic plates off the coast of Spain means a future of earthquakes and heightened plate movement in the region.
A budding subduction zone offshore of Spain heralds the start of a cycle which will one day pull the Atlantic Ocean seafloor into the bowels of the Earth, a new study suggests.


  João Duarte is a research fellow at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and he has been talking to OurAmazingPlanet magazine.

He explains that Subduction zones are key players in creating super-continents and opening and closing the Earth’s oceans.

 In a Subduction zone, one of the Earth’s tectonic plates dives beneath another, sinking into the earth’s mantel, which is the layer under the crust. As the crust disappears continents may collide, as has happened numerous times in the history of the planet.

Subduction zones have also led to the biggest earthquakes on the planet.
‘Passive margins’ is where the oceanic and continental crusts make a seamless transition. This is seen in Eastern North American and northern Europe.

But if the north of Europe is stable, it’s different story in the south. Off the SW Spanish coast the seafloor is folded and fractured and is leading scientists to think the earth’s crust could be in for a break.

João Duarte told OurAmazingPlanet, ‘We are precisely in the transition between a passive and active margin. The plate is breaking in two and starting to converge’.

He published that conclusion on June 6 when he and his colleagues placed their research in the Geology journal. It is the result of careful mapping of the underwater faults near Spain and to the west of Gibraltar in the zone called ‘the Southwest Iberia Margin’.

The zone has spawned several large earthquakes such as the 1755 tremor in Lisbon which killed more than 10,000 people, and team has now discovered active thrust faults throughout the supposedly passive margin.

Duarte says that means the margin is not passive anymore and is now being reactivated, i.e. a new convergent plate boundary is forming. This is the beginning of a subduction zone.

The researchers suspect that the new Iberian Subduction zone will get a little help from a tiny ultra-slow subduction zone beneath the Strait of Gibraltar which is attached to the African plate.
Over the next several million years this may roll out towards the Atlantic and merge with the Iberian zone to create an even bigger trench.

Subduction zones take millions of years to form, and they leave few clues as how the process works, most of the clues are left in the mantle.

Duarte says the embryonic subduction zone near Spain suggests that subduction spreads from ocean to ocean.

He and his team are now developing numerical models of subduction to better understand the forces in plate motion.

Making sense of the complex tectonics offshore of Spain and Portugal is also crucial for forecasting the region’s seismic hazard.

‘Despite twenty years of intense investigation, only now are we starting to understand the whole picture’, he said.

 LIVE SCIENCE

CREDIT: João Duarte/Geology                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

The Spanish Cabinet will deliver 20.1 million euros to the works of the A7 between Polopos and Albuñol........

The Council of Ministers has authorized the Ministry of Development to allocate EUR 20,141,171.76 more work on section of the A-7, Polopos-Albuñol, located in the province of Granada.

Among the actions planned include additional stabilization of slopes and embankments in some clearing of the main work, remedial measures in the tunnel of the Ramoncillos and improvement and restoration of roads.

The Cabinet has also approved an agreement that authorizes a new modified project, which involves a reduction of the contract budget of 95 072, 84 euros, and a modification of the approved amount in financial compensation, which decreases at 898,418.40 euros.

The modified also includes as a requirement of the Law on Public Procurement, updating the VAT of 18 percent to 21 percent, representing an increase of 4.6 million, and the additional budget review prices, the estimated value amounts to 29.2 million euros. It is anticipated, thus paying the price update before the end of this work, which governs the so-called 'German method'.

Hoy, domingo se celebra el VIII Festival Internacional Aéreo de Motril.........

 
Today, Sunday, is celebrated Air VIII International Festival Motril, framed the airspace of  Granada Beach.

The attendance of more than 30,000 spectators. As indicated by José Miguel Pérez Juárez, president of Orion and organizer of the event by the city of Motril, the air show is linked to an exhibition of aviation models, besides the III photo contest, with the participation of snapshots taken the same day Festival is held.

Perez Juarez has been reported that the organization has contacted various European embassies and the United States to participate in the big air show in which asitirán warplanes patrolling U.S., Holland, Belgium and France.

"For nearly three hours the audience will enjoy the aerial tricks about twenty civil and military aircraft, both acrobatic and historic" stressed the president of the association Orion.
 

The mayor Luisa Garcia Chamorro recalled that Motril is one of only five Spanish cities along with Vigo, Gijon, Barcelona and Cadiz hosts an air show of this magnitude, which is a benchmark in Europe for their uniqueness and this year for the first ever been included in the calendar of the European Council of Air Festivals.

This eighth edition comes loaded with expectations, also endorsed by the spectacular media coverage that won the last festival, which was echoed in publications such as 'Avion Review', 'General Aviation Pilot' aviation forums as Extracrew.com (largest portal aeronautical Spanish speaking) and almost all provincial media. "This appointment is already one of the most anticipated by Motril and visitors in the festival calendar of the city and one of our great interest since it enables those who come to know the excellence of our beaches, taste our products in business hospitality and especially to discover the closest and hospitable character of Motril, which is one of our greatest strengths, "the councilor has been reported.

 Perez Juarez has said, among the prominent presences figure Jorge Macias of Spain champion Alonso aerobatics unlimited mode-that just premiered in Motril a new form he calls "interactive", in which he draws figures in the sky after asking some of the children attending. 
Also attend Carlos Bravo, flight instructor and aerobatic pilot added to the Fundación Infante de Orleans (FIO), which will fly a beautiful historic aircraft. 

 

Gibralter's 5 Star Floating Hotel......

The Sunborn floating hotel arrived in Gibraltar this morning, June 11th.
This picture, taken at 08:00,  shows the Sunborn on a large transporter ship just off the Detached Mole.

The floating hotel will now spend some time in the dry docks undergoing some final works before being moved to Ocean Village where it will serve as a luxury hotel.

The floating  hotel will feature a panoramic restaurant with sun terraces and a glamorous outdoor bar and lounge as well as leisure and event facilities and entertainment spaces. 

Comprehensive banqueting, meeting and conference venues complete the impressive list of on-board facilities.

The Minister for Tourism Neil Costa said:
“We are delighted that Sunborn has chosen Gibraltar for their 5-star plus project, which will create many jobs locally, and we believe it will become an icon and attraction for Gibraltar.” 

He also said that the 5-star plus hotel and conference centre will be a significant addition to Gibraltar’s hospitality offering, targeting specifically the growing demand of luxury hotel and convention facilities.

Brian Stevendale, Director at Ocean Village, said:
 “We are very excited about this opportunity for Gibraltar. We recognize this is a massive investment.” 

   

Black Marks for the Costa del Sol.......

Tarifa,  on the Costa de la Luz ,has landed a massive black mark from Spain’s leading environmental group.

Its two main beaches Playa de los Lances and Valdevaqueros have received so-called ‘black flags’ from ecologistas en accion for plans to build a massive ‘macro urbanisation’ on virgin land beside them.

The pressure group’s annual coastal report slams the scheme, which comprises 350 villas and 1,400 hotel rooms over 71 hectares alongside Valdevaqueros beach.

Describing it as ‘unacceptable and unsustainable’, the project is to be built on land designated as a UNESCO biosphere reserve, alongside the Alcornocales Natural Park.

The report, which comes out alongside the annual Blue Flag awards, made for particularly damning reading for Andalucia this year.

In total the number of black flags issued is up dramatically to 80 (up from 64 last year), while there are also 97 so-called puntos negros, or black spots (up from 80 last year).

Marbella was awarded an incredible 20 black flags, in particular Linda Vista and Pinillo for recently legalising construction during the GIL era.

The town was singled out as being a ‘bad example for conservation’ with reference to its dunes and urban corruption.

Estepona meanwhile was awarded 14 black flags for its continual abuse of the law and even got a flag for its celebrated El Cristo beach for ‘toxic waste’.

In better news, it emerged that the outgoing ombudsman for Andalucia Jose Chamizo has insisted the Tarifa project did not go ahead.  (For now anyway).

He said the Junta was duty bound to protect the cultural and environmental values that were generally associated with Andalucia and that the beach was increasingly rare in the region.
Tourism, he went on, should favour a sustainable model that both protected the environment  and at the same time helped the local economy.

2,000 Tourists in just Two Days visit the Port of Motril!

There is no doubt that the arrival of two thousand tourists at the port of Motril in just two days was a tremendous  boost for the hospitality industry and commerce as well as an economic lever. 

 Thompson's cruise ship, the  'Thomson Dream' came yesterday to give joy to Motril and today arrived the ship,' Azamara Quest'.

 

It is the largest flood of tourists expected this year on the Costa Tropical. 
Of the passengers arriving yesterday,  223 hired excursions to the villages of La Alpujarra and to see the Alhambra, the rest moved on their own.

The area of ​​Tourism of the City of Motril, which moved to its technicians to the Port to cater to tourists, estimated were about eight hundred, almost entirely British, who came to the center and provided to the streets an unusual tourist city image, with maps, flip-flops and shorts.  
The cruisers of this boat belonged to a younger and more familiar, unlike passenger luxury boats which so far had focused the port of Motril. 

The municipal office of Tourism at the America Park yesterday attended  to some  465 of the cruisers. They mostly  requested information on places of interest and asked about shopping.  

Most tourists used the free shuttles from the Port Authority  to connect with the center although there were even those who chose to go to walk the distance from the port.  
The impression of Motril from tourists consulted by this newspaper was mostly good.

Spanish Government to regulate private Owner's Holiday Lettings.....

         

Holiday country house for rent in Motril

Property id: 5308

Cortijo Azahar. 

 

3 Bedrooms holiday country house rental in Motril (Las Zorreras)A Comfortably Furnished Andalucian Country House with WIFI, private floodlit pool, lush sub-tropical Gardens,beaches ten minutes,restaurants bars shops 5 minutes. Pets Welcome. Below you will see some photos, prices, a calendar and a description of the property.

                                                 ...................................................................

 

The Spanish Government is attempting to pass a bill that will affect private owners who rent their properties out to holidaymakers,  making as little noise as possible. 

The new law, whose content is ambiguous, means that owners in this situation will be subject to the tourist accommodation regulations in each region.

 

In the case of Andalusía this specific legislation is still being drawn up and owners will have to wait until the end of the year to find out what new requirements they may have to meet if they want to continue to draw an income from holiday rentals.

 

The secretary general of Tourism at the Junta de Andalucía, Vicente Granados, said on Wednesday that they were already working on the conditions for private rentals in the light of the central government’s new bill. He explained that they had been studying the regulations in force in Cataluña as a reference.

 

He added, though, that they had still not had time to establish key points such as the definition of the properties that would be included or the procedure owners will have to go through in order to continue to rent out to tourists.

What he was able to confirm was that private rentals would have their own section within the new Tourist Apartments law currently being drawn up.

 

Granados explained that the law in Cataluña requires private owners who rent out their properties two or more times every year to present an official application at their local town hall.

 

Granados pointed out that the Andalusian regulation will include clauses that guarantee the tourist’s right to complain if the rental conditions are not met. There will also be fines for properties that fail to comply with the law.

 

Green light from Senate

Meanwhile, the central government has not wasted time making the planned changes public. The bill, with the title ‘Medidas de Flexibilización y Fomento del Mercado de Alquiler de Viviendas’, has already been approved by the Senate and now has to go through Congress.

 

Controversial modifications introduced show the clear influence of lobbying by the hotel industry. Hoteliers have been calling for more regulations controlling holiday rentals for years, but until now their demands have fallen on deaf ears.

 

Now this new bill has angered private owners, who are more vulnerable than the other sectors involved, in the absence of a solid organisational structure, as well as rental firms, who believe that the law clearly violates the right of home owners to rent their property on a temporary basis.

 

It is estimated that the changes could affect some 120,000 properties in Spain, of which 13,000 are registered in Andalucía as being ‘de uso turístico’, that is, rented as holiday homes. 

However the rental industry points out that the figure could be between 100 and 150 per cent higher, taking into account the properties that are not registered but operate under the protection of the current LAU urban rentals law (Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos).

 

Confusion

The director of the holiday rentals portal Rentalia, Almudena Ucha, regrets that the bill has already gone through the Senate despite the number of objections. She complains that once this bill has been approved, the sector will no longer be regulated by one single law, the LAU, but by 17 different ones, depending on the Spanish region. Each of these has its different obligations, some of them, said Ucha, notably restrictive.

 

The most immediate consequence, she explained, would be a reduction in the volume of business, which will in turn take its toll on employment and on the incomes of bars, restaurants and shops that benefit from renting holidaymakers.

 

Ucha also criticised the fact that the law has been given the green light at a time when the possibility of renting to tourists makes the thousands of property developments standing empty more attractive to investors. Now they will think twice about buying.

 

The director of the Studies Office at Pisos.com, Manuel Gamdarias, pointed out that Andalusía, the Balearics and the Canaries are the regions with the greatest activity in holiday rentals, but insisted that the sector should not be seen as competition for hotels because they have a different clientele.

 

In Andalucía, the chief executive of Turismo Andaluz, Francisco Artacho, said that the regulation has been pending for some time.  “We have to put limits on both sides.

 On one hand rentals are unfair competition for regulated tourist accommodation. Having said that I believe that anything affecting tourism has to be done with caution, with well thought-through measures and looking carefully at the consequences of each step.”

 

Ambiguity

Critics have also complained that the bill approved by the Senate is ambiguous. Not even the hoteliers are happy that their demands have been met, even though it has been admitted that the modifications are the result of the pressure from the industry.

 

The president of the Costa del Sol Hoteliers Association (Aehcos), José Carlos Escribano, has defended the need for this regulation to bring to light the accommodation that is operating as clear unfair competition to the hotel industry.

 

The situation is by no means clear. If before, someone with an apartment in Torre del Mar, for example, could rent it out to tourists just with a habitation certificate or a first occupancy licence, now the Andalusian regulations could introduce new conditions or requirements, pointed out a spokesperson for Asotur, an association for tourist accommodation managers, who also pointed out that the demand for privately-rented self-catering accommodation was in fact growing.

 

Junta announces inspection next year

At a meeting in Cadiz on Wednesday the head of Tourism at the Junta de Andalucía, Rafael Rodríguez, announced that an inspection campaign would be launched next year to fight against tourist accommodation and services operating in the black. 

By then rental properties will have to comply with the new regulations to be established by the regional authority.

 

 

 

La Fiesta de Los Patios de Cordoba.....

This year, Cordoba’s famous ‘Los Patios’ festival began last Wednesday and continues until Sunday 19th.

 It is a time in which private home owners open up their patios to the public to show off their impressive flower displays, which can be seen on the ground, walls and balconies. 

The owners of some of Cordoba’s biggest and oldest courtyards care for their plants throughout the year, so that when the month of May arrives they are prepared to wow the public.

Indeed, visitors from near and far come to enjoy the charm that Cordoba’s private enclosures have to offer, and more are expected now the event has been declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

 

The architecture of the houses themselves is of particular beauty, dating back hundreds of years. 

The Patio festival was first organised by Cordoba City Hall in 1918.

 It was originally set up as a competition in which people of the city would adorn their houses with flowers in an attempt win the prestigious title, however, if we venture back centuries before, we get a better idea of how greenery became such a prevalent aspect of the Cordobian’s home. 

 

The climate in Cordoba was and is hot and dry. To accommodate for the heat, houses that were constructed by the Romans and later the Muslims in Cordoba were built in a particular way: incorporating courtyards into the centre of the building.

 Usually courtyards contained a source of water and in many cases a well to collect rainwater. 

A display of plants in the area was initiated by the Muslims to increase the sense of freshness upon entering the property. 

 The courtyard itself served the purpose of providing the house with ventilation, light and water.

 

There are two different types of courtyards: in the first, generally constructed to accommodate families, the rooms are spread around the patio. These are usually enclosed and paved with a mosaic design or tiles. 

The second type is less popular and comprises of two storeys with patio features on balconies, stairs and the roof.

 

 

 

 Today, first, second and third prizes are awarded for the most beautiful and best preserved patios. This year, the city hall has selected a total of 48 patios to be displayed to the public: 16 old-style patios and 32 of modern architecture. 

Entrance into the patios requires a ticket but is free of charge.

 Donations towards their maintenance can be given. 

 

In 1996 an association called ‘Claveles y Gitanillas’ (‘Carnations and Geraniums’) was founded in order to continue the upkeep of these traditional courtyards, despite the changing of times, economic problems and changes in architectural design. 

The association aims to promote Cordoba’s Patio festival to all, and have a website so visitors worldwide can see what the festival has to offer.    http://www.patiosdecordoba.es

They have also implemented an educational project for children so that they can learn about the traditions and how to care for the plants.

 

Today the patio displays are accompanied by a music festival with varying folk and flamenco performances, as well as a variety of wines and tapas for visitors to enjoy.

Cordoba Patio Festival provides the perfect opportunity to wander through brightly coloured courtyards and terraces, breathe in the sweet smells of the flowers - typically jasmine and orange blossom - and later enjoy something to eat and drink in the old part of the city centre. 

 

 

 The patios also open up briefly around Christmas time, and are decorated with Christmas ornaments and lights. 

Carol singers perform in the courtyards and there are different varieties of food samples to taste.

Dates: Until Sunday 19th May.

Times: Sunday to Thursday, 11am-2pm and 6pm-10pm. Fridays and Saturdays 11am-4pm and 6pm-midnight.

Tickets: To access free tickets, go to   http://patios.cordoba.es/en/index/index

 

European Bee Eaters in La Garnatilla.......

Up at La Garnatilla this morning looking down over the hillside, we chanced to see a small group of 6 or so brilliant coloured birds flying about in the sun and landing on the scrub among the long grasses.  Their heads were very red with brilliant yellow under their beaksand they had bright golden backs with darker wings.   We later identified these as European Bee-Eaters, Merops apiaster, in their bright breeding plumage.

European Bee-Eaters are one of Europe's most colourful birds and they are one of the most aerial of all Bee-Eater species. They have a body length of around 30 cms (12 inches), a wingspan of 46 cms (18 inches) and they weigh approximately 70g (2.5 oz).

They are a slender bird with yellow and brown upper parts, blueish-green underparts and a black, sharply pointed beak. They have two elongated central tail feathers and both sexes are alike.

They are a gregarious species and they feed and roost communally. They also have a very distinctive call, it is a pleasant trill. 

European Bee-Eaters are found in open country, woodland and farmland in Europe, Africa and Asia. During the day they can often be see perched on telegraph wire, fences or branches.

They are a migratory species and they spend the winter months in sub-saharan African and western India. During the spring they move to north Africa, Europe and Asia to breed.

They mainly feed on stinging insects like bees and wasps capturing them in flight then removing their sting by rapidly rubbing them on their perch. They eat around 250 insects each day.

European Bee-Eaters breed in colonies and they make their nests in sandy banks, usually near a river. Their nest is a relatively long tunnel and they lay 5 - 8 white, spherical eggs. Both the male and female incubate the eggs and after about 20 days they hatch.

Predators of European Bee-Eaters include snakes and larger birds.

Egg size: 2.6 x 2.2 cms (1.02 x 0.87 inches)
Egg Weight: 6.5g (0.23 oz) - of which 6% is shell.

Cruces de Mayo 2013 Motril......

 



 From 3 to 5 May will take place in the city this traditional celebration, which will feature a varied program of activities that combines music and entertainment for all ages.

     The Deputy Mayor of the City of Motril Holidays, Alfredo Ortega Tovar, accompanied by Manuel Ballesteros, Security council, presented the festival program of Crosses, to be held in our city of 3 to 5 May.

     Ortega Tovar noted that a total of 64 crossings filled with colorful different Motril spaces, including participation by categories of twenty crosses in streets, squares and places, five schools, 5 windows, 23 crosses itinerant and 11 located in the Senior Center.
Also, Tovar Ortega stressed that the official opening of this celebration will be on May 3, Day of the Cross, at 12:00 pm in the Plaza of Spain, place where Cross will also be located city.
The enrollment period to participate in the contest Cruces remain open until this Thursday, May 2, and will award prizes worth 2,100 euros. The first three winners in the categories of streets, squares and places will get a compensation of 500, 300 and 100 euros respectively, while the other categories will be awarded with 200 and 100 euros for the first and second place and a certificate for the third position.
Also on Friday, starting at 13:00 am will be traveling Cruces parade and musical performances will be held, who will come from the hand of the formation flamenco 'To the beat of the Way', at six in the afternoon and the 19 : 00 hours with the Dance Academy of Sorrows.
On Saturday, the square of Spain will be a hive of activity and good atmosphere from 14:00 hours with the spectacle of the dance academy and acting Irene Molina at 18:00 rociero choir 'Al Compass Way '. At seven o'clock in the afternoon there will be the awards ceremony of the Crosses of May 2013 and will close the day at 19:30 am the group 'Aires rocieros'.
The last day will star Cruces small house and be entertained by fairground in the La Matraquilla, which will have special discounts.
On the other hand Ballesteros has indicated that to ensure the smooth development of the traditional May holidays, the municipal side mild and severe sanctions set worth 300 euros to 24,000 euros for those who consume beverages outside the designated areas, and beverage dispensing unauthorized littering the streets, public nuisance or harm the furniture.
It also will launch a safety device for a total of 11-22 agents that permanently ensure the normal development of these crosses and whose work will intensify in the algid hours of increased presence of people. Firefighters also be prevented in the park with their equipment and the specific level of the crosses installed and shortcuts to each of them, like the Civil Protection Service, which position will rotate depending on the locations to concentrate more people.
The mayors of Safety & Parties have appealed to citizenship for maximum enjoyment of these festivities in healthy living, while Motril and have invited visitors to intensely live this traditional celebration in the company of family and friends.


Translated by Google!