Today, there was an article in the provincial press, concerning Cotobro Beach, or more accurately, the lack of it: the gale at the beginning of the week had wiped it out. The Town Hall was desperate to repair the damage as the summer season is upon us. The headline was: Botch-job solution for Cotobro Beach

Guests at the Hotel Playa Cotobro had either cancelled their bookings prior to arrival or had packed and left after the first day – the big selling point for the said hotel is precisely that beach.

Anyway, the Town Hall got onto the Department for Coasts in Madrid, asking for sand, but Madrid had replied that funds were too tight and that more important beaches around the Spanish coastline were in more need.

The solution, thought the Town Hall, was the river sand that was being dug out for a building project just around the corner – everybody happy… except some locals, that is, concerning the quality of the ‘material.’

Around midday, the IU (left-wing party) sent out a press release publicly asking the Town Hall to stop dumping ‘earth’ on Cotobro beach. The main beef of the ecological-minded opposition party is that the muddy turbulence caused in the water is causing considerable damage to the aquatic flora and fauna. It is worth pointing out, however, that when the rivers are in full spate, the same muddy turbulence is caused, year in; year out, but the seabed appears to be able to accommodate this phenomenon.

Anyway, faced with a less that generous article in the Ideal, vociferous complaints from some locals and the IU’s public announcement, the Town Hall issued their own press release, defending their actions.

The Concejal de Urbanismo, José Manuel Fernández, rejected the claim that the beach work was a botch job (chapuza). He points out that the work was put into motion at the request of the local people in the area and the material used was approved by the Costas.

The first thing that the Town Hall did, he said, was to approach the Ministry of the Environment, requesting urgent action, as July had already commenced and the summer tourist season was upon us. The Councillors said that he received a negative reply from the Ministry – they were out of cash, so the only solution was for the Town Hall to act itself.
“It’s not earth from a work site but river gravel; the same that has been used on other occasions and the same material that is brought down by the river in the natural process.”

He considered that the use of the word ‘chapuza’ was far from objective and that the words ‘urgent’ and ‘necessary’ would have been more appropriate.

Now, we at the Gazette could be mistaken, but we seem to remember that when the previous mayor, Juan Carlos Benavides, used the same ‘resources’ for such a situation, the PP, then in the opposition, were not too impressed. Perhaps we are mistaken and have faulty recall?

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

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