According to the IU (left-wing coalition) the Junta called on the Almunecar Town Hall to annul the building licence for the 7-star hotel in Cotobro on the Penon del Lobo on the 30th of June, days before the local elections.

Ex-Mayor, Juan Carlos Benavides, had announced the awarding of the building licence on the 18th of May and used the hotel project as the main thrust of his election campaign.

According to a report from the Junta de Andalucia, to which the IU has had access to, they contacted the Town Hall calling for the withdrawal of the hotel licence because it transgressed area development laws.

Fermin Tejero, who is the leader of the local branch of the IU, said that he hopes that the new administration does not try to go ahead with the project without sorting out the problems first.

“For Benavides, it was an election theme, but we cannot continue with how things have been done in the past,” he said, adding, “that otherwise the new administration would get its ‘fingers caught.'”

The report says that the project must have the approval of the Board of Tourism before the Town Hall can issue a building licence. Furthermore, Sr Tejero considers that the project contained many gaps and ambiguities that the Regional Board of Tourism was unable to approve this project for a 5-star hotel (Note: in no documentation submitted by either the building developer or the Town Hall does it mention ‘7 stars, but only a 5-star category).

“It’s not even clear if the project fits in with the definition of a hotel; i.e., an establishment that occupies one or more buildings, having stairs, lifts and and an [main] entrance,” he observed.

Thus, he said, the Board of Tourism contacted the Town Hall on the 20th of May saying that until all the necessary paperwork was presented they could not give a favourable verdict.

Timeline;
18th May: May and hotel developer make a joint press announcement to communicate that the hotel now had its building licence.
20th May: Board of Tourism communicates that it requires more documents to issue a favourable report so that the Town Hall could go ahead and award a building licence.
22nd May: Local elections
11th June: New Mayoress takes office.
30th June: Junta orders the Town Hall to annul the building licence.

So far, neither Sr Benavides’ party, the CA, the hotel developer nor the present Mayoress have
commented.

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