The Seaside Gazette received a press communiqué from the Plataforma en defensa del Mercado, which is a pressure group formed by stall holders at the Almuñécar municipal Market.
On the 28th of January at 16.00h an assembly took place in the market between stall holders, with only one point on the agenda: a vote on the Town Hall proposals on the demolition/renovation of the Municipal Market.
Traders at the market consider that the proposals, based on technical report on the state of the structure, were insufficient, because they consider that the report offers a diagnosis on what is wrong with the structure, yet does not offer a reasonable solution.
The assembly consider that the demolition or renovation of the Market is inadmissible, as no guarantee is given over how long the work will take and that the time needed is excessive when taking into account the market stall holders having to use prefabricated installations right next door to the building work.
Furthermore, the consensus shared at the assembly on the inclusion of a shopping centre was that it did not solve the problem of falling sales, which the assembly considers are due to difficult access to the market with the underground parking shut down; unfair competition carried out by street vendors, sometimes even within the market gates; the presence of beggars at the entrance to the stalls, who bother customers; the present economical climate and last but not least, the rumour that is spreading fear amongst customers that the market is in danger of falling down.
Taking all this into account, the result of the voting was thus:
(Of the total of 78 stalls, one is unoccupied and two stall holders are on holidays)
In favour of demolition and the construction of a new market: two
In favour of repairing the existing market: 51
Abstentions: 22
These results were passed onto the Town Hall on the 4th of February, calling for the Town Council to arrange another meeting to clarify how long repair work would take and proposed starting date.
(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)