At an Almuñécar council meeting on the 5th of August it was decided to close the Picadero Municipal, which has been open since the end of 2010.

However, according to the IU opposition party, in all that time it had been operating illegally.

It appears that the decision to close it was taken because the Guardia Civil environmental police, Seprona, filed a negative report on the facilities on the 20th of June.

The report says that the Club Hípico or Picadero Municipal doesn’t have a business licence nor does it have a Calificación Ambiental (Environmental Certificate) as demanded by law. In fact, it appears to lack all three of the necessary licences needed to operate.

According to the IU Spokesman, “Some years back the Town Hall began the paperwork procedure to legalize the facilities but the process was never carried through because they were lacking the necessary environmental permits.”

So far, no word from the Mayor’s office.

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