Dear Martin,
My name is Rolf Hedberg and the first time I came to Almunecar was back in 1968. I have now retired and since some time I live full time here in Costa Tropical.
I really enjoy your coverage of news around our area – congratulations to a nice publication!
So to the reason I write to you. Yesterday I took my family to Marina del Este since we had not been there for several years. I feel I have missed something in the news because what we saw was a view like if an earthquake had hit the buildings along the waterfront.
The harbor seems to be kept more or less in order but the shopping mall is almost completely abandoned and no wonder why, the buildings seem to collapse any moment from now. Instead of windows a lot of open gazing holes, cracks everywhere, no care of plants etc.
Have I missed something in the news? If not, I can recommend you to pass by and try to find out!
After all, the Marina is not all that old and if there are plans to build another marina in our neighborhood, I feel that it would be worthwhile a second thought. If it isn’t possible to keep one marina up and running why waste money on yet another one?
It is a shame that such an attractive project is turning into ruins after such a short time. Not to mention how it affects the value of all property – even recently completed – that surrounds the hills above the marina.
(News: Marina del Este, Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia
The story behind the story:
The development of the eastern side of Punta de la Mona, popularly known as “Marina del Este”, is indeed a prime example of the tragic effects of the Property Bubble which has led to the decline of the Spanish economy. In the last 70-ies, Florencio Lombardo, a retired and idealistic Italian entrepreneur had bought the property, engaged Melvin Villaroel, a world-renowned Bolivian landscape architect, and turned the hitherto pristine wasteland into a beautiful public park, with exotic plants and a sprinkling of leisure installations (horse stables, country club, pizza lounge etc). The highlight became what is still the most charming pleasure boat marina in the country, surrounded by 2 rows of two-storey detached apartments and a small (still unfinished) hotel, originally available only to buyers of a mooring for their boats. The architecture fully in line with the the surrounding country side. The development was opened at the end of 1987 and for several years considered to be a jewel along the Southern Mediterranean coast.
Alas, as time went by, Florencio’s heirs took over, split up the property and divided the park area into building plots which they sold to “developers” who built the now existing mass apartment blocks. Worse, they completely disregarded, as did the “técnicos” at Town Hall granting the building licenses, the unstable bedrock of the hill, which promptly started to “slide” downhill. Worse, they neglected the existing intricate underground draining system which the original architect had installed. The photos in Stefan’s letter of the Southern part of the buildings surrounding the marina show the results. In addition, the stilts of the adjoining quays with the boat moorings, also started to lean towards to sea.
To see the good in the bad: the Junta de Andalucia accepted their part of the responsibility for the disaster and last year spent over one million € to stabilize the hill. Further, the concessionary of the Marina, after seeking advice from geological experts, separated the quays from the land and reinforced their seaside stilts with concrete blocks. What remains to be done is the restoration of the damaged buildings along the Southern end of the harbour line (as shown in the photo displaying the cracks). So, while we shall have to live with the defacement of the former park area, at least the bottom marina area will hopefully be restored and saved from further deterioration.
Very sad that a family feud is allowed to ruin something so important as a Towns marina.
About the 6 star Hotel, i have tried to Contact the Danish Company that started the project but it seems this project now is i buried.
I think it has a lot to do with licences not being approved until about a year ago and maybe that proccess took to much time, also a shame.
About Carmenes, i have 2 houses there and lets hope someone takes responsibility so that Carmenes do not meet the same destiny as the Marina… It is not in La Herradura´s interrest!
Stefan
Its such a shame the Marina was lovely but over the last 10 years has been left in disrepair. Not only that but the way the hill side has been allowed to be ruined with all the concrete that has been sprayed onto it by the property developer! Now we still await the 6 star hotel – will this ever happen? Such a shame to spoil such a beautiful area! The marina needs investment feel extremely sorry for those people that bought properties on there 20 years ago as an investment in an up and coming area!
Cathryn Hurst
Hi, Rolf. The Marina is in the middle of a family feud – and has been for quite a few years, resulting in this air of abandonment.
The stability of the hillside behind it is another matter, which although not as bad as Carmenes del Mar on the other side of La Herradura bay, is bad enough to manifest itself as it has; the cracks.