Whilst Los Almuñequeros wonder how the new municipal market will turn out, the San Francisco, Gourmet municipal market has flopped, many consider.

The much hyped, gourmet-style market, which cost the public coffers over three-million euros, replaced the old meat-&-fruit market in 2014 although it didn’t use the old location, but was built instead where the old bus station used to stand.

Since it’s inauguration in September, 2018, the new set up soldiered on with only half a dozen determined stallholders (all that remained of the 16 original ones) until Sevillana-Endesa cut of the electricity supply during the Lock Down because it was still registered as a construction-site, temporary, supply. Since then, San Francisco Municipal Market has remained locked up and deserted.

The Mayor, Antonio Moreno Ferrer, says that they want to reopen it but as the original funds came from the EU and there won’t be anymore for a while, it is all on hold. There is also the question of sorting out a legal electricity supply. That’s another embarrasing point as the Town Hall was technically using an illegal hook up.

Vélez-Málaga, which is the capital of the Axarquia, has produced a few ambitious projects, which, to be honest, have fizzled out: the Lope de Vega Theatre, purchased for half a million in 2014 is dead in the water with only 1.2m euros promised by the Provincial Council, of the 2.8m needed to do it up – it had closed down in the mid 80’s so “doing it up” is a major task. And then there’s the projected restoration of the old tram service, but perhaps it’s best not to go there…

So, let Almuñécar ponder on the future of their municipal market whilst peaking over the border into the province of Málaga. Politicians dazzle with snazy projects; modern markets that will breathe life into the local economy, yet there are many a slip…

(News: Velez-Malaga, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia – Photo: E. Cabezas)