Nerja Golf Course Controversy

Nerja Town Hall has decided to reactivate the highly controversial golf-course, hotels & housing project on the Vega de Tetuán, Maro.

NRJ Projected Golf CourseThe 250-hectares of agricultural land belonging to Sociedad Azucarera Larios and bordering on the natural park of the Cerro Gordo-Los acantilados de Maro has been earmarked for 680 dwellings, luxury hotels, a shopping area, as well as its raison d’être; an 18-hole golf course.

To bring this about the PP-Cs coalition, municipal administration would need the green light from the Junta de Andalucia to change the category of the land from agricultural use to a developable one.

The actual Mayor in his previous mayoralty approved the plan in 2015 but it was shelved by the incoming socialist, coalition administration. Now, back in the seat of power, the PP Mayor intends to get it moving again, despite political and social opposition to the idea.

The project would need some 311-million euros to complete, with a project termination date in ten years’ time.

After examining the pros and contras submitted by members of the public, the specifications to the original project have been overhauled, shedding all mention of the land that had been ceded by Larios to the Town Hall for public use, such as the paseo along Río Chíllar, the plots for the projected fire station and the medical centre, all valued at some 1.7-million euros.

The new text, which received a favourably findings by an informative committee, with votes against by the PSOE, Adelante Nerja-Maro and the independent councillor, José García, sets out that the objective of the project is to “create space of tourist excellence (tourist destination) within Nerja’s tourist offer.”

The opposition parties voted against the committee’s decision because, they point out, that the majority of the land that will be used is presently used by horticultural farmers – those in favour claim that the project would improve the area visually with the removal of greenhouses and their auxiliary structures.

All the farmers are tenants as the land has been leased out in this fashion for the last 450 years.

Editorial comment: Spain is littered with golf & luxury dwelling projects where only the housing gets built because the former is used to justify the latter going up on greenbelt land.

(News: Nerja, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalucia)

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