Work on The Plaza de La Independencia in La Herradura began on Monday the 12th, starting with the removal of the square furniture (benches, litter bins etc.)

The Town Hall calls the square Plaza Nueva but most locals know it as the Plaza de La Independencia, from the times when La Herradura wanted to gain independence from Almuñécar.

As it’s the largest square in La Herradura, many open-air fiestas, such as the glove-puppet theatre, as well as the weekly street market are held there. However, since the conversion of the Castillo, concerts and other events with large gatherings are held in the castle grounds. Furthermore, as the work will continue into the New Year, Christmas activities that are normally held in the square, were held instead in the courtyard of the Centro Cívico.

The present remodelling work is to bring it into line with modern public areas free of architectonic barriers — at the moment the whole square is accessed via steps.

There has long been a problem with water filtering down through cracks into the parking area beneath the square, so this will also be sorted out, added the Mayor and previous First Councillor of La Herradura, Juan José Ruiz Joya.

The finished look will include more seating (benches) as well as new lighting, which will be set in the ground (?) and according to the Mayor will serve as a connection between the Old Town and the Paseo de Andrés Segovia.

Now, this work was to commence a lot earlier but the company that had entered the winning bid for the contract decided to opt out, which required going through the whole administrative procedure again. This time it’s a local company that has won the contract.

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