La Almoraima presents plans for a hotel and golf course

Partial view

CASTELLAR The management of La Almoraima, once Europe's largest private estate and now run by the Junta de Andalucía, recently presented Castellar Council with a proposal for a Special Plan to convert farmland and forest to its use for tourism. The proposal is that the land under management but outside the boundaries of Los Alcornocales Nature Park, be used to build a five-star hotel and a golf course. The Mayor of Castellar confirmed that the proposal had been received but said that it was not close to being a project as it was still under careful study. He added that it was being 'looked on favourably', however.

Environmentalists warn that La Línea City Port will affect the western beaches

Illustration used at presentation
the project

LA LÍNEA At an estimated investment of €40m, the La Línea City Port project has been on the books for some time as a port for mega-yachts and cruise ships. Plans are at the objection stages at present. Verdemar-Ecologistas en Acción (V-EA), the environmentalist pressure group, and Alcaidesa, the development that would be right up against the projected port, are both objecting on environmental grounds, as well as practical. V-EA alleges that the sands on the western side of the town could be displaced, causing erosion and detriment to fishing grounds. The also allege that the plans do not include any corrective measures against this possibility, which would be within the San Felipe dyke. For its part, Alcaidesa says that the projects leans too heavily on its own development at Alcaidesa Marina. Once the allegations have been studied, the project goes on to consideration by the Administration Council of the Algeciras Bay Port Authority. And then it has to be financed ...

It's official: Eurovegas chooses Madrid for European expansion

No details have emerged about tax, labour or environment concessions

MADRID (Agencies) As we reported recently, the company owned by billionaire magnate Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas Sands, has chosen Madrid as its site for expansion into Europe. The battle between Spain's two major cities, was won by the nation's capital instead of Barcelona, which announced recently that it planned its own 'theme park'. Both cities vied for the gambling centre on the assumption that it would employ some 200,000 people, directly and indirectly, particularly during the construction stages. Las Vegas Sands says it means an investment of some €17,000 million. SOON YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO READ THE REST OF ITEMS SUCH AS THIS WITHOUT A SUBSCRIPTION>>>

Santa María Polo Club and development

Rio polo grounds

SAN ROQUE / Sotogrande (Agencies) Santa María Polo Club and Ayala España, the developers of polo as a sport of reference in the Campo de Gibraltar, is planning to build on what was until recently the centre of the sport in Sotogrande, the Rio I and II fields right in the middle of the luxury urbanization. They have received initial approval from San Roque Council for two projects, though this depends finally on regional approval of the PGOU (Plan General de Ordenación Urbana). Initial approval has also been received, this by Santa María Polo Club only, for a development at Los Pinos polo grounds, which is backed by this project being clasified as 'of touristic interest'. As for the Rio project, plans are for low density construction and what is being called a 'river park'. Homes are planned at only one or two per hectare. The plans also include regenerating the Guadiaro River with mooring and a sports facility (presumably to be related to boating), as well as a nine hole golf course and a rowing club. The project envisages an investment of €1.4million to be shared by both companies.>>>

What's all this about Valdevaqueros?

TARIFA Valdevaqueros is a beach near Tarifa -within its municipality- that is threatened with over building. Tarifa Council last week approved a project that would put 1,423 hotel rooms and 350 houses on one of the most picturesque and unique stretches of what is left of the Spanish coastline. Needless to say, the project has a divergence of opinion: there are those who see it as a solution to the desperate unemployment situation and those who oppose it on environmental grounds. Both have reasonable arguments. See reports online (YahooFinance, El País in English; and on Facebook. Campopulse first mentioned the subject in October 2009: What's cooking in the POT?)

Junta accepts two local golf resort projects, rejects another nine

Valderrama Golf Club

ANDALUCÍA / CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR The Junta de Andalucía announced recently that most of the new golf resorts asking for its go-ahead, do not meet the criteria that was established four years ago, including the need to be classified as 'of tourist interest'. Its technical commission has therefore rejected nine such projects on these grounds, but accepted two that do meet the regulations. These are in Jimena de la Frontera - and another CampoPulse item here (to be developed by Bogaris, including almost 600 homes and over 900 tourist apartments) and Castellar de la Frontera (by a Valderrama Estates subsidiary as a complement to the present Valderrama Golf Club, including a more modest 150 homes).>>>

OEM companies claim £7 million

Rosia Bay development project

Government has initiated a forensic audit of OEM dealings

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle) Government revealed yesterday that the liquidators of OEM and the GSD Government appear to have agreed that the taxpayer would pay nearly £7 million to OEM as full and final settlement of all claims. In a statement from No 6, which has already initiated a forensic audit of the OEM dealings with the previous GSD government, said that even though this position was arrived at before the general election, nothing has been said in public until now. In their probe, No 6 says the Audit will look at payments made to both OEM and Haymills. No 6 says that the claim against the Government was made by several companies in the OEM group, OEM Rosia Developments Ltd, OEM Cumberland Developments Ltd and The Tower Building Ltd, in respect of the various low cost housing projects for which they acted as developer. It is in respect of the work done on the sites before the previous Government took them over.>>>

Junta leaves Jimena and Tarifa macro projects out of POT

JIMENA/TARIFA (Agencies) In its latest revision of the Plan General de Ordenación del Territorio (POT) for the Campo de Gibraltar, the Junta de Andalucía has left out some of the projects that had previously been included. Principally impacted are Jimena and Tarifa, the former with a now un-backed golf resort of some €900million, and Tarifa with a similar golf project. The decision comes as the result of the financial crisis and affects major infrastructure investments of this kind. The Jimena Golf Resort tourist complex could go ahead via other means, according to Mayor Pascual Collado, as it is qualified as 'of regional tourism interest'. In any case the 700 homes in the project have not been scrapped by the Junta. Also, Collado points out that the POT establishes a series of other infrastructures, including necessary public works such as sewage and road improvements.>

Six-star hotel gets initial appoval

SAN ROQUE (Agencies) Mayor Fernando Palma and the Councillor for Patrimony, José Cabrera, held a meeting recently with representatives of the developers of the six-star hotel project at Cala Sardina (arrow on photo). The objective was the signatures on a declaration of interest document to establish the bases on which the project is to go ahead. The document will be presented at the next plenary session of the Council when the design is finished. "The idea is that the entire Corporation takes the project on board, makes it their own and supports it," said Palma. Once the Council has seen it, the project will be available for public viewing.

Ministries agree on €762.931 for Jimena castle restoration

JIMENA (Agencies) The Ministries of Development and Culture has awarded a grant of €762.931 to restore the castle at Jimena. The money will come from a programme called Uno por Ciento Cultural ('Cultural 1%') aimed at contracts for public works. A statement from Culture said that the name 'castle' actually refers to a Roman and Islamic walled citadel that was much changed at the beginning of the 19th century and neglected ever since. This is located on a promontory in the Southern part of the area. The objective of the project is to "facilitate the visitor's interpretation of the history, contsruction, function and spatial aspects of the castle through the conservation and restoration of the esxisting structures and their more immediate evironment." The area in question covers some 11,400 m2 and is centred on the round tower and its surroundings, particularly in the zone that runs from the main entrance to the area, known as Arco del Reloj, and the tower area.