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THOUSANDS of locals and expats have mobilised against plans to build a luxury hotel in the heart of a protected natural park in Andalucia. Developers are set to construct a fourstar resort close to the ‘untouched’ beach of Los Genoveses in the stunning Cabo de Gata nature reserve in Almeria. It is one of the final few stretches of Spain’s Mediterranean coast that has not been built on. A similar battle has raged in Alicante province for years in Benissa where residents have been fighting proposals for the so-called Padmore Resort, which they say would damage the unspoilt Tossal de l’Asprar coastline. The building licence was susO LIVE P RESS pended in NovemFIGHT THEM ON ber 2022 THE BEACHES Still and an critical amended plan for 90-plus apartments Your expat
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September s.es September 8th Vol. 3 Issue 73 www.theolivepres
21st 2022
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has been A PETRIFIED expat to have waiting for four months Hosan answer from Torrevieja not she pital about whether or has breast cancer. been left Karen Moon, 66, has the conhorrified after hearingemerging tinual horror stories from patients. and “I am feeling very emotional my worried. And it is affecting retired mental health,” said the school teacher, this week. has She added: “The situation also affected my relationship husband.” my with inThe Olive Press has already vestigated the malfunctioning over public hospital three times the last two years. (below) Most recently in Julyappalling we splashed on the exlevels of care after securing numa with clusive interviews One of ber of angry doctors. after them ended up resigning over the many years of service debacle. tried for Our journalists have hospital months to contact but we bosses for a responseto speak have not been able with anyone. Karen Moon’s own personal nightmare O LIVE started when PRESS LES! she visited on May 23, SHAMB to take a mammogram to disA
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Blanca at Costa Crisis quit in their 60 ‘up to EXCLUSIVE: as doctors wait hospitaland patients Trelinski drovesfor a bed’ By Alex Hinojosa most & Jorge hours
Blanca’s the director Costa slammed at the and have I think action. autumn DOCTORS hospital conditions put intoresign.” heated last to calm beleaguered working in delays so of care. while be called waited for the appallinglevels Press thatfrequent should got in (top), had to who Olive at Matters were disgraceful Giner management rows. patients told the doctor that police Peris angry They TO 18 HOURS see a to publicof politicalby Ribdown to be seen. Doctor action just to run of UP tal returned after years claims want hours and Emerfor patientsHospital. Peris funcof the point’ had regularly October, the hospital, ‘50% lists and 2006, last month Manuel Torrevieja the Accident wasstaffing Kidnapped Previously since hospital’ ‘at breaking is causing on around department reported so shocked his Salud in ‘best Meanwhile, ‘a 50% three ago and Doctor was Press (A&E) Hospital and this among ser- era ‘just awards.as 15 years in family their father, was working gency with around (middle) appeared kidThe Olive needed’ of Swedish SCANDAL: staff and depression medical Dolon tioning with sometimes in a worse alarmingbest hospitals won numerous 80, they how a treatment of affairs, Eduardo really and took Mayor and other resulting stress level’, state “It is one of the mayor medics at the 24-hour Svensson, changeover. the ward as doctors members, doctors’.an alarmingdozens of where to work days a of the left patients. it was Torrevieja Press. was backed Bo-Eskil him from conJose eight ahead doctors vice fordoctors have And in reveal that conditions to wait we have con- autumn Spain,”told the Olive napped to Sweden. doctor indictment break, law. lot of of excellent staff quit over years forced boss, “Most without a against the hours to we can that a him home worsening last two union 18 a bed. His damning doca fact of Dolon it changed shifts which is have resigned up to are sometimes forPeris Giner, “It is broken promises spiby local Over the highlighted when added not enough Peris. month, thingswhen up can waitthe low number patientsTO 60 HOURS Jose over tinually at the hospital. told the chiefs likely.” conditions rmed Manuel are simply who are employed Olive doctor, month, had bemanagement,” “A patient for UP and with are more hospital working local ditions Peris confi from 2020 last “There the ones he told the private were having was told be seen mistakes Emergency ce, nor position from who insisted Doctordramatically Salud to the depression tors and his offi that his doctors, his members instantwho resigned under due to also taking Dolon, briefed ralled firm Rivieraits contract Press are are overworked,” but they He added Olive untenable. I could worksaid the in 2022. sick days were neither private be losing conditions Press. hire doctors and retirement. promised to take come hosbelieve any longer,” media. it would government when at the officials “They as the working early Misays “I didn’t the Valencian breakValencian improve realiValencian ly quit enough.” A&E department who worked While Ministry got to Investment Minister, such conditions would far from invest“While medic, “It has not good that the Health A&E waiting by that’s new Health heavyof staff to senior 15 years. ng the hospital claims He added you receive averagehave fallen was took over, for Valencia’s pital for that staffi 1,043 “When waiting dif- they Peris added. in the to just times to an increase the planJune, guel Minguez, ing point.” point been is really ty,” has led he explained in crisis 15% since for it the ment people, compared ended. He continued: with who has Indeed,came to a hours, introduced rubbished 1,793 Ribera’s contract requests over a patient issues than eight a relationship continual unions are when more to develop never c complaints Press was claim.insist patients Yet, despite ficult on specifi The Olive no one backed promised They being answers six weeks, ed withthe hosthem. simply A&E corridors the last totally rebuff from “Everything rooms up in to has been for comment of ‘up or observation availableregional goverment. Page 6 delays a hospital with for pital or Opinion 60 hours’ to medical bed. Accordingthe problems hospiunions when the began
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EXCLUSIVE: British expat ‘devastated’ after waiting four months for breast cancer results at Torrevieja hospital
COS
disrobe to protect virgin
final stretch ditch battle to save Mayor launches last ect coastline from mega-proj
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CAMPAIGNING A a mayor is making and desperate last stand to local environmentalists of everybody involved’. room residents to oppose it save her town’s final group, Salvemos “Perhaps Orihuela has area of unspoilt coast- la Costa. By Alex Trelinski of new A protest has organised to build thousands line. have Cala Mosca, The PSOE boss is demandand varhomes, but it does not The Orihuela leader ing all political parties and not a national petition local Cambiemos party the last in to be, and hopefully will is organising a cru- the regional authorities the any development as be, on the last virgin kilo- ious protests, cial meeting with all sit down with developers regard March this year. red line and have of our coastline,” she Another group, the Spanish ‘interested parties’ to Gomendio, to find a solu- a crucial to withdraw metres week. (FEM) stop the controversial tion, before the first bricks threatened is not said this stud- Naturist Federation support if the project protest Among options to be Cala Mosca develop- are laid. del organised a nudist scrapped. ied for the UE2 Alamedadeal in May. ment. insists all parties Part of her electoral promise swap Carolina Gracia be- to oust previous PP mayor, Graciacome to an agreement Mar project is a the munic- One protester, Beatriz Vidal are lieves there is hope to Emilion Bascunana, a year mustthe ‘common good (of for other land in Martinez, said: “There deprevent the construc- ago, was to oppose the me- for many other areas to fifor the ipality. the area) with respect rights “If the construction compa- so is just about tion of 2,274 homes ga-project. and the for any velop. This ny is willing to look will be nancial gain.” on the last stretch of Her coalition partners from environment other location, then it virgin coast in Orihuestudied carefully,” explained Snail Gracia. includThe project was first Gen- However, their opposition hurdle ed in Orihuela’s PGOU years didn’t stop a final being passed by a Valencian eral town plan over 30 environment ago and has been a continual government July. impact study report in aphot potato. While it was largely After it was provisionally opposi- proved, a ‘protected’ area of approved in 2007, by tion was quickly formed 40,000 square metres mainbe will have to tained near fragile Cala Mosca itself. The report noted that it has at least two endangered species, the Cat Head plant (Tribulus Terrestris) and the Tudorella Sulcata snail. CHARGERS FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC ELECTRIC VEHICLES Former mayor Emilio INSTALLATIONS Bascuñana, of the PP party, voted to ap-a prove the project ks.es autoconsumo@solarwor year ago. +34 965 085 888 9 See page Opinion Page 6
has been submitted to Benissa council. In Almeria, the firm Torres y Gonzalez Diaz wants to turn the abandoned Las Chiqueras estate - formerly a pig farm - into a 30-room hotel with 70 parking spaces. The exclusive retreat will count on multiple swimming pools and stunning unspoilt views of the beach, often voted one of Spain’s finest. The firm, which owns numerous hotels, has been fighting environmentalists to get its plans approved since 2016. Now, alarmingly, thanks to a new right-wing coalition of Vox and the PP in the local town hall of Nijar, which administers the park, they are one step closer. It comes after the mayor, Jose Garrido, announced in July he will allow construction on the rustic land. He was backed by the PP-run Junta last year which somehow gave environmental authorisation for the
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CAMPAIGN: How the Olive Press first reported on protests against a Costa Blanca 952 147 834 scheme, and (right) the Algarrobico hotel disgrace is still not resolved TM
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Hands off awardwinning virgin beach as locals and expats clash over luxury development of pig farm project. A similar nearby project, the Algarrobico hotel also built on a virgin beach in Cabo de Gata has been mired in 20 years of controversy after it was ordered to be demolished for breaking numerous laws. PROTEST: Thousands took to the Almeria The latest decisions seafront to demonstrate against the plan have sparked outrage among locals, who gathered in hotel was being declared ‘of economtheir thousands at the weekend. ic and social interest’ to get the green The Genoveses Sin Hotel group or- light. ganised a march on the Almeria sea- “But they must also prove job crefront, with supporters unfurling ban- ation, sustainability and other posiners and chanting slogans. tive impacts on the environment and Meanwhile, a total of 4,000 peo- economy,” he explained. ple have lodged official individual Feutry warned the council that ‘we complaints with the town hall. And will go to court’ if the project gets the 260,000 people have signed an on- go ahead. line petition demanding She said the area of the proposed hothe project be stopped. tel is only allowed to be used for ag“It is still possible to stop riculture, adding: “If the council auit, but for that to happen thorises it, a dangerous precedent will we have to mobilise,” said be created because it would give the Celine Feutry, president of owners of all the farms in the area the the platform. green light to build accommodation.” “There is no social or eco- The Olive Press has long campaigned nomic benefit for the lo- for protection in the area, with a camcals, the interest is merely paign against the Algarrobico hotel private and for a company which we dubbed ‘El Horrible’ - and that already owns many also to urgently protect the chapel other hotels in the area.” Cortijo del Fraile, which is where celeDespite this, Enrique Ruiz, brated writer Gabriel García Lorca set from the Friends of Cabo his famous book Blood Wedding. de Gata-Nijar Park association, said the planned Opinion Page 6
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Vol. 5 Issue 141 www.theolivepress.es October 3rd - October 16th 2024
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THE rate of inflation in Spain has fallen to its lowest level in threeand-a-half years in welcome news for the country’s economy. Preliminary figures published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) show that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September fell to 1.5%, the fourth consecutive monthly fall and a steady decrease from August when the figure stood at 2.2%. The CPI measures the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for a representative basket of consumer goods and services. September’s figure is the lowest since March 2021, when the rate of inflation was just 1.3%, and is a far cry from 2022 when a rise in global energy prices and the war in Ukraine provoked a surge in inflation to above 10%. The INE attributes the drop in the rate of inflation to falling prices for fuel, food, electricity and leisure and cultural activities. They also say that Spain’s GDP grew by 0.9% in the first quarter, higher than expected, and that the economy is set to grow at an annual rate of 3.1%, six-tenths of a percentage point greater than originally predicted.
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