Local Headlines - December 2022

Cathedral support

Madrid has confirmed that it will contribute to the cost of replacing the roof of Málaga’s cathedral.  The general director for Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts is expected to visit the site this month to see the condition of the roof at first hand, after which the government will collaborate with the project.  The final cost of the project is now expected to be €17.5 million.

Tree protection

Ecologists have asked for protection to be afforded to an ancient carob tree in Nerja.  The organisation GENA says the tree in the La Noria area is unusual because it has four branches from the main truck which have grown outwards with the result that it now covers a ground area of 184 square metres.  Its unusual shape means that it has been nicknamed the “crawling carob tree.”

Ermita protected

The regional government has confirmed that Nerja’s Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias will become protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest.  The monument in calle San Miguel is noted for its architectural, historical-artistic and ethnological values.  It is of particular interest for its recently restored frescoes which date from the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Hospital plans

Construction of Málaga’s new public hospital is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2024.  The regional government says the plans should be drawn up by the first quarter of 2023, after which the contract will be put to tender with the aim of opening the new facility in 2027.  Meanwhile, a shortage hospital beds in the city has forced the Junta to rent 200 beds in the private Pascual Hospital for the next five years.

Regional News - December 2022

Gun deaths

Three people died and others, including police officers, were injured in a shooting incident in Villamayor de Calatrava, 30 kilometres south-west of Ciudad Real, in late October.  The incident is thought to have started as a family row which developed into random shots aimed at passing vehicles being fired by a gunman in his 50s.  The suspect died after being shot by a police marksman.

Inflation down

Spain’s inflation rate dropped in October for the second month running.  Premilitary data from the National Statistics Institute indicates that the rate was 7.3% - down 1.6% on September when a similar reduction from August was recorded.  The October rate fall is attributed to a reduction in electricity and gas prices, as well as lower consumer spending on winter clothes because of the warm autumn weather.

Record raids

More than 32 tonnes of cannabis with a street value of £57 million have been seized by the Spanish police in the world’s largest ever marijuana drug bust.  Nine men and 11 women, aged between 20 and 59, were detained in October in connection with a “complex” drugs network which sent vacuum-packed marijuana across Spain, Switzerland, Holland, Germany and Belgium.  The gang was arrested following raids in Toledo, Ciudad Real, Valencia and Asturias.

Fares increase

Air fares to the Costa del Sol will rise by 22% in the next six months according to Francisco Salado of the area’s Tourism Board.  Speaking at the World Travel Market in London last month, he said that until April over a million seats will be available to fly from 16 cities into Málaga.  He added that during 2023, Turismo Costa del Sol will invest €1.5 million in promoting the coast in the UK.

Med tunnel

Morocco and Spain have both initiated feasibility studies ahead of plans to develop the project to link the two countries with a rail tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar.   The idea for a link from Tarifa to Tangier which first surfaced in 1979 was reactivated recently by Madrid which included the initiative in its 2023 budget.  The 42 kilometre tunnel is also expected to include a two-way gas pipeline.