ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 13th December 2019

Good news and bad news at Corvera airport as the UN announces an investigation into the deterioration of the Mar Menor

After a couple of months in which gota fría storms and the deterioration in the marine environment of the Mar Menor have dominated the news in the Costa Cálida it was almost a relief this week to see the Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera back in the headlines, although not necessarily for the reasons readers might have hoped.

The summer flight schedules at Corvera saw a sharp decrease in passenger numbers in comparison with the equivalent months at San Javier airport in 2018 and it was hoped that the start of the winter season in November might herald a reversal of that trend, but the figures which were published by management company Aena this week showed that another 8,000 passengers were “lost” during the month. The cumulative total for 2019 now stands at 1,075,617 (including the first fortnight when were on board the flights still taking off and landing at San Javier), over 151,000 (or 12.3 per cent) fewer than at the same point of last year.

To add to the disappointment, the November figures for the Murcia airport come in the context of a nationwide increase of a 3.6 per cent at all of the airports managed by Aena in Spain, with increases reported at most of the country’s busiest airports including Alicante-Elche, where a rise of 4.8 per cent took the total up to 934,652.

It should be pointed out that the figures at Corvera are low in comparison with those recorded during 2018 at San Javier, but they are not disappointing in the context of the expectations of Aena, the airport management company. In passing the million mark in 2019 the objective has been met, although it is reported in regional newspaper La Verdad that over the 25 years of the management contract the amount paid by Aena to the regional government, which depends on passenger figures, is likely to amount to around 60 million euros – less than a third of the amount of debt outstanding on the bank loan which financed construction.

On the positive side, though, it has been confirmed that Vueling are to operate flights between Corvera and Barcelona-El Prat as of 30^th March 2020, with three services weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the spring and summer of next year. This marks a successful conclusion to the sustained efforts of the government and airport management company Aena to encourage Vueling to provide the connection and the first tickets will go on sale this week.

But the issue of the Mar Menor continues to generate heated debate, and this week the United Nations confirmed that it will investigate the deterioration of the lagoon and the lack of protection afforded to it on the grounds that the 1976 Barcelona Convention, which is designed to protect the Mediterranean Sea, may have been contravened or breached. The Mar Menor is among the nine Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance in Spain, and it is interesting to note that in June of this year it was reported by Dr Orr Karassin of the Barcelona Convention Enforcement Committee that “the regional government of Murcia seems reticent in implementing the actions needed to protect the area of the Mar Menor”.

Meanwhile, statements made by Fernando López Miras, the president of the Murcia government, have caused some eyebrows to be raised. Commenting on Monday Sr López Miras asserted that “there is not sufficient information” to blame the agricultural sector for the deterioration in water quality, advancing the opinion instead that the fault lies with “society as a whole over the last 60 years” due to various kinds of pressure, not only agricultural but also related to urban development. It is fair to say that his choice of words has provoked a strong backlash on social media sites, with various observers pointing to the government’s apparent failure to implement already existing legislation: in this context it will be interesting to see whether the new law currently being finalized will be more strongly enforced.

During this week the College of Architects of Murcia put forward a series of 25 measures which they propose should be included in the new law, accepting that unsustainable urban development is one of the factors which have contributed to the deterioration in water quality in the Mar Menor along with intensive crop farming and the use of fertilizers in the Campo de Cartagena. For this reason they recommended that the brakes should be put on for current plans to build 2,000 homes in Los Belones, Los Urrutias, La Manga and other locations, including the large apartment block which is already under construction next to Playa Honda and Playa Paraíso.

Earlier in the week there was a scare when thousands of dead cockles were sighted on the beach of Los Urrutias, raising fears of another episode of anoxia (or lack of oxygen) in the Mar Menor after the latest gota fría storm following the appearance of tons of dead fish and crustaceans on the beaches in the north of the lagoon in October.

However, no further incidents have been reported and it seems probable that the washing up of the cockles is due to the fact that the rain last week caused the sea level in the Mar Menor to rise, and when it fell again the molluscs were left beached on the shore.

Meanwhile, with just one working week to go before Christmas the weather in the Costa Cálida continues to live up to its reputation: earlier in the week the temperature in Mazarrón reached 23 degrees, and over the weekend maximums of above 20 are expected again: enjoy the Christmas shopping!

Christmas is coming…

Boris Johnson performing well in the Catalan Christmas pooper sales race: having won the election which will now lead to the Brexit of the UK, Boris Johnson has also performed well here in Spain! The nativity Caganers are a 200-year-old tradition which originated in Catalunya and the Prime Minister is joined in the 2019 catalogue by fellow Britons Queen Elizabeth II, John Lennon, Gareth Bale, Elton John, George Michael, Bono, Mick Jagger, Mr Bean, Charlie Chaplin and Harry Potter.

Mazarrón disabled centre users make Christmas trees and donate them to local shops: almost 100 trees made by young disabled people have been delivered to the ACOMA local traders association.

Far-right party Vox accused of racism after white-facing one of the Three Kings! The Spanish tradition has it that King Baltasar must be black, although footballer Andrés Iniesta came in for criticism from the BBC last year for blacking up in a festive photo.

Christmas toy collection under way in Cartagena: the Town Hall is collecting gifts for children in need as are many other town halls.

Cartagena lights switched on as the festive season gets under way: a host of free events in the city over the next few weeks and many more programmes in the what's on section.

On the roads

Cartagena-Vera ghost motorway escapes national toll charge increases: tolls on the AP-7 were cut by up to 40 per cent in January of this year and more good news for motorists is that the same road becomes toll-free north of Alicante on 1^st January.

One dead and one injured in accident on the Fuente Álamo-Las Palas road: only one vehicle was involved in the accident in the early hours of Sunday morning.

6-kilometre tailback as a car stops on the motorway for the occupants to have an argument: the incident occurred on the A-1 motorway in the Basque Country on Sunday.

Motorcyclist dies on the Águilas road just outside Mazarrón: the 20-year-old was involved in a collision with a car on the RM-332 road.

Campaign to protect feral cats lowers speed limits in La Unión: old rubbish containers will be recycled to provide cat shelters as La Unión Town Hall fulfils its legal obligations.

Other items in the news this week

17 arrested as police raid cannabis clubs in Murcia: premises managed by “users’ associations” found to be involved in selling drugs.

Parts of Sierra Espuña closed to the public for 6 months to protect golden eagles: three pairs of eagles have already mated successfully this year and more success is hoped for next spring.

Unhappy Christmas for owners of homes in Andalucía as the Spanish government bids to overturn regularization legislation: many of the 327,000 homeowners affected are British expats in Almería and elsewhere in Andalucía.

Esparto grass museum opens in Águilas: the grass was one of the pillars of the local economy in Águilas for centuries and the new museum has opened in the Molino de Sagrera windmill this week.

2 millionth visitor welcomed at the Roman Theatre Museum in Cartagena: plans are being drawn up for more excavations at the most visited museum in the Region of Murcia.

Work begins to allow consolidation of the wall of the Roman amphitheatre in Cartagena: most of the arena is still under the ground but long-term plans are to add it to the visible historical heritage of the city.

Schools evacuated as 3.6 mbLg earthquake hits the Lorca countryside: alarm in La Paca and Zarcilla de Ramos on Friday morning as residents recall the damage caused by a previous tremor in 2005.

Lorca woman arrested after leaving her dog home alone for a fortnight: the owner was not traced for a month after the severely undernourished pet was rescued.

Large firearms stash found in hidden basement in Bullas: the owner is suspected of manipulating weapons to make inoperative firearms usable in his extremely well-concealed underground workshop.

Seven arrested in connection with at least 10 burglaries in San Javier: six Moroccans and a Spaniard face charges.

Drugs found in the schoolbags of 13-year-olds during sniffer dog demonstration at Marbella school: unexpected results after the demonstration was moved indoors due to rain in the Costa del Sol!

Property news

The latest batches of data regarding property sales in Spain appear to confirm that the bounce-back in the national market is coming to a halt, with both the government and the country’s notaries reporting relative stability in sales figures for the month of October.

In the case of the government, the October data show a 1.5 per cent decrease compared with the same month last year, following two months of far sharper decreases in August and September, appearing to confirm that activity in the market has hit a ceiling and is suffering a slight downturn. As a result, both the cumulative total for the first 10 months of 2019 and the running 12-monthly total are lower than a year ago, although there is still a good deal of disparity among the results reported in Spain’s 17 regions.

This is illustrated by the case of the Region of Murcia, where the figures for both September and October have been higher than in 2018, and although growth is unspectacular the trend is still an upward one. After ten months of 2019 the cumulative total of property sales in the Costa Cálida has reached 1.6 per cent more than at the same stage in 2018 and at the same time, the running 12-monthly total of transactions registered in Murcia stands at 16,668 (3.2 per cent higher than a year ago.

The October data published by the notaries paint a slightly different picture although still indicating stability. They report a small rise of 1 per cent in sales, and at the same time observe a rise of just 0.8 per cent in the price of housing in Spain over the last year.

This discrepancy between the two sources of statistics is doubtless due mainly to the fact that notaries’ data are collected at the moment the deeds to a property are transferred, while the government measurements are taken when the sale is registered, which in many cases is weeks later.

Would you like to receive this bulletin?

If you enjoyed this free weekly round-up, then please forward it on to your friends. If you have received this from a friend and would like to have it sent directly, then click Register for weekly bulletin to sign up.

CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THIS FREE WEEKLY ROUND-UP BY EMAIL

NONE OF THE TODAY PRODUCTS HARVESTS OR SELLS EMAILS IN ANY WAY and we GUARANTEE your details will not be passed on, sold, or used for any other purpose, and are maintained in an off-site facility from which you can unsubscribe at any time.

We also welcome contributions from local charities or clubs, including post event reports, news items and forthcoming events. Use the contact button in the top header to contact our editorial team.

Images: Copyrighted Murcia Today, full or partial reproduction prohibited, other images as attributed on individual news articles.