Son of Algarrobico in legal probe

March 10, 2008  •  Almeria  •  1 Comments

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Hotel complex “increases flood risks” at Almería resort town

A MOJACAR hotel slammed as being “worse than Algarrobico” is under investigation by an Almería court.

Magistrate Jesús Rivero – who first declared the controversial Cabo de Gata hotel illegal in Febraury 2006 – has launched a probe into the Beach and Golf Resort Playa Macenas complex, following complaints by a local residents’ group.

According to Salvemos Mojacar, the five-star hotel invades the beach at the resort town, contravening legislation to protect Spain’s coast.

“We hope this judicial investigation results in the paralysation of a hotel comparable to Algarrobico, if not worse,” a spokesman for the group said.

The group has also complained that two golf courses, which are part of the Macenas complex, have resulted in the part-destruction of a rambla, a network of water courses that is protected by law.

This will lead to increased risks of coastal flooding, according to the group.

“We have seen more than one million square metres of land dumped into the river bed, totally transforming the river’s natural flow,” a spokesman said.

The 411-bed Algarrobico hotel, constructed upon virgin sands in Europe’s largest maritime-terrain protected park, has been at the centre of a storm for more than two years.

Following Rivero’s initial declaration, the regional government announced its intentions to demolish the building before apparently backtracking late last year.

With Junta-backed changes to the urban plan of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, the hotel only looked set to lose a swimming pool.

But earlier this month, the nation’s highest court stated the complex was illegal and would face demolition.

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