‘Like being accused of dropping the Hiroshima bomb’

October 16, 2009  •  News Feature  •  6 Comments

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THE Mayor of Ronda has claimed that accusations levelled at him over the passing of a controversial golf project are ‘like accusing him of dropping the Hiroshima bomb’.

On a heated court appearance in Ronda, Antonio Marin Lara rounded on the IU United Left party and local green activists accusing them of ‘terrorism’.

He was defending his decision to approve plans for the Los Merinos golf project, which would include 800 houses and three luxury hotels built on Unesco-protected virgin land.

The mayor, who is already being investigated over other planning crimes, spent two hours in court arguing that there was no “legal fraud” over his actions.

He knew the scheme had been turned down by the Andalucian authorities for a number of reasons.

This was despite admitting he knew the scheme had been turned down by the Andalucian authorities for a number of reasons – in particular the rejection over the issue of water.

But he said his town hall was going to be able to overcome the demand using water from the town’s own sewage works.

He added that the scheme was first included in the PGOU town plan of Ronda in 1993, which was before he was even the mayor.

He also denied that the project was going to alter more than the 25 per cent of the area, as claimed by the IU United Left party that launched the legal action two years ago.

He insisted that, in fact, the multi-million euro scheme would only alter four per cent of the actual area of the area.

This week the Olive Press also reveals (see ‘Los Merinos would gravely endanger local ecosystem’) how a report by three professors insists that seven towns – including Ronda itself – would have their water supply seriously affected if the scheme was allowed to continue.

The geologist and two hydrology professors from Zaragoza and Oviedo ruled that the scheme would “gravely endanger” the local ecosystem.

“It will destroy the rich natural habitat,” claimed their report.

The mayor has now strongly rounded on the IU United Left party and local green groups, insisting he is going to launch his own lawsuit against them.

He said, in particular, he was going to sue the regional coordinator of the party as well as the town’s IU boss Rafa Ruiz.
He accused the party of being a “species of terrorism” and insisted that he expected the case to be thrown out of court.

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