James Warren
THE President of Andalucia has received the dubious Atila Andalucía 2020 award by the environmental group Ecologists in Action.
The leading nature protection group gave the award to Junta boss, Juanma Moreno for his drafting of a controversial new land planning law.
The aim of the award is to ‘distinguish and denounce those people, entities or projects that have stood out the most for their contribution to the destruction of the environment.’
Every year, Ecologists in Action reveal their choices for the Atila awards to coincide with World Environment day on June 5.
Ecologists in Action have also given their ‘Atila Horse’ award to the PP Mayor of Nerja, Jose Alberto Armijo, for pushing through the controversial Larios SL Maro Golf project amid the coronavirus state of alarm.
Numerous accounts have been settled between the mayor and Casa Larios during the COVID-19 lockdown, causing opposition parties and resident groups to accuse Armijo of ‘taking advantage’ of the crisis.
The new bill, ambiguously titled ‘Law for the Promotion of Sustainability of the Territory of Andalusia (LISTA)’, aims to deregulate vast areas of land across Andalucia to the possibility of urban development.
It plans to simplify the categorisation of undeveloped land, removing current restrictions on protected areas and allowing municipalities to extend urban area without boundaries.
According to Ecologists in Action, the province of Malaga, as well as Murcia and Madrid are backing LISTA to favour urban sprawl and promoting industrialism.
This push for construction and development could affect some of the last untouched areas of natural habitats in Spain.
There is one important point that has been convenient left out by those objecting to the proposed new law. It very specifically states that any new development may only take place NEXT TO EXISTING URBAN LAND.
Yes, NEXT to existing urban land but, ON protected, untouched areas of natural habitat. In other words, sly unethical land grabs by money-grubbing Jesus Gil style crooks.