27 Jul - 2 Aug 2017 Youtube
ISSUE NO. 1673
BONE DRY: La Viñuela.
Drought threshold breached LA VINUELA’S reservoir has now reached its drought threshold, with only around a third of its water remaining. The Junta de Andalcuia has still not agreed any new proposals to assist the situation after learning the reservoir contains only 54 cubic hectometres of water, while public consumption remains at 1.1 cubic hectometres a week, meaning Axarquia could be down to its last reserves by the end of the summer. The worrying news comes after the Junta met to discuss a raft of emergency proposals to deal with the ongoing drought threat. In addition to continuing the current irrigation ban one day a week, several measures were discussed, including to connect the Chillar river to La Viñuela reservoir, which would bring in around 2.5 cubic hectometres of water a year. The project is now awaiting an agreement between the Environment Department and Tragsa.
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British couple threatened with bulldozers
Desperate plea EXCLUSIVE By Sally Underwood A retired couple from Cornwall have received a temporary reprieve but still face having their house in Almayate bulldozed. Gill and Bob Ward, who bought the house in 2004, have now taken to Facebook and enlisted the help of Save Our Homes Axarquia (SOHA) to draw attention to their plight and save their home from destruction. Having met with their solicitor this week, Gill said they are trying to formulate a plan and may appeal the council’s decision. The property, which is part of an old farmhouse, was a ‘ruin’ when the couple bought it, received planning permission for a reform in 2006, which allowed several improvements to be made but required the original façade to be kept in place. During the works the original wall collapsed, however, although Gill and Bob say their architect assured them it would
SHAKY GROUND: The Ward’s home. be fine to continue construction. Following completion of the works, the couple moved in, certain their house was legal until Gill - whose name the property is in - received a court summons in 2013 for ‘knowingly building illegally without the correct licence.’ She said her solicitor told her to plead guilty and she was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence and was ordered to apply for a new permission for works, which they couple say they did. They claim they never heard back from Velez-Malaga Town
Hall, however, until receiving a letter on July 5 telling them their home would be demolished on July 17. Bob and Gill have since been granted a temporary court order preventing the bulldozers accessing their property but Gill said she is concerned the
demolition company may soon be granted access to their land. She said of the situation, “we can’t believe it,” adding if demolition goes ahead, “we have no other home. We will be homeless.” The couple have also been helped by Phil Smalley, SOHA’s president, who said the organisation was “waiting to hear from the couple’s solicitor and to hear back from the town hall and hoping for a solution.” The worrying case comes following warnings from Smalley about changes to the State Planning Law, which he believes could affect around 20,000 homes in Axarquia. He said councils are putting together an inventory of all buildings constructed on nonurban land and all property
owners will soon receive a letter from the town hall stating what category their home comes under. Smalley is urging any owners concerned about the legal status of their property to contact the association at soha.es to receive advice and add their voice to the campaign. He said only 200 property owners have contacted the group so far and is calling on others to come forward so they can organise a platform, putting pressure on the council to declare all homes built with town hall licences legal. He said, “owners of homes on non-urbanisable land (sic) believe that because they have all their paperwork, and no action has been taken against them to date, that they are legal.”