News
The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1849
10 - 16 December 2020
AXARQUIA - COSTA TROPICAL • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
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LIFELINE CALL
THE Andalucia Federation of Catering Businesses (Horeca) is calling for more support for busi ness struggling under new regula tions in a move it hopes will give the hospitality sector a boost be fore Christmas. It has asked the Junta de Andalu cia for permission for restaurants to open until 11.30pm. This, they say, will allow them to serve dinner and keep thousands of businesses alive and people in work. Current restrictions, which mean they can only serve on the premis es until 6pm, with another four hours until curfew, are leading to dangerous situations in which peo ple are gathering privately. This means there are no health measures and no control to pre vent coronavirus contagion, as bars and restaurants are closed, the federation has said. They report that people openly arrange, while still at bars and restaurants, to all go home togeth er once they close.
THE Junta de Andalucia has given the go-ahead for a new shopping centre in Malaga following two years of administrative procedures. The centre is planned on the Villa Rosa industrial estate, opposite Leroy Merlin and Decathlon. The environmental report for the project began two years ago, but the Junta de Andalucia Council for Sustainable Development hadn’t issued a positive response until now, with the approval of other regional departments. T he aim is to raise the land to prevent it from flooding, due to its proximity with the Guadalhorce river, and green areas are planned within the complex. With this permit in hand, the city hall can now go
OPEN FOR BUSINESS: But the hospitality sector needs a boost before Christmas.
Junta go-ahead for new shopping centre
LOCATION: The land is to be raised to prevent flooding.
ahead with the urban planning procedures needed until the project for the 9,220
m2 shopping centre project is approved. There are also plans for a
building to house businesses as well as 1,200m2 worth of facilities for them.
Profits have reportedly fallen by 70 per cent in the catering sector over the December long weekend, compared to the same holiday pe riod last year, due to the curfew, plus the bad weather. Combined, these factors pre vented many premises from using their outdoor terraces, while in door occupancy levels are allowed at only 30 per cent in most of An dalucia. In Malaga, the allowed rate is 50 per cent. In readiness for the announce ment regarding new measures ex pected from the Junta de Andalucia this week, Horeca has stressed that the survival of some 250,000 peo ple depends upon better condi tions for the sector. As such, it is asking for closing times to be extended until 11.30pm, as well as allowing higher occupation levels throughout the region. An agreement would be a huge boost for businesses and cus tomers alike.