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s a’ ty ag er al op e M pr azin st be mag
Property
Is it a bird, is it a plane, or is it a church? And how does this crazy new building link with a Playmobil hotel, a flying yellow submarine and the lost city of Atlantis? Find out in our Property Magazine FREE inside
Issue 25 November 2018
November 21st - December 4th 2018
13
THE PERFECT FRAME: An indoor cubed garden leads on to a view new home in Sotogrande, see page of Gibraltar at XXVIII
Divine inspiration
ANGELIC ARCHITECTURE: A Madrid architect has won an award from for his unique take on religion, the RIBA see page XXXIV
Massive growth in buyers from abroad, with the British leading the way despite Brexit fears
FOREIGN FIREBALL
AN avalanche of foreign buyers is setting Spain’s property Second up market on fire! come the French, who bought 4,211 properties (a Destination-wise, Valencia drop of 5% on A total of 53,359 homes were acquired was the favourite province for inby foreigners in the homes, some last year) and the Germans, who bought 4,138 vestors, accounting first half of 2018. for a third of all foreign sales, with 15,613 2% less than last year. sales. When it comes The massive figure dwarfs the 33,000 sales recorded in the nish - and mostto buying trends it turns out that the Irish, Da- It was the region same period of 2007, when Spain’s property with the highest year-on-year growth interestingly, the Moroccans - are the market was at its growing nationalities. at fastest 16.7%. peak. Andalucia came in second with 8.2% Spicing up the market, Moroccans bought And, no surprise, the British continue of the foreign market 3,662 properties, a (9,737 sales), followed ting for a record 7,613 purchases, up to lead the way, accoun- growth of 29% on last year, while the Danes were up by 18% singly a 5.3% decline by Catalunya with 7,570 sales, unsurpriand the Irish 25%. That’s according to the latest official 8.8% on 2017. from the same period last year, much to do with current political tension. ries showing that 14% of all foreign figures from Spain’s nota- Romanians meanwhile continue to be a strong buyers were British. market having The fifth highest destination bought 3,872 homes. was Madrid, where foreign market sales increased by 5.4% (4,911 purchases).
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It’s a no from me SPAIN has reiterated its threat to torpedo the Brexit withdrawal agreement if there are no further assurances on Gibraltar. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (above) confirmed he would be voting against the UK’s hard-fought exit deal if the text on Gibraltar isn’t changed. In an apparent U-turn, having initially supported Theresa May’s 585-page blueprint for an EU departure, he said: “If there are no changes, Spain will vote no to the agreement.” It came after Foreign Minister Josep Borrell insisted Madrid needed more clarity on the future status of the Rock before it could ratify the deal. “There is something we only just found out about,” Borrell said, following a meeting of the EU’s European affairs ministers. “We want to make sure the interpretation of this text is clear and shows that what’s being negotiated between the EU and the UK does not apply to Gibraltar.” The delay, which made front page news in Spain, put further pressure on British Prime Minister May, who is already struggling with eurosceptics within her own party.
Mijas Costa
Vol. 13 Issue 305 www.theolivepress.es November 21st - December 4th 2018
twin hope
APPEAL
As festive season approaches, heartbroken family needs thousands to cover medical costs for four-year-old twins going blind THE Olive Press is launching an appeal to help a desperate mother save her four-year-old twins from going blind. Little Erik and Alexia urgently need more tests to determine if their deteriorating vision can be treated. But the expensive tests are crippling the Torremolinos-based family. Liverpudlian mum Fabiola Heston, 39, told the Olive Press how she and partner, Juan, 36, a mechanic, feel ‘hopeless’ after selling their car to pay for the escalating medical costs. It comes after the twins were diagnosed in April with a rare form of retinal dystrophy - a genetic disease which gradually causes blindness. But after three rounds of medical tests costing almost €3,000 each, doctors are still unable to identify the gene, meaning they cannot di-
By Elisa Menendez
agnose the severity, nor advise on treatment. And now the twins have to undergo a fourth genetic test costing a staggering €2,700 per child. “It’s changing our lives completely, we just don’t have money like that,” she added. “It’s impossible to save up. We’re really struggling.” Now something urgently needs to be done, as Erik’s vision has rapidly deteriorated in just two months. His disease is classed as ‘severe’ and worse than his sister’s, meaning identifying the gene as soon as possible is crucial. “Any help we can get will be amazing. Thank you so much,” added the mum. Depending on the gene diagnosed,
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FAMILY: Mum Fabiola with Alexia and Erik an eye injection - Luxturna - may each day, as well as eye drops. be able to help, but comes at a stag- Their eyesight is so sensitive that geringly high price of €745,000 per they have to wear three different child. types of special sunglasses during “It’s the only treatment in the world the day, as sunlight can further dethat can slow down the disease,” stroy their sight. But even artificial light in the house can be too much. added Fabiola. The couple first noticed Despite Fabiola’s best efforts to an issue with Erik’s’ shield the children from the reality eyesight at ten months of the illness, it ‘breaks her heart’ to old, and had to get him hear others question why they wear glasses, at a cost of up sunglasses inside. to €800 a pair. Alexia “I don’t know why people make needed them by age stupid comments. I try to act like three. The pair also there’s nothing wrong and say they need to give the twins look lovely in their cool glasses. See page 2 expensive supplements They’re only young but they know something isn’t right. “I want them to enjoy their childhood. I want them to remember and see everything possible before they lose their sight,” added the mum.
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CAN YOU HELP? The family needs €5,400 for eye tests, and more for an appointment at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital - the best in Europe. The Olive Press has launched a GoFundMe page to help raise funds. Anything our readers can spare will help greatly. To donate visit: gofundme.com/twins-4-losingsight-need-urgent-helpfor-tests