Property
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THE Fair has sco homes Group at the red a hatrick Property International London. Awards, in PHILOSOPH While its Imp ER’S STO Ocean Pla stunning erial NES: Thin Casa Ma ker Llull residentia za won best ta (left) onc e lived in developm l high rise tar, the ent in GibralCentre World Trade office won the best and the development architectu best office the Roc re award on The Wo k. tre has rld Trade Ceninto the also been put final for in Europe ‘Best be announ’ which will ced on cember DeEmilia 4. ticulary as the markeHazell-Smith, been call regional election of Fairhomting director independe ed s hav for e now par December situation es, which direct rule nce and Madrid However, has calmed dow 21, and the saidt of Ocean Villageis . imp n. osed of The region this the , Spain’s larg has not stopped ‘very pro group was est in Spa is regarded as ud’ to est som with have has seen in and its capitalthe wealthi- sha links to the proper ty compan e achieved the hon ies “The awa our. price rise some of the high Barcelona Me re prices slum region, seen the p. est proper rlin ir testimonyrd is the best It is hopeds this year. ty 5.3% Proper ties and of the hig quality h Colonial and ty will not that the politica fell by we hav construction height of 6.4% respective l uncerta affect sale the ind inly s too mu and thee developed ch, par- Investors are adoependence cris at the des is. policy in pting a ‘wa ign tha successful the run up it sence of t is the esto the elecand see’ lage’s suc Ocean Viltions. cess.”
PAIN is healthy all set for ano market. year for the pro ther An per ty other 12 Sal to rise… es and prices are months as long as expected more sales den econom there - as long of growth in Sp the country ic shocks, pre are no sud- 6.1 as Catalun ain According ’s largest agentsdicts one of pec% next year, com ya is dealt to . ted pared with Anticipa 6.9% this 9.3% nex sale an exPric yea up from t year to 526,00 s will rise by me es for resales r. 0 proper anwhile, and new more tha 481,000 this yea ties builds n in 2016. r and 21%, to increase are expected to Prices are continue quarter of by 5.8% ove also exp r this the ected to yea fourth rise by The firm’s latest r. compiled rep before Catort, however, was alunya dec lared
with 10% with
ON
Vol. 3 Issue 63 www.gibraltarolivepress.com January 31st - February 13th 2018 B uying
TheJanuary Gibraltar 31st -Olive February 13th 2018 Press speaks exclusively to Fabian Picardo on Brexit, the Gibraltarian constitution and his passion for politics. “We will never fall into the New Labour trap.” SEE PAGE 6
1
Wind chilling We preview Galliano’s exciting new menswear line
Page 3
Gibraltar’s new literary sensation tells us all
Page 8
Load of waffle The dining experience taking the Rock by storm
Page 21
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GALE force winds have battered Gibraltar closing schools, bringing down trees and diverting flights. One person was hospitalised, while Ocean Spa Plaza in Ocean Village, saw its upper floor scaffolding cover torn apart in the early hours of the morning. In shocking footage put on social media, steel bolts and scaffolding poles can be seen falling on top of St Anne’s school gymnasium and a line of cars below. The winds of more than 100km/h also meant that some flights from the Rock were di-
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verted, with passengers transported by coach to Malaga. St Anne’s and Notre Dame schools were shut due to minor damage, while a third school St Martin’s, also called off lessons. Following an emergency civil contingency meeting Minister Gilbert Licudi QC, said: “Today we have withstood the effects of very serious, abnormal wind conditions. “I am grateful to the emergency services, teachers and technical staff for quickly working to mitigate the effects of these conditions and to keep Gibraltar safe.”
TAKING A HIT: Ocean Village
Straight to detention A BITTER row between the government and Gibraltar Teachers’ Association (GTA) has escalated. The two bodies are at loggerheads, after a GTA spokesman claimed that 99% of teachers were ‘not happy’ with the government’s con-
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Row after claims ‘99% of teachers’ unhappy with controversial schools plan
troversial schools’ plan. In an angry statement, Victor Gonzalez insisted that ‘none of the staff’ at West-
side, Governor’s Meadow, Bishop Fitzgerald and St Martin’s were ‘happy with the plans as they currently stand’. He added: “99% of our members were not happy and they felt they are not being consulted.” The issue revolves around a plan announced in October that would see the construction of eight new schools on the Rock by the end of next year. As well as rebuilding existing schools, including Gibraltar College, Westside and Notre Dame, the government will open two brand new co-ed schools at Waterport. The government has now come in for further criticism after it supported senior teachers at Westside School
and banned the GTA from holding further meetings on site. Junior teachers expressed their ‘sadness and disappointment’ at the ban, adding: “We feel that as GTA members we have a right to meet our union representatives at our place of work irrespective of how good or bad current relations are. “We stand fully behind our union.” The GTA went public with its concerns aiming to put pressure on the government to consult more with teachers over the project. An anonymous survey into the reforms, carried out by independent MP Lawrence Llamas, found that 81% of 146 teachers believed the government had not sufficiently consulted them. A further 70% disagreed that the government had taken enough time to ensure that plans for reform were ‘carried out correctly,
with a minimum amount of disruption and in a way which puts children first.’ The two main concerns were the issue of a ‘mega school campus housing two independent secondary schools’ and ‘the unreasonably fast pace’ the plans are being implemented. “It is abundantly clear that teachers and other education professionals feel left out,” Llamas said. The government hit back at the GTA’s concerns however, arguing that it remains committed to further consultation with teachers and other education professionals. It also argued that new designs for Notre Dame, Westside and Bayside schools had been signed off by their respective head teachers. A representative from the GTA condemned the government’s action this week as a ‘gross overreaction’.