 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
-Issue Number 200 |
Thursday, December 1, 2005 | Page
14 |
|||
Page [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]
The demolition teams move in
DEMOLITION
teams razed three illegally built houses recently in the first on a list
of many enforcement orders.Two homes in Valle San Lorenzo and one in San Miguel town were toppled by bulldozers after their owners built them without permission.
Workmen moved in on the houses under orders from the Agency for the Protection of Urban and Natural Resources, a division of the department of the environment of the Canary government.
The demolition is part of a government fight-back against a trend in illegal building on land areas designated as rustic.
The first three homes earmarked for removal were taken from files uncovered by the agency, revealing the sanctioning of illegal building by town halls in southern municipalities.
As well as suffering the financial loss incurred by the loss of the buildings, the owners will also receive heavy fines.
l MORE than a third of the houses in Marbella bought by Britons and other buyers are not legal – and up to 5,000 holiday apartments and villas face being bulldozed.
The full extent of the chaos in the Spanish resort, where developers and the town hall have pushed through 1,000 building licences in recent years – since challenged by higher authorities – has been revealed by a new municipal plan aimed at sorting out the mess, The Guardian reported.
Of the 80,000 homes in the popular southern town where cranes still dominate the skyline, only 50,000 are declared properly legal.
The remainder, mostly built or begun when the populist mayor Jesús Gil was running Marbella in the 1990s, were wrongly given licences, say Andalucia’s regional authorities.
The licences were given to homes as well as complexes of apartments or villas. The town hall thinks it can now save 25,000 of the homes, but the fate of the remaining 5,000 lies with the courts.
‘Tourism ready to bounce back’
The island’s councillor for tourism detailed “positive signs for a moderate recovery” after several high-powered meetings with industry leaders at the recent fair.
And it is hoped that two important conferences to be held in the next two years on Tenerife will seal the island’s fortunes.
Jose Manuel Bermudez told The Tenerife Sun: “Efforts have been concentrated on unveiling the new promotional image of the island and increasing the number of flights. And in both cases the results have been positive.
“There been advances in the push for more flights to Tenerife, with GB Airways committing to extend the summer season flights with two new weekly flights to the north airport as well as other initiatives with them and other airlines.
“The results should be felt towards the end of next year.”
The plans will be further developed when three separate travel agent associations meet together in Tenerife as the Triton Group next year in May.
And the Association of British Travel Agents intends to hold its annual conference in the south of the island in 2007.
Both events are expected to boost travel to Tenerife.
Tourism chiefs hailed their presence at the London Travel Market as a huge success.
The four-day fair, the biggest in the world, saw the entire archipelago represented within one pavilion, with each island given its own dedicated floor space to promote its assets.
Forthcoming attractions to Tenerife, including the multi-million euro Siam Park in Las Americas, the new whale spectacle at Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz, as well as the remodelling of the Lago Martianez in Puerto de la Cruz and the Plaza de Espana in Santa Cruz, were all given pride of place to attract new visitors.
Bermudez said: “The people on the stand handing out the new promotional material said they have had very positive feedback from British industry professionals.”
Residencias put to rights
ALL foreign nationals applying for
a residencia for the first time must now make an appointment by phone
or email before taking their application to the office in Santa Cruz
The new rules were put in place by the Oficina de Extranjeros on November
16.
EU citizens coming to work in Spain, either employed or on a self-employed
basis, can still present applications at their nearest national police
station.
Residents from the municipalities of Adeje, Arona, Granadilla de Abona,
Guia de Isora, San Miguel de Abona and Santiago del Teide, Playa de las
Americas and Valle San Lorenzo should go to the National Police Commission
in Playa de las Americas.
Residents from Santa Ursula, La Orotava, Los Realejos, Puerto de la Cruz,
San Juan de la Rambla, Icod de los Vinos, Garachico, Buenavista del Norte,
Los Silos, La Guancha and El Tanque should go to the National Police Commission
in Puerto de la Cruz.
Pensioners and residents in Tenerife not looking to work or living off
their own means but wishing to take up formal residency MUST apply by
phoning 922 999336 or 922 999338 for an appointment.
Tax cuts for big business
TAXES on larger businesses in Spain are to be cut from 35 per cent
to 30 by 2007.
Smaller and medium-sized businesses will also benefit from a reduction
in taxes to 25 per cent.
Prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced the cut in taxes
to improve Spanish competitiveness.
The lower rates of taxes should come into operation by 2007.
The announcement was made at a conference organised by The Economist
magazine.