FREE COPY THE NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHERN SPAIN Official market leader Audited by PGD/OJD December 29th 2017 to January 4th 2018 News 2 What To Do 43 Comment 22 My Home 47 Lifestyle 24 Sport 51 Health & Beauty 39 Classified 55 in English Food & Drink 36 Pastimes 62 Councils to look at using treated wastewater to clean streets Local water company Acosol says two-thirds is currently wasted and wants to find new uses ahead of a possible drought alert The water company that covers the western Costa del Sol, from Manilva to Torremolinos, Acosol, is calling on local councils to do more to stave off a drought warn- ing by using recycled water. A ‘GORDO’ TO REMEMBER IN MALAGA Currently two-thirds of the wastewater that comes from the area’s sewage plants once it is treated More than a hundred million euros flood into the city of Malaga is pumped out to sea and goes to waste. The company says that it is after a record-breaking Christmas lottery win this year P20 time that town halls copied the ex- ample of Marbella and used waste- water on local parks and streets. P6 The lottery euphoria even extended to Malaga city hall. :: ÑITO SALAS Find some island bliss on Bermuda. Andrew Forbes takes us to the British Costa improvement projects Overseas Territory in this month’s Travel special P30-35 stall and roll over into next year Have you made any New Year’s resolutions yet? Tony Bryant takes a look at High hopes for Shortage of funds, infighting be- years, failure to agree budgets a tradition that dates back tween political parties in the area’s stopped them coming to fruition. some 4,000 years P24 new building and town halls and bureaucracy have Other long-held dreams, such as slowed down great expectations for the railway to Marbella, have hardly infrastructure in new building and infrastructure pro- been mentioned in 2017. However It’s a wrap! We take a jects to improve the Costa del Sol there has been some progress, par- look back at all over the 2017 were and Malaga province during 2017. ticularly in Estepona, and exciting Although many schemes were plans look close in other towns, in- major events which have dashed announced at the start of the year, cluding the pedestrianisation of cen- made 2017 such a Many plans for 2018. :: SUR some rolling over from previous tral Torremolinos P2-3 memorable year P10-13 SPORT Míchel receives the “Our objective is to be The tables have turned. backing of sporting up there at the top.” Sky Sports’ Rob Palmer director despite latest Marbella boss Fernando looks at the shift in power loss leaving Malaga in the Estévez reflects on the in La Liga in his column drop zone P51&52 season so far P51 this week P53 22222222 December 29th 2017 to January 4th 2018 NEWS SUR IN ENGLISH The majority of big projects promised for this year have not been carried out The authorities have stretch of railway between Algeciras and Bobadilla in the summer, on two made bureaucratic areas in Cadiz province where the Government. The railway line to Marbella is progress on several FRANCISCO works had stopped in 2013 and 2015. JIMÉNEZ On the Malaga side, which is where still in the study phase and projects, but only a the most controversial and longest- plans are about to be drawn few of them have [email protected] delayed stretch of track is located up for the AVE bypass on (Ronda-Antequera), the minister of the Malaga-Seville line. actually begun centre at Puerto Seco in Antequera. Public Works, Íñigo de la Serna, rai- :: FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ sed hopes recently when he promi- MALAGA. In a couple of days 2017 Government responsibility sed that the whole network will be will come to an end, and it seems a The coastal railway is being completed in 2021. good time to look at the main infras- studied and the bypass put to Still on the subject of railways, Ma- tructure projects which were promi- tender laga port has passed another year with sed for this year by the different ad- For projects financed by the go- no sign of its underground track, and ministrations in Malaga province, vernment, 138 million euros were work came to a halt on the new ocea- and see how they are doing. Admi- allocated to Malaga in the general sta- nographic centre, which was due to ttedly, there weren’t many of them te budgets for 2017. This was lowest open next year, because of problems because the government and the Jun- amount so far this century and a long with the foundations. It should now ta de Andalucía are still reluctant to way from the 1.2 billion for invest- open in 2019. spend money and, in the case of coun- ment in 2008, which was used for Construction has also been sus- cils, a lack of resources combined with major works such as the second pended on the sewage plant at Ner- minority governments or coalitions runway at the airport, the ‘hiperron- ja; although this is a government with multiple parties have delayed da’ bypass and the main road through project, the company which won the approvals of budgets so very few San Pedro. the contract is suffering financial projects have been carried out. This year, there has been some pro- difficulties. As a result, the major investments gress towards the construction of the which are under way can be coun- northern access to the airport from Junta de Andalucía ted on the fingers of one hand: the the second bypass, at a cost of 6.5 mi- Slow progress on the metro Provincial govern- motorway exit at Arroyo de la Miel llion euros. The project has been put but advances in sewage and ment. The project to to end one of the worst black spots to tender and work should begin in schools convert La Malagueta for traffic jams in the area (go- the first quarter of 2018. The second While Nerja is the only coastal town bullring into a cultural vernment), advancing the Malaga major project was the new prison in which does not treat its sewage, in centre will be put to ten- metro towards the city centre, and Archidona (21.4 million euros), which the Guadalhorce valley the river of der early next year. :: SUR two secondary schools (Junta) and, has been completed but has not yet the same name continues to act as a from councils, the new local hospi- opened and is being used provisiona- drain for the waste produced by tal in Estepona and several social hou- lly as a detention centre for migrants. 100,000 inhabitants of the area. sing developments in Malaga city. Initial work has also begun on the However, in the middle of this year, least the town is to have a new health tended to the city centre, most of the The remainder are still caught up in new link road between the A-7 and after the project was blocked by the centre, for which the works were con- Alameda will be pedestrianised so bureaucratic processes and prelimi- Arroyo de la Miel, one of the busiest Junta de Andalucía for over a deca- tracted a few days ago. that traffic will only be able to use nary studies. points on the roads in Malaga provin- de, work finally began on the Bajo As has become habitual in recent the central area. The north side forms Although important steps have ce, which will cost 11.2 million euros. Guadalhorce treatment plant which years, the biggest investment from part of the reurbanisation of the me- been taken in offices with regard to However, the majority of the most will serve Álora, Pizarra and Coín. At the regional government has been tro and will therefore be financed by new infrastructures such as the nor- urgent projects which are to be ca- the same time, the Junta and the the Malga metro, and that is likely to the Junta (3.5 million euros). On the thern access to the airport, the stretch rried out by the government are still councils signed an agreement for the be the case for some time because of south side, the city hall is about to of railway which will reduce the AVE in the study phase or, in the best of plant for the metropolitan area, accumulated delays in the works. put the project to tender to convert journey time between Malaga and cases, the plans have yet to be drawn which will handle the sewage pro- The only tunnel which is currently it into a 23 metre-wide boulevard be- Seville, the sewage plant for the Ma- up. This applies to the rail connection duced from Alhaurín el Grande and being built is between the Tetuán side the Soho district. The cost is ex- laga city area and projects such as pe- at Almodóvar del Río (Cordoba) which Cártama. This will ease the pressu- bridge and the Alameda Principal, but pected to be 5.2 million euros and it destrianising the Alameda in Malaga will reduce the journey time between re on the one in Malaga city, which the stretch of track which will run should be completed in the second city and the centre of Torremolinos, Malaga and Seville on the AVE to an is now at its limit because it also down Avenida de Andalucía has been half of 2018. Also waiting to be put there are numerous central go- hour and a half.