Third award for local coastal path

centre and is referred to locally as ‘the shame of the town’. the building reached national notoriety as an example of mass overspending by Spanish councils during the boom period in the first decade of the century.

the project ground to a halt after the original 2-million-euro budget allocated in 2001 was predicted to need to increase to 9 million euros in just five years. the Marina baches Cultural Centre project was officially scrapped in 2014.

the original plans included an underground car park and a public square and to add insult to injury, in 2020 the Supreme Court ruled that Pilar council had to pay €2.7 million in compensation to two companies for lost revenues as result of the unopened car park.

Following the demolition there are plans to redevelop the plot to house a multi-purpose building. the 1,489m2 facility has a cost of a further 3 million euros.

Government to close sexual consent legal loophole

the Spanish government has pledged to amend a new sexual consent law that was passed in august last year, since it has since allowed hundreds of sex offenders to get their prison sentences significantly reduced, despite the law’s main intention being to increase the protection of women.

the law, known as ‘only yes is yes‘, made verbal consent the key issue in cases of alleged sexual assault. at the same time, however, it revised the minimum and maximum prison terms for sexual assault convictions, a move that led to many judges reducing the sentences of convicted rapists and abusers on appeal by months and even years.

For the first time since the law entered into force, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez publicly spoke about a correction to the text.

‘the Law on Sexual Freedom has had an unwanted consequence, the reduction of sentences in some cases. this is a technical question that does not reflect the will of the executive,’ he told the Senate house on tuesday. ‘and those unwanted effects, of course, we are going to correct them.’

Since the law was passed, over 300 convicted sex offenders have had their sentences reduced and at least 20 who had been near the end of their sentences have been released from prison. that has led to an outcry by women’s groups and criticism from the general public, putting pressure on the coalition government to act. he said: “ this recognition is related to the improvement of the environmental and cultural services that this City Council provides to society as a whole, by transforming this space into a valuable resource for environmental interpretation, the enjoyment of nature and outdoor sports and leisure activities.” the bluetrail in question runs parallel to the coastline and includes a total of five viewpoints, presenting a variety of areas of high geological interest; from its cliffs and beaches, as well as elements of key heritage, such as the Cabo roig tower, a military watchtower from the 16th century, catalogued as an asset of Cultural interest. throughout its 2.5-kilometre route, people can enjoy the marine landscape, from Cabo roig to La Manga del Mar Menor and isla Grosa, observing the shadows in the water of the oceanic Posidonia meadows, which form authentic underwater forests that serve as shelter and food for aquatic animals. on the land, the abundant existence of a protected shrub known as Jarilla Cabeza de Gato, and the species of red-tailed lizard, common bee-eater, common shrike, yellow-legged gull, black-headed gull, little tern common, common tern, plover, turnstone, sandpiper and great cormorant, among others, can be spotted. the Councillor added: “ the blue Flag trails help to value natural spaces of cultural interest and heritage close to beaches or marinas that have the blue Flag - such as the 11 beaches of orihuela.”

Changing the law, however, could produce tensions during an election year between Sánchez’ ruling PSoe socialists and their junior coalition partner, the Podemos group. equality Minister irene Montero, who championed the sexual consent law, said negotiations are ongoing among coalition members to reform it.

For the third consecutive year, the path that runs between the beaches of Cala Capitán and La Caleta, in Cabo roig, has been awarded the ‘Sendero azul’ by the association for environmental and Consumer education (adeaC).

Ángelnoguera, orihuela Councillor for infrastructure, said that department has made this award possible and facilitated the renewal for another year.