Lessons for all

LIKE London buses, as the saying goes, you wait ages, then two turn up together.

And that’s certainly the case with a pair of brand new buildings just opened in Estepona. Dramatically changing the coastline - and genesis of the once small fishing village - the Mirador del Carmen tower and nearby ‘carbon neutral’ town hall are very much a statement of current mayor Jose Maria Garcia Urbano.

Soon to enter his fourth term, they come after a decade of grand openings, including a hospital, athletics stadium and orchid museum.

Taking just 14 months to build, the unusual 12-floor Mirador del Carmen (left) comprises an arts and cultural centre, with close links to the Carmen Thyssen Museum, in Malaga.

CORNUCOPIA: Mix of items, while stars hold some trophies

Call or visit www.david-marshall.org for more information

IT is set to become one of the most amazing schools in Andalucia. When open, the new Benahavis

PLOT: The 46,000m2 school has its location finalised ‘ instituto will be able to teach 1,500 kids across primary, secondary and sixth form. Sitting in an incredible natural location, surrounded by pine trees and with views of the nearby Sierra de las Nieves National Park, it will be an inspirational place to learn.

Expansive

Recently licenced, the public/ private school will be built on a 46,000 metre square plot, which will include expansive sports areas and other recreational space.

“It is being mostly financed by the town hall, like the new Estepona hospital, in order to speed things up,” explains councillor Scott Marshall.

“We envisage it costing around €10m and it will hugely benefit the town.”

In particular local kids will no longer need to be bussed to schools 30 minutes away at Salduba and Guadaiza, although there will be state-of-the-art facilities and smaller class sizes.

“We will have four classes in primary and secondary and three at instituto level, each class with no more than 25 kids,” continues Marshall. In order to reach the school, which sits in its own small valley, the council will be opening a new access road from the Capanes urbanization. Another exciting opening for the town is the GREA emergency response centre on the Ronda road at Monte Halcones. Under construction for a year, the high-tech centre will be one of three key crisis response centres for Andalucia.

Drones

Kitted out with all the latest monitoring equipment, including drones and satellite communication, its team will be ready to mobilise within an hour.

“With the increasing threat of fires due to global warming, as well as a continual risk of flooding, it is a vital and exciting addition to Malaga’s infrastructure,” explains Marshall.

LAUNCH:

It also has a library, an auditorium for concerts and a rooftop terrace with viewing platform.

At the opening at the weekend Urbano described it as a colophon’, a Greek word, meaning inscription or stamp at the end of a book or manuscript.

Junta president, Juanma Moreno, added it was a ‘gift’ to the town and its visitors.

It comes just weeks after the town also finally inaugurated its new €13 million town hall (right).

While its signature boast is an internal slide between the fourth and fifth floors to liven up the days of the 200 employees, the seven-floor structure also aims to be carbon neutral.

Said to be the ‘most sustainable town hall’ in Spain, due to its renewable energy creation and ‘bioclimatic solutions’, the cube is sheathed by a white lattice designed to shield the inhabitants from the heat of the day.

Meanwhile, photovoltaic panels have been installed on its roof, which are expected to cover the entire electricity demand.