The
OLIVE PRESS
Mijas Costa FREE
A nda l u c í a
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 14 Issue 357 www.theolivepress.es November 25th - December 8th 2020
EXCLUSIVE
LOADED UP: The Merc was put on a transporter set for the UK
All shook up!
How we caught up with the attempted escape route of Ulrich’s killers
See page 2
TRAGIC: Ulrich, his shrine and the British-plated car linked to his death
ELECTRIFYING!
Why Spain is suffering a spate of earth tremors Page 6
Energy giant sent packing after campaigners and Olive Press win long battle against ‘destructive’ pylon plan
Fight the power!
Future perfect
We examine the coming motoring revolution Page 11
SAVED: the stunning Andalucian countryside and how it would have looked
Palace con
A bunch of crooks tried to sell my hotel for a song Page 16
REJOICE: Chris Stewart
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GREEN campaigners are rejoicing after plans to erect over 100 giant pylons were effectively sparked out this week in Andalucia. In a shock win, they thanked the Olive Press for its year-long campaign to stop the ‘motorway of power lines’ through two iconic Granada valleys. Our Fight the Power campaign, launched in March 2019, strongly opposed the long lines of pylons and a giant electricity substation in the Alpujarras and Lecrin Valley. We were joined by celebrated writer Chris Stewart and pop star Dr Robert of the Blow Monkeys to oppose the ‘crazy abomination’. The battle had erupted when locals unearthed energy giant Red Electrica’s state-funded plan to erect the 80m high structures, mostly on private land. In the case of British expat Steve Holdup, 63, the REE scheme would have seen a pylon going up in his back garden. Ironically, the tower and service road would have been installed right in the middle of the retired teacher’s own solar panel project. Grassroots movement Di No a Los Torres (Say No to the Towers) was quick to argue the high voltage towers would have a ‘devastating effect’ on tourism, agriculture and health. After probing the shady interests
By Laurence Dollimore
behind the project, we managed to get the story printed in the national newspapers in the UK. Robert Howard, singer of the Blow Monkeys, who has a home in the Lecrin Valley, described the scheme as ‘ravaging’ for the region saying it would ‘have devastating consequences environmentally and economically’. Driving Over Lemons writer Chris Stewart added it was ‘heedless destruction’ and showed private interests ‘riding roughshod over the will and rights of the people’. Now the Junta has effectively ruled that REE cannot build its second substation, which would connect the long lines of pylons the region. TheOlivePress-256x170-BIKacross E-4.indd 1 A subsequent appeal by the electrical giant has also been rejected, according to campaigners this week. “It’s great news,” Teresa McKeon told the Olive Press. “Thank you so much for all your articles and the campaign you launched. “We continue to work behind the scenes to try to safeguard the natural beauty of our landscape from this and other threats.” McKeon explained that REE's megaproject included two lines crossing the valley. The first had been published in the BOJA in November 2017 and was subsequentSee pages 11 & 24 ly approved by the Junta before locals were able to raise public TheOlivePress-256x170-BIKE-4.in
Tel: 952 147 834 TM
dd 1
On the eve of Andalucia day, we look at the history of one its most famous group of residents, gypsies
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POWERLESS: The
POWER STRUGGL E: Christ Stewart and Dr Robert (inset above) join long, snaking X-GENESIS drummer protest against pylon project Stewart has joined Chris Over Lemons novel made the the fi- gion famous reEXCLUSIVE ght against a ‘motorway’ - added While supposedly necessary of growing collective his name to a By Tim McNulty power lines planned of campaigning to take electricity from Morocco dalucia’s iconic Alpujarras for An- expats battling the proposal. to Europe, it is set to ruin the untouched These include former The British author - whoseregion. beauty 80s star Doc- again private financial interests are of the area, Driving tor Robert, enjoyed by tens of thoufrom the Blow Monkeys, riding roughshod over the TM the rights of the people, will and sands of nature lovers each year. who leaving, as The Di No A Las Torres li- ever, a wake (Say No To of heedless destruc- The Towers) ves in the tion,” group n e a r b y this Stewart told the Olive Press, tage towers would argues high volhave L e c r i n “Oneweek. ting effect’ on tourism a ‘devastaday the tide will turn and and agriculV a l l e y , reasonable, more ture, as well as health. sustainable ways TM which is prevail; A but seemingly not yet; will a petition has been launched, while also set to it’s protest saw over a thousand so... peobe badly Theback to the barricades again.” ple march near the village outrage comes after it of Cona f f e c t e d vealed was re- char on Sunday. energy by the ca de España company Red Electri- The protest, which included (REE) plans to install expats many See pages 40 project. and children, is the start a network of some 211 of “ O n c e across giant pylons many to stop the scheme. the two valleys. Blow Monkeys singer Robert
A BRITISH expat couple ‘disaster’ after they learntare facing a one of the ‘monstrous’ electricity masts to be built in their back garden.(left) is Steve Holdup, 62, and wife Karen, 61, who live on a self sufficient near Orgiva, could ironically farm even lose their sole source of solar panels, which are inpower from the way. The retired teachers, who moved from Cumbria a decade they have been kept in ago, claim energy company REE, andthe dark by out about the pylon from only found a friend. Steve told the Olive Press: “From having a fantastic house from scratch ten years we rebuilt ended up with a disaster. ago, we’ve “We put all of our life saving into it and now we face having a 220 volt tower directly to live with behind our home.” If built, the tower and adjoining vice road will cut right through sertheir field of 13 solar panels. “So somebody in Germany gets a load of electricity from Morocco as a result of putting a tower at the back of our house and we end the little electricity we have up losing for ourselves.” He added: “It has been the most chevalier fashion done in you could imagine. Howard, who has lived Valley for two decades, in the Lecrin ve Press: “The project told the Olimassive pylons across to take these an abomination. It will our valley is have devastating consequences environmen tally and economically. “It’s a magical place, a ‘Vale Of Happiness’, as the Moors place of natural beauty called it, a and conservation. “These giant pylons will scar the landscape, could destroy the local tourist businesses and ravage the environment. “There are no benefits people - we must fight at all for local Ecotourism is vital toto stop them.” the which was nominatedregion, UNESCO World Heritageas a site in 2017, mainly for having some of the world’s oldest olive groves.
NEWS: Start of the Olive Press Tel: 282 90902 2 12312 campagin 3 282 awareness and fight it. TRAVEL INSUR ANCE “Technically this line can still be constructed,” she explained, “However, there is no substation to connect to. “So we continue to question the legality of a proposal which included a *Offer ends'fictitious' 30/11/18. Not valid for renewals. Subject substation, and of the Junto conditions . ta's approval of such a project.” Olive Press publisher Jon Clarke said last night: “This is amazing news and a great win for2/8/18 the environment. 17:01 “I’m proud that the Olive Press has been able to help achieve this victory, showing that the press still has relevance and can put pen to power. This is what a genuine people’s paper does.” It comes after REE reportedly ignored prohibition orders slapped down by town halls in Orgiva and Lanjaron which were designed to prevent work starting back in July last year. Councillors had issued the bans over ‘environmental fears’, but REE sent in diggers and dump trucks regardless, to begin preliminary groundwork. Now, for the time being at least, the electrical giant will have to find somewhere else for its electrical pylons.
902 123 282
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Holdups
Black out
Celebrities join furious expats and locals to stop ‘abomination’ of pylons set to ruin series of celebrated tourist valleys
E
Mijas Costa
2/8/18 17:01 services
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www.eliteglasscurtains.com
Opinion Page 6
Some 245 businesses rural tourism and the work in which is set to have 109valley of the pylons - receives an estimated 8,000 visitors every weekend. The figures for the Alpujarras, which will see pylons ching all the way to the stretria border, are certainly Almemuch higher. Scottish expat Teresa Keon, 49, who has been Mcat the forefront of the campaign, the Olive Press: “The told whole place is going to be destroyed it is just awful... it really is awful.” Opinion Page 6