FLAG BAN

The mega-project of 12,000 panels between Los Montesinos and Torrevieja has been turned down because of its proximity to a natural park.

Valencia’s Ministry for Ecological Transition ruled that the massive scheme would be in the ‘buffer zone’ for the La Mata and Torrevieja Nat -

The project would have been installed on virgin land by the lakes protected by the area’s Natural Resources Management Plan (PORN).

Park officials had already warned the plant might ‘cause degradation of the environment’ or hinder the de - velopment of other types of agriculture.

The lakes are among the most important in the re -

THE Rainbow-coloured flag representing the LGBTQ community has been banned from public buildings in Naquera following Vox coming top of the poll in May's municipal elections.

The far-right Vox party under new mayor, Ivan Exposito, struck a deal with the conservative Partido Popular to gain a majority of votes in the new council, with the PSOE socialists coming second.

The Vox-PP deal sets out a list of policies for the next four years with the 15th point being a ban on displaying the LGBTQ flag on public buildings.

The PSOE in Naquera protested against the ban by posting a rainbow flag on a social media account and called on the town's residents to hang it from their windows, balconies, or terraces.

952 147 834 gion and home to flamingos and many species of migratory bird.

“The plant would have had a significant adverse impact on the landscape and environment, especially in the protected area,” confirmed a ministry spokesman.

“The proximity to wetlands in Torrevieja and San Pedro del Pinatar enriches the birdlife that passes and is seen in the area regularly,” he added. The ruling was celebrated by groups, including the Friends of the South Alicante Wetlands and

Friends of the Sierra Escalona (ASE).

“It’s excellent news and sets a good precedent for around a dozen other solar farm applications,” president Miguel Pavon told the Olive Press. His group has helped to organize a series of protests across Alicante, with as many as 180 similar schemes planned for the province alone. At least two megafarms have so far been scrapped, including proposals that would have seen 300 hectares of panels in the Sierra Escalo.

A €50,000 grant to boost tourism has been handed to the fire-ravaged Vall d'Ebo area.

Some 12,000 hectares of the Marina Alta and Comtat mountains were destroyed in the blaze, caused by lightning.

The Marina Alta Regional Association will now run a campaign to highlight the strengths of the region with maps and leaflets.

Hours off

SPAIN’S deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz has proposed lowering the working week from 40 to 32 hours.

The leader of left-wing alliance Sumar wants to start by dropping it to 37.5 hours next year. She described the plan as ‘revolutionary’, insisting ‘time is the most valuable thing’ for workers who do not have ‘grand properties, nor important surnames’. She insisted wages would not need to be cut ‘if productivity is improved’ from the scheme. The proposal is not the first time that the government has suggested a cut to employees’ hours.

A pilot project was put in place last year to trial a four-day working week.

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Voted

Flags of shame

SPAIN’S natural beauty is legendary. Just take a look at our special travel article on the Costa de la Luz this edition.

The historic Cadiz coast gives a unique glimpse into an older way of life while the laid-back lifestyle is a draw for those who want to escape the hordes of northern Europeans this summer.

But - and this is a message the Olive Press has long hammered home through our ‘Hands off our Costas’ campaign - the authorities should be careful not to ruin the very surroundings that attract people in the first place. It’s all well and good trumpeting our beaches with Blue Flags in a bid to woo the tourists.

The honours handed out by the European Union are a good way to galvanise our town halls into cleaning up their act and being rewarded for success.

But we believe it is far more important to pick up on the far more shocking cases that still shame Spain.

So hats off to green group, Ecologistas en Accion for handing out their 48 unwelcome Black Flag awards each year.

The plight of the Mar Menor is infamous around the world, although not many know that Javea’s emblematic Arenal beach has been a continual black spot for some years now.

The dreaded black flags are designed to shame politicians into cleaning up pollution, protecting the environment and curbing further development.

Many of us expect it in the big resorts, but when this excellent pressure group highlights the final unspoiled stretches of our coastline, such as around Tarifa or in Orihuela, it’s time to really take note.

The Olive Press has long stood shoulder to shoulder with the ecologists in opposing the plans at Cala Mosca (and long called out Javea town hall over Arenal)... and we say this again:

Enough is enough - protect our last stretches of virgin coastline from overdevelopment before they are all lost under a sea of concrete!

PUBLISHER

Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Dilip Kuner dilip@theolivepress.es

Alberto Lejarraga alberto@theolivepress.es

Jo Chipchase jo@theolivepress.es

John Culatto

ADMIN Victoria Humenyuk Makarova (+34) 951 273 575 admin@theolivepress.es

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