Introducing the Spain loving British architect who has just won the world’s top architecture award
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lost unpublished snaps of John and Yoko’s Gib wedding
HUNDREDS of hippies, many from northern Europe, have been evicted from one of Andalucia’s most protected natural parks.
The members of the so-called Rainbow Family were illegally camping for the impromptu festival high in the Sierra de Grazalema.
The group, who previously lived in northern Spain, had decamped to the inaccessible site for the ‘sacred fire’ bash, which coincided with the lunar cycle.
The cult-like hippies - who had set
Hundreds of Rainbow Family hippies kicked out of ‘bizarre’ illegal nature park festival
a number of illegal fires, despite the dangerous drought conditions - had squatted on land owned by a local livestock farmer.
“There were about 200 of them and
By Alberto Lejarraga
it took 100 of our officers to evict them,” a policeman from the Guardia Civil told the Olive Press During the complicated operation, the officers had to park in the village of Benaocaz and then walk ‘over an hour’ to the site.
“It was totally inaccessible by car,” added the cop, who participated in the eviction. He explained they had taken the extreme step due to the ‘high risk’ of fire and after both the owner and
park authorities put in official denuncias “The estate is used for the stockbreeding of goats, but this group had simply broken through the fences allowing the animals to escape.”
The agent continued: “They had set many fires, a major one, which they call ‘the sacred fire’, and several others around the site.
“It was really dangerous particularly as we are talking about a highly protected area of valuable trees which cannot be accessed by fire engines.” He added the operation had ‘lasted hours’ as a number of the group attempted to prolong it as much as they could
A GANG which used 209 stolen ID cards to fraudulently apply for credit, racking up €1 million of ill-gotten gains has been arrested in Madrid.
COPS have arrested a 19-year-old man who stabbed a shopkeeper in the neck during a bungled Marbella robbery thanks to identifying features on a bag he dropped when he fled empty handed.
THE finance boss of a giant Malaga-based firm has been arrested for running a massive embezzlement scheme which raked in €2.6 million by diverting cash to his personal accounts.
POLICE in Spain and Poland have arrested 42 people accused of smuggling €30 million worth of drugs into the Eastern European nation hidden in lorries of fruit and vegetables.
A BRITISH gangster wanted for trafficking guns and ammunition has been sent back to the UK and imprisoned.
Clinton Blakey, 38, was arrested in Marbella on May 17 following a surveillance
operation. Blakey, from Leeds, had been on the run for three years, after failing to turn up at Leeds Magistrates’ Court to face the weapons and ammunition charges in 2020.
The UK's National Crime Agency also linked him to a Howa bolt-action rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition seized in Leeds in 2020. He has also been charged with conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs.
A TRIO of squatters who brutally assaulted a British man on the Costa del Sol have been arrested.
Police snared them at the owner’s apartment in Manilva, where he was attacked after he asked them to leave.
They are being investigated for stealing electricity and furniture, as well as drug trafficking, police revealed.
The family man, from Liverpool, had been attacked after flying over to sort out the problem at his property.
The 52-year-old had jumped into action after a neighbour notified him there were three squatters living at the property. When he arrived at the complex
of 700 apartments, he was told by residents to call the police. However, he refused to call the authorities, preferring to go to the property by himself.
When he tried to open the flat’s door, though, he discovered the lock had been changed. He then rang the doorbell on several occasions, but got no
AN alleged sex offender has been arrested after he molested a woman while she slept at his house.
The 27-year-old met the victim at a bar in the city centre. They started talking and she agreed to go to the flat of the accused.
However, the next morning, she reported she had been sexually abused while she was sleeping.
The Englishman then spotted an open window and accessed the property through it.
Once inside, he walked to the living room as he heard voices coming from there. The Brit saw three men and asked them what they were doing in his house.
The squatters are said to have responded in a violent manner and assaulted him, with alarming photos emerging on social media.
According to sources one of the assailants hit him with a glass bottle over the head and he received multiple cuts.
Malaga Hospital confirmed the victim had a fractured finger as
well as cuts in the left kidney, the back and left side.
“They almost killed him,” a neighbour revealed. After the attack, he went to a police station to file a complaint against the squatters for housebreaking and assault. However, the squatters also filed a complaint against him accusing him of the exact same thing.
A police spokesman told the Olive Press: “Both sides filed allegations and the trio are now facing an investigation. We cannot reveal anything else.”
and some refused to leave.
“When we arrived many of them grabbed their backpacks and started to walk down to the village.
“However, others told us they had a lot of stuff and were about to have lunch. We were understanding and gave them plenty of time to eat,” the officer explained.
He added that one group refused to leave the ‘sacred fire’, refusing to leave and acted ‘belligerently’ leading to two arrests.
They claimed that since its creation in Oregon in the 1970s, the group had only been evicted once, in Austria, 40 years ago.
According to Wikipedia, the Rainbow Family is a ‘counter-culture group, which is a loose affiliation of individuals, some nomadic, generally asserting that it has no leader’.
They put on yearly, primitive camping events on public land known as ‘Rainbow Gatherings’.
Its stated goal is attempting to ‘achieve peace and love on Earth’.
CHUCK BERRY may have been dubbed the Father of Rock, but Spain is about to welcome a slew of stars who could be called the ‘Grandads of Rock’.
Leading the way (in terms of age) is Welsh superstar Sir Tom Jones. He will be taking to the stage at the Starlite Festival in Marbella (hopefully without the need of a zimmer frame) on July 10. While some might think it is a bit odd to still be performing at the age of 83, Sir Tom probably thinks It’s Not Unusual.
And he
would be right.
Fellow octogenarian Bob Dylan, 82, is certainly not leaving his fans Blowing in the Wind, and will treat them to some of his most famous tunes in Barcelona on June 23 and 24.
The ever sprightly Rod Stewart will be bringing his
78-year-old Hot Legs to Starlite on July 21 while Yusuf Cat Stevens still thinks it is a pretty Wild World when such a glitzy festival shoves wads of cash into his 74-year-old hands for his June 21 show. Meanwhile, 76-year old Iggy Pop brings his 20-date world tour to Marbella on August 2. He will have been flying round the globe from Europe
HER ancestor the Duke of Wellington made his name stomping round Spain in his famous wellies, and now Eleanor Wellesley is looking to the same country for footwear inspiration. But the 27-year-old niece to the current dukewho is also the 10th Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo and has a 2,400 acre estate in Granada gifted by the Spanish government - has set her sights lower on the social scale than her illustrious foreShe has launched her own brand of shoes espadrilles - the traditional canvas and woven grass footwear worn by farmers in Spain in the past. But her high-wedge espadrilles are perhaps not suited to peasants, especially with a price tag of €530.
The Moving onto something a bit heavier, 77-year-old Ian Gillan will be taking to the stage with Deep Purple (no, we are not talking about the colour of his veins) at the Rock Imperium Festival in Cartagena on July 24.
The next day, Gene Simmons, 73, will Kiss goodbye to Spain at the same venue with one of the colourful band’s last dates ever. No doubt he and his infamous bandmates will be growing old disgracefully as they Rock and Roll All Nite. And just in case you aren’t already feeling ancient as your childhood heroes strut their stuff, the surprisingly old (to some of us) Michael Bolton (70) and Sting (71) are also heading to Marbella on June 30 and Pamplona on December 16, respectively. But at least we can take refuge in the far more youthful Seal, who will be performing at Starlite on July 7. At a mere 60-years-old he gives the younger generation something to look forward to…
house hunters (and no doubt some men too) will have their hearts set a flutter when estate agent Tony Company shows them round. The chiseled 27-year-old has been officially voted as the most handsome man in Spain at the Mister International Spain competition in Tener ife. Company, from Pal ma (Mallorca) is 189 cm (6’2”) tall and has already been turning heads as Mister Balea rics for a year. He is not just a pretty face. He got a degree in International Ho tel Management and a Master’s in Manage ment before settling into life as an estate agent specialising in luxury rentals.
THE UK’s oldest known Red Kite has died 29 years after he was hatched in Spain.
‘Aragon’ was part of a programme to reintroduce the species to England and arrived in the Thames Valley in 1994. He was recently found injured outside a school in Oxfordshire and later died at a bird sanctuary. His ring identified him as one of the second batch of chicks reintro duced.
His survival to the ripe old age of 29 surprised experts who did not know how long the first chicks had survived. The reintroduction of the species has been a huge success, with an estimated 6,000 breeding pairs in the UK.
But now it is the once robust Span ish population which is in trou ble. There are only 11 breeding pairs in Caceres province and just four within Badajoz. Brit ish birds are now being rein troduced into the homeland of their Spanish ancestors.
A BULL has gored a man to death during a traditional village bull-run near Toledo.
The 21-year-old Moroccan was allegedly drunk and wearing flip flops.
According to reports he had been out partying all night and had been warned by police twice not to participate in the bullrun due to his footwear.
But Mohamed, as he was identified, overruled them to participate in the run in Cedillo del Condado.
He was eventually gored to death by the animal at around 12.30pm after the animal refused to enter its pen.
The authorities were continuing to locate any friends or relatives of the victim, who may have come from the Basque Country.
“No one really knew where he lived, because he would tell some colleagues one story, and others a different one,” police sources told a newspaper.
THE lavish outlays of a crypto-currency conman first exposed by the Olive Press were laid bare in court this week.
Gibraltar Supreme Court heard how Gibraltarian Damian Carreras splurged €1.3 million on luxury goods and led a jet set lifestyle while his investors who funded it fretted about their money.
The Globix boss, who failed to appear to answer questions about his platform’s missing millions, allegedly splashed out over half a million euros at the Louis Vuitton shop in Puerto Banus.
He also spent €80,000 at the Fendi store next door, before popping over to Prada to tap €52,000 on his Globix credit card.
Another €111,000 was spent at Tagore in Gibraltar, according to information revealed by prosecutor Daniel Feetham KC.
And across a months-long jolly he paid €116,000 on luxury hotels, spas and beach
A PAIR of Spanish footballers have condemned homophobic comments they received for carrying handbags to a wedding.
The Real Betis players slammed Twitter users for still living ‘in prehistoric times’.
Strikers Antonio Ruibal and Borja Iglesias were pictured carrying handbags as part of their outfits.
“I want to emphasise the importance of having respect for any person regardless of their sexual orientation,” said Ruibal. “We need to condemn homophobia and fight for its eradication.”
houses, added Feetham. Carreras had been ordered to court €26 million of missing investors' money. However due to claims he had been receiving death threats and was worried for the safety of his partner
and child, the prosecution accepted his appearance by video link. However, he failed to show at the allotted time, with Feetham labelling him as ‘economical with the truth’.
KING OF BLING: Carreras (inset) our front page
Carreras and tech officer Pavel Sidirov are wanted over allegations they syphoned €8 million and €3 million respectively from company coffers.
Liquidators are trying to trace the cash that inexplicably vanished from Globix crypto wallets after the exchange had locked hundreds of investors out of their funds in early 2022.
The court heard Carreras has not been cooperating with London-based firm Begbies Traynor to produce the relevant documents. While many of the crypto wallets have been identified and frozen, Carreras and Sidirov have refused to identify their own personal wallets. However, they were finally uncovered by fellow crypto firm, Binance, which has now disclosed them.
Carreras previously released a statement declaring his ‘respect for the legal process and my willingness to cooperate in every way possible.’
Sidirov maintains that the ‘funds disappeared in Ukraine’ and that he only received ‘€200,000 to €300,000’ for his role running the platform ‘as a freelancer.’
Yet the Ukraine tale, prompted by the reported kidnapping of Sidirov in Alicante last year, has been labelled ‘unreliable’.
Liquidators hired to unravel the inner workings of the crypto exchange and trace the missing funds consider it to be a wild good chase, according to court documents.
A NEW united left party has formed to fight the general elections next month.
After tense negotiations, the group called Sumar (meaning ‘Unite’) set up just hours before a deadline to register coalitions expired at the weekend.
The new force includes anti-corruption party Podemos, which is currently in coalition with the Pedro Sanchez’ PSOE government. Led by Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz, it comprises a total of 15 smaller parties, including the IU (United Left), Mas Madrid and Mas Pais, plus green groups, including Equo.
The strategy aims to snare more votes to fight off the likely challenge of a coalition government set up between the PP party and the far-right Vox party, which it is feared will make major gains.
SCRAPPING the Equality Ministry, overturning Spain’s ‘trans law’ and making changes to the euthanasia and education rules.
Those are among the plans that Popular Party (PP) leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has should he become prime minister on July 23.
Feijoo, who is happy for a face-to-face debate with current leader Pedro Sanchez, would also likely scrap the Democratic Memory Law.
Sanchez challenged Feijoo to six weekly debates until the general elections, something that the PP dismissed as unnecessary.
In reference to the new trans law, recently passed by the government, Feijoo claimed ‘it is easier to change sex’ in Spain right now ‘than to pass your university entrance exams or get your driving licence’.
The PP leader also criticised Sanchez’s decision to call the snap elections on July 23, the first time Spaniards will go to vote in the middle of the summer. “It’s not exactly normal to hold elections in the hottest fortnight of the year, with so many people on holiday,” he said. “But we are ready for change.”
See No Hablo Ingles, page 6
A SPATE of killer whale attacks on yachts entering the Strait of Gibraltar has sparked fierce debate about what is behind it.
Researchers claim it might be orchestrated by a single, revenge-seeking female orca named Gladys - or ‘White Gladys’.
Some claim she lost her calf to the propellers of a ship, while others insist she got caught up in fishing nets or underwater rope.
They continue she has since taught her fellow orcas - some of the most intelligent and social creatures on the planethow to target and attack small vessels.
"The orcas are doing this on purpose, of course, we don't know the origin or the motivation, but defensive behaviour based on trauma, as
By Walter Finchthe origin of all this, gains more strength for us every day," Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro said.
But Sebastien Destremau, captain of The Lancelot, which was attacked two weeks ago, dismissed the claims.
“Having witnessed it, it's so easy for these beasts to sink us if they want to,” he insisted after 20 of the behemoths swarmed his fragile ship.
“If they were out for revenge, I think I would have been swimming home.” Instead, he suspects the orcas may have been engaging in play or training their young to hunt, as yacht rudders resemble the fins of their primary
prey - fellow whales.
“They could crush the boat in a heartbeat if they wanted to,” added Destremau.
“But they were not aggressive. They were just coming in very gently, placing their nose wherever they wanted to place it, and pushing hard.”
The real danger, he emphasises, is to the killer whales themselves.
“I am very concerned about the near future for these beasts and I think we have a huge responsibility to protect these animals," he added to Newsweek
The solo round the world yachtsman is particularly worried that with the media emphasising the aggression sailors are now getting armed to fire at them if they come under attack. That said, he confirmed how ‘terrifying’ the incident was at the time.
“At first, I thought it was wind coming in really fast... And so I started to drop the sail a little bit and then I
turned around again to look at where the wind was and I thought, 'Wait, that's not wind, that's fish. Those are orcas!'”
With approximately 20 orcas approaching, he made the decision to lower the sails in hopes that the stationary boat would lose their interest. Yet the orcas persisted.
“They started to come closer and closer. They started to have a look and a little bit of a sniff and then, suddenly, 'BANG,' that was a big one," he explained.
The orcas targeted the ship's rudder, displaying their impressive power as they pushed against it. Within minutes, the bottom of the rudder shattered, creating potential risks for the boat. But despite the scary situation, no human has ever been harmed by the pod of orcas, and it was up to humans to adapt to the mammals, not the other way round.
“It's their world, it's not ours,” he concluded.
MALAGA’S most endangered reservoir is to undergo emergency works to improve water quality.
The drastic measure is vital due to the ongoing drought and record-low levels at Vinuela reservoir.
The €800,000 project involves the installation of a floating intake system and will take eight months to install.
It comes after record lows saw the reservoir sit at just 9.7% capacity - or a meagre 16 cubic hectometres of water.
The alarming levels are expected to dwindle considerably more as the summer hits, turning the reservoir that provides much of Malaga’s drinking water into almost a swamp.
The main beneficiaries include Rincon, Velez-Malaga and Nerja.
Across Malaga province the reservoirs sit at just 31.9% of their total capacity.
The Guadalhorce reservoir is at just 31% capacity, while Conde del Guadalhorce sits at 25%.
In Almeria the levels are at just 15.1%, while in Cadiz they sit at 26% and Granada at 32.6%.
A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.
IT’S beyond comprehension that a global institution, one which gives comfort and reassurance to 1.3 billion baptised members, can also be responsible for systematically abusing unknown numbers of children.
The Ryan Report in Ireland and a similar one in Australia have detailed widespread abuse over many decades.
While countless cases have been reported worldwide, including in the US, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, the Phillipines and most of Europe.
The dark jokes and gallows humour that surrounds the activities of a minority of Catholic priests towards young boys in their care is just one way to cope with the horror.
But the historical efforts of the church to deny and cover up these historic crimes is almost as monstrous.
So some credit must be due to the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) after it finally admitted that hundreds of its members stand accused of child abuse over the past 75 years.
Instead of pursuing the shameful tactic of covering up the abuse, either to protect themselves or some more esoteric notion of ‘protecting the Church’ itself, they had the courage to trust in the truth.
Because, as any good Catholic would know, the only way to right a wrong and heal a wound is through confessing the truth.
Credit must also go to El Pais, who have tirelessly and courageously tracked down and shone a light on this most heinous and uncomfortable of issues. The church must now follow suit and continue to shine a torch into every one of its dark murky corners.
And we must finally hope that the Vatican itself will finally have the courage to follow Spain’s lead.
THE photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono posing after getting married in front of the Rock of Gibraltar are among the most seminal from the Rock n Roll vaults of fame.
The iconic shots that have appeared in thousands of publications and dozens of documentaries show perfectly the depths of love the Beatles lead singer and his Japanese paramour were in.
The story has been recounted to death, but like so many chapters in the life of the world’s most famous band, there is a back story almost as interesting. And in this case it’s a darker one, for the set of photos - and others taken during the period in 1969 - were stolen, leading to a half-century
closer to finding the negatives and explaining, at last, what happened to them.
It comes after the Olive Press received two anonymous letters from an individual in America named only as ‘R Sheelly’, with nearly two dozen copies of the negatives inside. Some blown up on card-
board, some as part of a contact sheet, they arrived two weeks apart, posted from Colorado and gave few clues to the sender’s identification. But what they did do was bring one of the most exciting times in British music history very much back to life.
The photos, including John Lennon wearing a silly hat, reading a newspaper on a plane, and canoodling with his new wife - as well as posing at the registry office and signing the marriage forms - have only once been seen before. And that is in the book of the man who borrowed them before they mysteriously vanished. Poring through them was like watching a decades-old cold case come back to life before our very eyes: The blackened embers of one of the greatest mysteries in Beatles history spluttering and sparking up once more.
Stamped from Fort Collins, Colorado (a ‘fake address’) on April 25, the first letter teased us with promises of new leads and a tantalising clue behind the legendary negatives, missing for nearly five decades.
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The PP’s leadership hopeful joins a long line of Spanish politicians with no English
LEADERSHIP hopeful Alberto Nunez Feijoo of the Popular Party (PP) made a candid confession on live television last week: with around 50 days to go until the snap general election called by adversary, Pedro Sanchez, he does not speak English.
Speaking on a talk show, he added that his linguistic problems were shared with ‘the majority of Spaniards’. Although he does, however, speak Galician as well as Castilian Spanish and as such described himself as ‘bilingual’. But Feijoo has also struggled with names in English, not
just the language, recently mangling Bruce Springsteen’s name to call him ‘Bruce Sprinter’.
Prime Minister Sanchez will be a tough act to follow when it comes to the language of Shakespeare.
Sanchez speaks very good English, and during his five years in office has used it to great effect – whether in live interviews on US TV, or at international summits. But it turns out he is a real anomaly. In fact, Sanchez is the only prime minister since Spain returned to democracy able to fluently speak it while in office.
As for the other leaders and politicians, there have been a series of gaffes that have left them looking rather silly.
Former PP Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy famously sat
The second letter, a week after we published a story on the first letter, expressed the writer’s pleasure at making print and reaffirmed her goal - to get the missing photos ‘back to the photographer who took them’.
But first, we have to travel back to the spring of 1969,
and a time of the Apollo program and sexual emancipation, when the soul of a young generation was unleashed by a new brand of rock’n’roll.
The fabled Summer of Love was imminent, New York was gearing up for Woodstock, and the Beatles had just played their last ever public performance.
Lennon, by now one of the greatest icons in pop music, had eloped with his controversial lover, Yoko Ono, often dubbed a groupie and hanger on.
They had chosen to wed in the one place where the press would not be able to hound them - at the registry office in Gibraltar.
At the peak of General Franco’s embargo of the British-held peninsula, the region was isolated and inaccessible, the border closed and flights limited.
John and Yoko flew out on March 20, 1969, and there they met a young London hipster photographer, David Nutter, who was handed the ‘secret assignment’ and had no clue of who his subjects were to be.
“I was told to come to Gibraltar with my camera and no questions asked,” Nutter told the Olive Press.
Londoner Nutter is a fabled snapper whose career spanned the golden era of rock and pop, working with luminaries such as Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Elton John and the Beatles themselves.
The ‘magical’ day of the wedding featured just a few close friends and family of the couple - Paul McCartney absent - and no press. Nutter snapped away as the couple, who were like lovebirds the minute they landed at Gibraltar airport, trooped over to the local registry office and got married, giddy and in high spirits.
The pair then embarked onto their famous down for a meeting with his British counterpart David Cameron and uttered the classic line: “It’s very difficult todo esto…” Meanwhile PP leader Jose Maria Aznar did his best to speak English while in office, but it wasn’t until
he left politics that he really got the hang of it. (As a side note, he spoke Spanish in a Texan accent while in the United States in 2003, for reasons that were never fully clear).
But perhaps the most famous incident involving a Spanish politician and English was when Ana Botella, Aznar’s wife and the then-mayor of Madrid, gave her famous speech to
the Olympic Committee when the city was bidding to be host. Her phrase: “There is nothing like a relaxing cup of cafe con leche in the Plaza Mayor” became an immediate hit, and remains something of a meme all these years later. For much of the Spanish political class, in particular the PP, it would appear that some serious study is still needed.
the Olive Press have breathed fresh life back into one of the key celluloid mysteries in the
‘bed-in’ protest for six days in the honeymoon suite at the Amsterdam Hilton, harnessing the interest in their wedding to promote their message of peace.
The remarkable series of photos continued well beyond the wedding day. Nutter would also go on to capture the legendary duo back in New York in their Greenwich Village studio, on their rooftop and even in their kitchen.
One incredible photo captures Lennon on an aeroplane reading a newspaper dated to April 11, 1970 with the headline Astronaut - We May Die from the Apollo 13 catastrophe averted.
But then disaster really did strike - when Nutter ‘stupidly’ lent the negatives to a friend while they were living in New York in the mid 1970s.
The recipient, Anthony Fawcett, who had been an assistant to John and Yoko at the time, was writing a biography called John Lennon: One Day At A Time, published in 1980.
But the negatives in Fawcett’s possession inexplicably vanished after his New York apartment was either repossessed or a quick-fingered guest pinched them - Fawcett has suspiciously given conflicting reports.
Included in the missing batch, taken on Nutter’s Nikon camera, were a dozen never-before published photos of the wedding day in Gibraltar alone.
In the ones seen by the Olive Press (with three published here today) they are seen posing coolly for the camera and lounging on a private jet (see above right). There were also a number of strips from scenes at the registry office itself as John and Yoko went through the legal process of signing the papers on one of the most famous rock and roll marriages of all time.
Understandably upset at the loss, Nutter reported the crime, which led to separate investigations by London’s Metropolitan Police and, later, America’s FBI, but to no avail.
Indeed, a 1983 letter from Southwark Police to Nutter, seen by the Olive Press, shows that officers questioned Fawcett at his home in south London.
Fawcett told them he ‘knew who had the negatives’
and would contact Nutter - whose brother was famous Savile Row tailor, Tommy Nutter - with the information. But in the end, he never did.
And despite Nutter’s best efforts to track down the missing negativesconservatively valued now at around €150,000 - the trail went dead for many years, leaving Nutter bereft.
The first faint sparks of life flickered briefly for the case back in 2005, when world-renowned Beatles memorabilia expert Peter Miniaci claimed he had received an email offering him ‘some rare John and Yoko wedding photos’.
“I was suspicious and asked if the sender had the rights to the images, to which it was claimed that ‘the photographer is dead’ so I didn’t need to worry about it,” he told the
Press in 2016, when we took up the baton.
But, as the Olive Press discovered in a two-part investigation, Nutter was certainly far from dead, and was still alive and living in New York. Where he is today.
Curiously, as we discovered seven years ago, another photographer, American Brian Hamill, had also had photos of John and Yoko - captured in New York in October 1972 - stolen from him. Having been stored in the Getty archives, they were officially declared as ‘misfiled’ after officials were not able to locate them. Hamill was awarded a paltry $10,000 in compensation.
Yet, shockingly, these same missing photos mysteriously appeared - alongside Nutter’s missing ones - in Fawcett’s Lennon biography, now a long time out of print. Lennon was shot dead the same year it came out in 1980.
Even more mysteriously Hamill also told the Olive Press how he had been offered the opportunity of buying them back in 2010.
It came over lunch in New York, via a lawyer representing an unnamed woman, who offered to ‘broker’ a shady deal in which Hamill would effectively purchase his own photos.
In a letter to the FBI’s Stolen Art Recovery Unit, he wrote that the loss of those images ‘feel like the loss of my memories and, therefore, a piece of my identity.’
“The FBI did next to nothing to help me out when I reported this,” Hamill told us in 2016.
He pointed the finger squarely at Fawcett, insisting we should investigate him.
We said we would try to locate them, however, despite our best efforts to track down the negatives, our efforts came to little.
But we were able to track down a 62-year-old Beatles biographer in the Far East, who issued instructions that the fee for the negatives would be £5,600, he put us in touch with
Our reporter was told to ‘send 90%’ of the agreed price after two contact sheets showing the original negatives were sent as proof of ownership.
After a week of exchanges, two remarkable never-before-seen contact sheets from the wedding were emailed over.
But when the seller (wrongly) suspected our undercover reporter was working for Yoko Ono, he launched into a vile tirade against her before threatening to sue and ending contact.
When we finally approached Fawcett about the negatives back in 2016, he replied: “These were in fact stolen from my New York apartment around 1976 along with everything else from my flat.
“Yoko Ono was extremely upset that these negatives were stolen, and has asked my help many times to try to get them back.”
Nutter admitted he was heartbroken and after adding he was struggling financially, he said he had ‘sort of given up.’ It was ominous.
The fate of the negatives seemed destined to forever remain a mystery.
That is until May 11 this year, when we received our first letter from the apparent Good Samaritan in the USA - ‘a real shot in the dark’, the writer admitted.
In the typed letter addressed to editor Jon Clarke, which left no return address or name, the individual explained she had actually had the missing negatives in her hands in 2011, but did not realise their significance.
Over around 10 short paragraphs she went on to explain that someone had arrived at her office ‘where she worked at the time’ and had taken a set of negatives to her boss, whom she declined to name.
She added that the mystery seller had brought the items hoping to make a profit, but the company had eventually declined, and the negatives remained in the mystery seller’s hands.
“Perhaps the issue of rights came up,” she added.
NEVER SEEN: Lennon on a plane reading the tabloids and three strips of never published negtives. Photos by David Nutter the mysterious seller.
Either way, in the short time the collection had been in the office, she had made digital scans of the negatives in order for her boss to evaluate them and was amazed to see photos of ‘John and Yoko.’ “I’ve been a fan of the Beatles, particularly John Lennon, since I was a kid.
Because of this they had decided not to check what was on it for fear it might be malicious.
“We will now be looking into this,” a spokesman told us. “Thanks for the call.”
The letter writer herself meanwhile appealed to us to help her hand-deliver the scans to the photographers in person.
“I would love to meet Mr Nutter and talk with him about his photographs.
“This is a real shot in the dark with no guarantees it will work, but I’m hopeful,” she concluded.
In the second letter, she wrote: “I’m hopeful these photos will find their way to David and if they bring him new fame and money after all these years, that would be a wonderful outcome.”
When the Olive Press finally managed to track Nutter down to his Manhattan home again this week, he told us it would be ‘fabulous’ to finally receive digital scans of the original negatives.
The pain of ‘betrayal’ and’ losing something very valuable and dear’ to him has lingered for decades.
“I would feel very relieved and ever so grateful just to have anything, even if I don’t do anything with them, but just to have them,” he told us by phone.
And he went on to recall the ‘surreal’ time he had with the two icons of the Sixties, in which he appears in one photo (see left).
“It was an incredible day in Gibraltar, It really was,” Nutter reminisced. “They were in such a good mood. And they were very funny and we had a really good laugh, and it was just wonderful.”
As the Beatles sang in their 1963 cover ‘Please Mr Postman’: Wait, oh yes, wait a minute Mr Postman Wait, wait Mr Postman Mr Postman, look and see
Is there a letter in your bag for me?
I think the photos are wonderful,” she wrote. And coming to the point, she added: “I recently remembered (out of the blue) that one envelope had David Nutter’s name written on it.” When she did an internet search she came across our investigation of Nutter’s missing negatives from 2016, and suddenly understood the importance of the scans she had made in 2011.
“I feel real sympathy for Mr Nutter’s plight and I want to get the scans to him,” she wrote. She added she has also sent a copy of the entire set to the Aperture Foundation in New York, a non-profit that supports photographers as a form of art, in the hope that they would be able to get them to Nutter and Hamill.
But the foundation appeared clueless to the saga when contacted this week, although did eventually confirm that they had received a pen drive, but without
The starstruck photographer was even dragged in to serve as a witness for the marriage ceremony.
“They actually spelled my name wrong on the marriage certificate. Otherwise, it was magical.”
The 84-year-old added he would gladly meet in person with the ‘kind’ anonymous letter writer who got in touch with the Olive Press and asked us to try and set up a meeting.
“I would happily chat about the Beatles and the golden era that we lived through back then,” he continued. We also got in touch with New-Yorker Hamill, who told us the prospect of having the scans would be ‘just dandy.’
“Are you kidding?” he then cried jubilantly down the phone. “I’d be delighted.”
He told us: “I tell my daughter how important journalism is, and I want to say thank you so much for doing this.”
Thus the enigmatic saga, heading towards its 50th year, might finally reach a bittersweet conclusion, as we now await our mystery letter writer to continue the correspondence.
Help, we need somebody…yes, it’s over to you Ms secret letter writer, now we need a number!
Olive FIRST SEEN: Yoko and Lennon and (below) with photographer David NutterSCIENTISTS have slammed plans to grant new water rights to farmers around Donana's National Park.
The Guadalquivir Confederation (GHC) report criticizes the Junta’s plan to expand the irrigational area around the park as a ‘disastrous’. The study also says it goes against current European and UNESCO rulings.
“There is simply not enough water to go to these new areas of farmland declared as irrigational,” it rules.
It adds the scheme would worsen the current deterioration of the aquifers.
The GHC insists that the project - drafted by the PPled Junta, and already opposed by Madrid - should be declared illegal.
THE Catholic church has admitted 728 of its members have been accused of abusing children in Spain over the last 75 years.
While the real numbers are likely to be far higher, it is the first time the church has come up with such high official figures, which include 927 victims.
The Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) admitted the numbers, between 1945 and 2022, after it came under considerable pressure from the media.
"We are ashamed and today are aware of the road ahead
in terms of ending the scourge of sexual abuse within the church,” admitted CEE Secretary Francisco Garcia. While campaigners were happy that thr church was finally coming to terms with the appalling levels of abuse and the legacy, they insist it needs to go further.
In particular, it does not include data before 1945, or from any of the victims of an in-depth El Pais investigation. The newspaper has unearthed
1,957 alleged victims abused in at least 966 separate cases. It has also exposed the abuse
SPAIN has been slammed for the poor working conditions in Andalucia’s strawberry farms.
The EU has exposed the exploitation of workers in a report after experts visited the Huelva plantations. In particular, it slammed that the majority of pickers were African with no work permits and forced to live in appalling conditions.
“They live in shacks made of plastic with no access to drinking water, electricity or sanitation,” the report reads. It insists: “A number of workers could be victims of labour exploitation and even human trafficking.
“They work more hours than the maximum allowed and get paid less than minimum wage. Sometimes, they do not get paid at all.”
The European Council added some of the female pickers (over 10%) may also be victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and gender-based violence.
The Spanish Government has confirmed it is investigating.
BELEAGUERED footballer
Dani Alves is to remain in jail on sexual assault charges after a judge rejected his latest appeal.
of 503 clergymen, of which only 191 have been put under official investigation.
The church admitted its numbers only correspond to those received by the child protection offices of the dioceses, established in 2019.
It is a big jump however the 202 complaints the CEE claimed it had received in 2021, which rose to 506 in 2022 and now 728 this year. Lawyers working for the European Commission calculate ‘thousands’ of victims will be discovered.
The majority of abuse (47%) took place in schools, while 80% occurred before 1990. Over 60% of the accused are already dead.
The ex-Barca legend is accused of sexually assaulting a young woman at Barcelona's Sutton nightclub on December 30.
Alves' defence team argued for bail insisting his ex-wife, Dinora Santana, and their two children live in Barcelona, demonstrating family ties and refuted any risk of flight. They also filed a new analysis of the security cameras at the club.
But the judge in Barcelona was unmoved by these arguments and confirmed he would remain behind bars. No date for the trial has yet been set.
The 39-year-old has admitted he had sex with the alleged victim, 23, but it was consensual.
tel: 646 88 84 31 candelamarbella.com Pl. Gral. Chinchilla, 2, 29601 Marbella,
WITH over 500 dogs and 200 cats, it’s no wonder they are struggling.
Now overwhelmed Animal Care Espana (ACE) is desperately appealing for volunteers and adoptions.
The La Cala-based shelter has told the Olive Press it cannot cope with the hundreds of animals it has taken in.
The charity needs 300 kg of food a day to feed the animals, which is a real financial
strain.
“We don't have enough people, so if anyone knows someone who can help, please contact us,” said founder Fa-
MAYOR of Mijas Josele Gonzalez has been given another four years in power.
He stays in the hot seat after reaching an agreement with two rival parties.
His PSOE party had won the recent local elections but with only 10 seats, needed three more councillors to achieve an overall majority.
After a fortnight of negotiations, he finally signed an agreement with Ciudadanos and Por mi Pueblo led by former socialist councillor, Juan Carlos Maldonado. The support of Maldonado had looked unlikely after he and Gonzalez had several political quarrels. Meanwhile, the PP’s candidate Angel Nozal is currently being investigated for corruption and has resigned from politics.
bienne Paques.
“We have too many animals as a new one is abandoned at the refuge’s door almost every day. And due to the limited space, they are starting to fight.
“In my office alone I have 20 dogs.”
Paques is also concerned about the animals’ health.
“A number of dogs they leave have leishmaniasis. Also, a virus is currently affecting the cats and some of them are dying.”
The situation is dramatic and, consequently, there is a great need for volunteers, dog walkers, foster homes and adoptions.
Anyone wanting to help ACE, which has rehomed more than 27,000 animals in the last decade, is urgently needed. Their website can be visited at www.ace-charity.org/en/
SPAIN is set to become the first major European country to get over 50% of its energy from renewable sources.
It will beat out competition from countries of comparable size in France, Germany, Italy, and the UK.
Spain’s strides ahead in renewable energy can be attributed to several factors.
The country’s countless days of sunshine - which lures so many north Europeans to its shores - has played a crucial role in its transition to solar power.
Authorities have also actively encouraged the integration of renewables into the grid through auctions and incentives to
RETAILER Carrefour says it will install 330,000 square metres of solar panels at 130 of its biggest stores in Spain.
Some 30 hypermarkets and supermarkets have seen solar panels introduced, with the Frenchowned company aiming to install an average of 1,700 solar panels at each store. It has teamed up with SolarProfit, a Barcelona company focused on photovoltaic solar energy, for the project. The solar panels will largely be rolled out in Andalucia, Catalunya, Extremadura, Madrid, and Valencia, with the plan scheduled to run until June 2024.
private companies, leading to a surge in capacity construction.
Unlike other parts of Europe, Spain’s auctions have been well-subscribed, demonstrating strong interest in renewable energy projects.
However, neighbouring France’s increasing dependence on importing energy from Spain is set to test the latter’s ability to
maintain the 50% rate. Meanwhile, the growing interest in Spain’s renewable sector has attracted investments from various energy companies. Swiss developer Axpo plans to build a 200MW solar plant in Castilla y Leon, while Spanish power company Iberdrola and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund have committed to investing in 1.3GW of renewable capacity, with solar PV projects accounting for 80% of the total capacity.
CAMPAIGNERS have exposed Spain as the European country with the largest number of dolphins in captivity. NGO World Animal Protection has slammed the country for keeping 93 dolphins captive, some 30% of all those held
in Europe.
The majority of these specimens (20) are at Valencia’s Oceanografic. Spain has almost 60 more dolphins in captivity than Portugal, the second European country on the list with 35 individuals.
avoid climate disaster.
Well, guess what, we have now crossed the line on seven out of the nine.
● Extra nutrients contributed to our earth by humans (particularly nitrogen and phosphorus used heavily in agricultural fertilisers)…. lim-
it exceeded in large parts of the world
● Excessive extraction of surface water resources…. limit exceeded
● Air pollution caused by emissions…. limit exceeded in many parts of the world (Asia, Europe, America)
● Ocean acidification and pollution caused by chemicals, plastics, and microplastics…. limit exceeded
● Integrity of the biosphere…. compromised
● Overall climate
change targets…. limit exceeded
● Injustice between countries in the developed world and emerging nations…. even more noticeable
The two points we haven’t failed on yet are:
● The growing hole in the ozone layer is for now under control
● 60% of the planet’s land surface needs to be kept free of human interference. To date we are up to 50%.... but that figure is increasing
Human beings are part of the global ecosystem
As I have said repeatedly in this column, we are a large part of the problem. We need to be a large part of the solution.
The majority of greenhouse gas emissions come from less than 10% of the global population. The 2015 Paris Agreement that all countries signed up to, set a limit of 1.5C increase in global temperature as a target.
It’s not a target…. it’s the limit. We are exceeding the limit. Every limit we exceed weakens the planet’s ability to resist the climate crisis.
BACK in 2009, a group of eminent and highly acclaimed scientists set out a list of nine parameters we should not cross if we are toGreen Matters By Martin Tye DRYING UP: A lagoon in the Doñana wetland
MADRID’S Prado Museum has launched an exhibition looking at the major influence that 'El Greco' had on the legendary modern Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso, who died 50 years ago.
Running until mid-September, Picasso, El Greco, and Analytical Cubism features a selection of works from both men including some not previously displayed in the Prado.
Gallery director, Miguel Falmir, says that highlights include four Picasso paintings from 1911, which were 'the greatest revolution in art history with the introduction of analytical cubism'. El Greco was born in Greece and worked in Italy before landing in Spain in his late-30s in 1577 to become a leading figure of the Spanish Renaissance movement.
Picasso was a great El Greco admirer, who was a major influence on the young artist.
EL BULLI, repeatedly voted the world’s best restaurant before it closed in July 2011, is reopening as a museum to tell the story of how it sparked a culinary revolution in Spain. The premises at Cala Montjoi on Catalunya’s Costa Brava have been renamed as El Bulli 1846 in reference to the 1,846 dishes that
ARTIST Eva Fabregas has started a new genre - the Bowel Movement. Barcelona-born Fabregas has produced an eye-opening exhibition of ‘living’ sculptures featuring representations of human intestines draped through Santander's Centro Bolin .
She designed large bulbous objects with bowel-like bodies that ‘repre-
chef Ferran Adria says were developed at the restaurant. Adria pioneered molecular gastronomy, the culinary trend that deconstructs ingredients and recombines them in unexpected ways. The resultant dishes produced interesting combinations and textures, such as fruit foam, gazpacho popsicles and caramelised quails. El Bulli was ranked in top spot five times on Restaurant magazine’s Top 50 list of the world’s best eateries.
sent a living organism’.
Apparently her work is concerned with the ‘erotica of the consumer object and the mechanisms of desire’, although for the uninitiated it is quite hard to make the connection.
Fabregas says she creates works that ‘dissect the cacophony that is wellness culture, consumerism, and therapeutic subcultures found on social media’.
Answers on a postcard please.
“It’s not about coming here to eat, but to understand what happened in El Bulli,” Adria, 61, said of the restaurant he ran for more than
MARINE shells used as ornaments 30,000 years ago have been discovered in a Spanish cave.
Researchers found 13 marine and freshwater shells in the Ardales Cave in Malaga that were ‘carefully transformed’ into ornaments between 25,000 and 30,000 years ago by the first Homo sapiens. They believe the shells were worn as necklaces and earrings and that they were highly prized as the cave is 50 kilometres from the sea.
two decades.
The museum opens this Thursday (June 15), some 12 years after the restaurant was forced to close due to big financial losses.
Visitors will be able to see hundreds of photos, notebooks, trophies and models made of plastic or wax that emulate some of the innovative dishes that were served at the eatery.
A foundation set up to maintain El Bulli’s legacy has invested €11 million in the museum with the project first announced in 2019. Plans to expand the building on Cala Montjoi cove had to be changed after running into opposition from environmentalists.
Researchers from the University of Cadiz explained that this discovery reinforces the site’s position as ‘among the most important on the Iberian Peninsula’.
The analysis of the shells has been headed by UCA professor Juan Jesus Cantillo Duarte who said: “It is unusual to find this type of marine remains in caves located so far inland and with such an ancient chronology.”
Ancient humans used the Ardales cave for over 50,000 years, and it is renowned for art featuring over 1,000 paintings and engravings made by prehistoric people, as well as artifacts and human remains.
From humble beginnings in the countryside, Federico Garcia
Across
7 Feeler (8)
8 Evils (4)
9 Plaid (6)
10 Measurement system (6)
11 Parody (4,2)
13 Monopolize (6)
14 For each (3)
15 The girls from UNCLE? (6)
17 Resist (6)
19 Black Sea port (6)
21 Chopping sport (6)
23 Irish county (4)
24 Ran madly about in America (8) Down
1 Act properly (6)
2 Let it stand (4)
3 German gin (8)
4 Quantity of paper (4)
5 Cover with decorative paper (4,4)
6 Mountain plant (6)
12 Outcome is in codemust be deciphered (8)
13 Dishes (8)
16 Third-largest ocean (6)
18 Glossy (6)
20 “Or to take --- against a sea of troubles ...” (Shakespeare, Hamlet) (4)
22 Dominion (4)
All solutions are on page 14
Lorca was destined for great things. He is famed for his works about Andalucia, spurred by his desire to bring culture to far-flung places and address the rural/urban divide.
The eldest of four children, born to a wealthy landowner and his schoolteacher wife, Lorca lived and worked in many different locations, until the Franco regime assassinated him in 1936.
Many of the locations on the ‘Lorca trail’ can be visited today.
After their time at Fuente Vaqueros, in 1906, the Lorca family moved to Valderrubio, on the Vega de Granada. This remained their summer retreat until 1925. After 1926, they summered at Huerta San Vincente, on the edge of city.
The rest of the time, the family was based in the centre of Granada, first on the Acera
del Darro and, later, on the Acera del Casino.
The Granada connection remained with Lorca all his life. He attended school in the city, and the University of Granada.
Although he was a considered an accomplished pianist, he took nine years to complete his degree in Law.
In 1919, Lorca moved to the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, which was his home for a decade, and encouraged artistic pursuits.
Fellow students included filmmaker, Luis Bunuel, and great artist, Salvador Dali, who became a close companion and even allegedly romantic interest.
Despite spending time in Madrid, Barcelona and South America, Lorca never forgot his roots.
Lorca is renowned for the 1928 poetry collection, ‘Romancero Gitano’ (gypsy
By Jo Chipchase
ballads); the 1935 ‘Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías’ (lament for his famous bullfighter friend, who was gored and killed); the 1933 ‘Bodas de sangre’ (Blood Wedding); the 1934 ‘Yerma’, and ‘La casa de Bernarda Alba’ (house of Bernarda Alba).
During the early 1930s, Lorca encouraged a second ‘golden age’ of the Spanish theatre. He threw considerable enthusiasm into his theatre group, La Barraca, and won respect as a playwright. He was also keen on music and drawing. At the behest of his influential companion, Dali, some of his sketches were exhibited in the Dalmau gallery in Barcelona.
Lorca’s travels through the Alpujarra began in his youth. A 1918 photo shows the 20-year-old on the bus from Granada to Motril, passing through Órgiva.
Another image places him beside an orange tree in the municipality of Órgiva.
On the back of the photo, he writes: ‘Naranjo located at an altitude of 2,000 metres. From
SUMMER 2023 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Frederico Garcia Lorca. One of Spain’s most celebrated literary figures, the influential poet and playwright was born on June 5, 1898, at Fuente Vaqueros - a small, rural town near Granada.
BARGAIN OR RIP OFF? As new flights take off for Newark amd Nice, we take a look at the property markets there.
See page 8
The Spanish-loving British architect who has just won the world’s most prestigious architecture prize. Find out inside
RENT rises have been capped to no more than 3% in 2024 after a new housing law came into effect.
The legislation controls rents, as well as putting new limits on evictions. Among other changes, which come in immediately, tenants will no longer have to pay an agent a fee when they sign a rental contract, and only the landlord must pay.
By Dilip Kuner
Meanwhile large landlords are now considered as having five properties, down from 10.
Furthermore, when these landlords have tenants in official ‘high-rent zones’, they can only charge rents
based on official government rates. These zones are defined as districts where average rents or mortgages are at 30% of the average household income… or where prices or rents have risen three points higher than inflation over the past five years. Small landlords, meanwhile, will benefit from tax breaks encouraging
them to put their empty properties on the rental market.
Another clause means landlords will have to give advance warning of evictions, rather than them being sprung on tenants at short notice.
The legislation is a big win for the government in the run up to the general election on July 23.
It was approved thanks to the votes of the government’s junior coalition partner Unidas Podemos, and smaller groups such as Mas Pais and the Catalan Republican Left (ERC). Both the PP and far-right Vox voted against it, as well as some other parties that usually support the government, including the Basque Nationalist Party and the Canarian Coalition.
FORECLOSURES initiated by mortgage lenders were the lowest on record in 2022, suggesting that rising borrowing costs have not yet translated into a wave of mortgage defaults.
There were just 16,851 mortgage foreclosures initiated by lenders in 2022, down 19%, and the lowest level since 2014, when the National Institute of Statistics started publishing these figures.
Foreclosure initiations fell much more than the national average in the Canaries, with a 39% decline in Tenerife and 28% decline in Las Palmas, but in the Balearics, which also attract many foreign buyers,
www.spanishpropertyinsight.com
foreclosures actually rose by 47%, completely bucking the national trend.
The overall decline got bigger as the year went on, with a 1% increase in Q1 turning into a 30% decrease in Q3, before falling back to -23% in Q4.
The last quarter of the year was also the lowest quarter on record going back to 2014.
At the same time as mortgage foreclosures were declining, borrowing costs were rising fast with 12-month Euribor, the base-rate to which most Spanish mortgages are tied. It went from -0.478 in January 2022 to 3.018% in December, driving up monthly repayments for borrowers with annually
resetting mortgages. For reasons that are not clear, ris -
ing borrowing costs have not yet led to an increase in delinquent mortgages, as you might expect. The majority of new mortgages signed in 2022 were fixedrate, which helps, but the majority of outstanding mortgages will be variable, so most borrowers in Spain will be feeling the pain of higher interest rates.
Yolanda Díaz, Vice President in the government from the hard-left Podemos party, proposed in February freezing all mortgages, effectively making them fixed rate, pointing to record banking profits whilst many families ‘are having problems paying the mortgage’. Apparently she hasn’t seen
the latest mortgage foreclosure figures published by the National Institute of Statistics, which suggest that mortgage distress is at record lows. “It’s time to freeze mortgages and moderate the extreme profits of big banks so we all win,” she said.
Podemos argues that freezing mortgage rates is necessary to ‘restore social justice’ but it also punishes fixed-rate borrowers whilst rewarding variable-rate borrowers who were happy to take on more risk in return for lower payments whilst rates were low.
THE Brits are still leading the way for property purchases on the Costa del Sol. They have beaten both the Swedes and Dutch for sales in the first quarter of 2023. The trio of nationalities are spearheading the market, and bought a third of all properties between them.
Nadia Calviño, the Vice President for the Economy, says the government has already taken ‘the most adequate measures’ whilst avoiding ‘negative collateral impact’ and creating distortions between variable and fixed-rate mortgages. The low level of mortgage foreclosures is a healthy sign that homeowners are not in financial distress, despite rising inflation and borrowing costs. At least not yet. On the other hand borrowers are probably cutting back on discretionary spending whilst keeping up with mortgage payments, which is bad news for the economy.
British buyers account for 14% of foreign buyers, followed by Sweden (12%) and Holland (8%), according to real estate agency Sonneil.
The portal has named Marbella, Estepona, San Pedro, Fuengirola, Torremolinos and Mijas among the most sought-after destinations for those with an average budget of €300,000. Other nationalities that have their eyes set on the Malaga coastline are Argentinians and North Americans, according to the portal.
Borrowers in Spain will be feeling the pain of higher interest rates
FOUR areas in the Costa del Sol are in Spain’s top 50 most expensive places to buy a house, according to a study of real estate portal Idealista.
It is no surprise that Marbella has been identified as the most costly place for property buyers in Andalucia, and ninth overall in Spain.
A square metre in this municipality comes out at €4,138.
This is an increase of over 14% compared to a year ago, as it was around €3,558 in April 2022. Nerja, Estepona and Fuengirola have been ranked 30th, 31st and 32nd respectively.
Those interested in acquiring property in these three towns face prices of €3,100, €2,993 and €2,936 m2
Another two Andalucian towns have made it into the Top 50. Conil in Cadiz was ranked 44th with house prices of €2,683 m2 and Benalmadena 45th with houses around €2,679 m2.
POLICE have dismantled a criminal organisation that scammed holidaymakers by charging them advance deposits for vacation rentals for properties that they did not own.
The ‘Rent Scam’ operation, whose mastermind ran the scheme from prison, led to the arrest of 29 people, with 13 others currently under investigation.
The network carried out over 128 alleged scams across Spain, targeting the province of Madrid in particular.
The gang consisted of 42 people - a quarter of whom were women - and operated in different teams led by the jailbird with a history of computer fraud.
Every gang member has been charged with computer fraud, membership of a criminal organisation, identity theft and money laundering.
DEEMED the best rural escape in Spain in 2019 by Conde Nast, the ‘El Carligto’ luxury villas in Andalusia could be yours for €2,695,000.
The 10-acre country estate consists of two separate villas, El Carligto and Hunting Lodge, each within 150 metres of each other and featuring their own individual style. Both villas have pools with panoramic views of the mountains and Mediterranean coast. El Carligto villa is ‘crafted to honour the rustic Andalu-
sian style while maintaining modern elements’. It has four bedrooms, a balcony terrace,
and a pool area with an outdoor shower. With an even higher altitude than its sister property, the Hunting Lodge has three bedrooms and four bathrooms.
INTEREST in the Spanish Golden Visa scheme has jumped since Portugal and Ireland closed down their own schemes in February.
Consultancy firms offering international Golden Visa services have claimed that Spain has benefited the most from the Portuguese and Irish government decisions to cancel their residency-by-investment schemes, with a surge in
online searches and enquiries.
According to Aston’s research, Google searches for terms related to the ‘Spanish Golden Visa’ increased 68% between March and April, ahead of Greece (+34%) and Malta (+29%), two other popular destinations in the EU that offer a visa and long-term path to residency in return for cash.
By Mark Stucklin
According to another company called IMI Daily, there are currently 7,500 active Golden Visa residency permits in Spain, with 2,462 issued last year, the third biggest number on
HOLLYWOOD star Amber Heard has moved to an anonymous, suburban street in a sleepy Madrid barrio
Fresh from a series of hard fought court battles with ex-husband
Johnny Depp she has bought a €1.7 million, 200 m2 villa on the outskirts of the city, it has been reported.
Heard’s luxury residence is located in El Viso, one of the wealthi est and most exclusive neighbourhoods of the Spanish capital.
After selling her home in Yucca Valley, California for €1 million, Heard initially settled with her young daughter in Costitx, Mallorca. However, despite her attempt to go by a pseudonym, Heard’s presence in the small town caused quite a stir in the area, so she sought out some where else she could go unnoticed.
Surrounded by the crème de la crème of Madrid, Heard can adopt a more anonymous lifestyle in El Viso, where she is neighbours with Spanish stars including Mar Flores and Xabi Alonso.
Heard recently gave an interview in fluent Spanish, revealing her intentions to stay in Spain.
A friend of Heard echoed Amber’s hopes of staying out of the Hollywood limelight.
“She’s bilingual in Spanish and is happy there, raising her daughter away from all the noise,” the source said.
“I don’t think she’s in a hurry to go back to work or Hollywood, but she’ll be back when the time is right, for the right project.”
record since the scheme was introduced in 2013.
Only 2019 (2,656) and 2021 (2,507) saw more Golden Visas issued.
One investor can apply for multiple residency permits for family members and dependants.
The Spanish government
has come under renewed pressure from Brussels and Spain’s leftwing parties to shut down the Spanish scheme.
The Spanish government says it plans to reconsider the scheme. This could involve increaseing the investment threshold from €500,000 to €1million or possibly to terminate it. But with the general election due next month nothing will be done in the near future.
NEARLY 100 empty properties are being seized from their owners in Catalunya.
So far 70 flats are being expropriated from large property owners in a bid to create more council housing.
The apartments - located around the region, from Tarragona to Vic - will be converted to social housing in areas of high residential demand.
It comes after a law was passed by the Catalan Parliament in 2022 allowing local authorities to expropriate a home if it remained unoccupied for more than two years.
Initially owners are being allowed to take action and rent out their homes, or to come up with a good excuse.
Letters to the owners are going out this month and if no ‘acceptable’ answer is given, they will be expropriated. The regional government has set aside €5 million to buy an initial 50 to 70 flats at a fair rate.
“We are doing everything we can to help families in a vulnerable situation,” explained regional councillor Juli Fernandez.
A MAYOR has been attacked for refusing a building permit to two locals in his village. Leader of Alfarnate, Juan Gallardo, was beaten by the two men, one who had a knife, at a bar in the Axarquia village. He also received death threats from the two men, who were later arrested and have now been released on bail.
After a Spanish-loving British architect won the prestigious global Pritzker prize, Isabel Max takes a look at Sir David Chipperfield’s buildings in Spain
PERCHED on a Valencia shoreline, the horizontal planes of the striking America’s Cup building cut through the sky, like the white capped wakes of sailboats.
The emblematic building, Veles e Vents (or Sails and Winds), in Valencia port, is often singled out as Costa Blanca’s most captivating constructions.
Built for the America’s Cup, it is a visual link between the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Valencia. Designed by David Chipperfield and Fermin Vazquez with a simple, minimalist style, the building is 25m high and has a surface area of 10,500 m2; the incorporation of horizontal platforms provides shade for the terraces, from which visitors can enjoy marvellous views not only over the marina and beaches, but over the entire city itself.
But how many people know it was designed by British architect Sir David Chipperfield, 69, whose lifetime achievements have just landed the Pritzker Prize, the industry’s highest honour.
The gong - dubbed the ‘Nobel of architecture’ - is awarded annually to the living architect who has best contributed to the built landscape with consistent talent, vision and commitment.
Past winners include Rafael Moneo, I.M Pei, Zaha Hadid and, last year, Francis Kere.
“Chipperfield is assured without hubris, consistently avoiding trendiness to confront and sustain the connections
between tradition and innovation, serving history and humanity,” said Chairman Tom Pritzker, at the cere-
The Ciutat de la Justíca masterfully unites the legal courts of Barcelona and L’Hospitalet, consolidating what were once 17 buildings across the two cities into a mere eight buildings, situated in a bright public plaza. Chipperfield has injected colour and dynamism into his designthe pink, green, yellow and blue buildings vary in volume and none of the buildings stand parallel to one another - contesting the visually monolithic tradition of legal buildings.
mony in Greece in May. A climate change and social inequality activist, Chipperfield’s buildings are known for restraint in design and in materials.
He makes preserving ‘place-hood’ a top priority in his work, using locally sourced materials and paying homage to the natural and architectural landscapes of their locations.
Chipperfield, who founded his London-based practice in 1985, is not just the visionary behind Veles e Vents, which was built for the America’s Cup and is a brilliant visual link between the Med and the city of Valencia. He also designed the amazing Ciu-
Continues on page 6
Chipperfield is currently working on a renovation of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Southwest Wing in New York City, as well as projects in Stockholm, Venice and Moscow.
His
From page 4
tat de la Justícia in Barcelona, a colourful eight building complex of the legal courts of the Barcelona and L’Hospitalet governments.
It is not just Chipperfield’s designs which find a home in Spain.
Since 1995, the architect has savoured bayside views from a striking holiday home up in Galicia (pictured right).
In the unostentatious fishing village of Corrubedo, the home blends a modernist style into an ordinary terrace beside a harbour.
As with the Galicia home, it is ingenuity, rather than a distinctly Chipperfield style, that imbues his body of work with lasting elegance.
“We know that, as architects, we can have a more prominent and engaged role in creating not only a more beautiful world but a fairer and more sustainable one too,” Chipperfield said at the ceremony in Athens. “We must rise to this challenge and help inspire the next generation to embrace this responsibility with vision and courage.”
POWER OF PLACEHOOD: Chipperfield’s buildings are designed with the history and culture of their locations in mind.
Askingprice: €5,342,400
THE Costa del Sol has never been better connected. And it’s not just all the gloomy northern European cities, where the locals are desperate to escape to Spain for the sunshine. This summer, flights from Malaga airport go direct to 130 different destinations… but two new ones really stand out!
The inaugural summer season flights to New York’s JFK airport and the first flight to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE), launched this month. It has never been easier to travel to this duo of buzzing, upmarket destinations for work or leisure.
By Regina Roberts
In just under nine hours, you can be enjoying a play on New York’s Broadway, or a trip to the top of the Empire State, while in just two hours you could be cruising along the French Riviera, or dining on Cannes’ le Croisette.
For all you expats, the simplicity of travel also means it is now easier than ever before to buy yourself a second property away from southern Spain. Securing a home away from home is the dream for many and owning properties abroad has become an attractive investment with increasing global connectedness. Malaga (and particularly nearby Marbella), New York, and Nice all have a vibrant luxury housing market, but what you can buy varies in each location.
Here, the Olive Press compares the price of a large luxury villa at around the €10 million mark, €5 million, and the cost of a one bedroom unit in each city, at around €250,000-€300,000 showing just how far your money stretches in each market.
Continues on Page 10
Located in the Upper East Side of New York, not far from Central Park, this luxury townhouse has five bedrooms and five bathrooms spread over an area of 492 m². Following the traditional layout of a carriage house it includes a fully stocked library and games room.
It also features a garden room that transitions into a backyard garden, a finished basement with a recreation room, and sky lighting. The home is a surprisingly spacious residence within the city.
Askingprice:(€10.7$11.5m million)
Askingprice: $325,000 (€303,000)
MALAGA | 1 BED | 1 BATH | 50 M2
REF: STRANDM2053 | PRICE: 240,000€
BEATRIZ VACA JIMÉNEZ: +34 687 680 556
ISTAN | 2 BEDS | 2 BATHS | 150 M2 REF: STRAND2402 | PRICE: 270,000€
SORIN MAILAT: +34 630 893 029
+34 672 726 220
MARBELLA | 2 BEDS | 2 BATHS | 166 M2 REF: STRAND8511 | PRICE: 335,000€
CHARLOTTE GRUNDBERG: +34 695 30 26 87
MALAGA | 3 BEDS | 3 BATHS | 94 M2
REF: STRANDM6025 | PRICE: 620,000€
MIRELA FUENTES: +34 682 69 65 79
VALTOCADO, MIJAS 3 BEDS | 3 BATHS | 250 M2
REF: STRANDP1509 | PRICE: 790,0000€ ARTO RYYNÄNEN: +34 629 24 40 72
FUENGIROLA | 2 BEDS | 2 BATHS | 195 M2
REF: STRAND9676 | PRICE: 895,000€ TIMO MAUNULA: +34 656 25 6626
ESTEPONA | 3 BEDS |
BATHS | 267 M2 REF: STRANDP5043 | PRICE: 940,000€
JORGE GONZÁLEZ: +34 653 80 06 72
MANUEL RODRÍGUEZ: +34 664 027 450
MIJAS | 4 BEDS | 4 BATHS | 267 M2 REF: STRAND1567 | PRICE: 1,195,000€
SARAH CONROY: +34 610 711 966
MARBELLA | 5 BEDS | 4 BATHS | 503 M2
REF: STRAND2600 | PRICE: 1,795,000€
+34 646 729 229
ESTEPONA | 5 BEDS | 4 BATHS | 494 M2
REF: STRAND3605 | PRICE: 1,990,000€
KATARIINA SALMELIN +34 629 91 72 94
BENAHAVIS | 7 BEDS | 7 BATHS | 490 M2 REF: STRAND6504 | PRICE: 2,495,000€
INMA GUERRERO: +34 649 75 71 56
MALAGA | 5 BEDS | 5 BATHS | 283 M2
REF: STRANDM2049 | PRICE: 2,990,000€
BEATRIZ VACA JIMÉNEZ: +34 687 680 556
CAROLINE SYLFVANDER: +34 613 241 313
CALL OR WHATSAPP OUR AGENTS TO BOOK A VIEWING TODAY! YOU CAN FIND MORE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTIES ON OUR WEBSITE. CONTACT US: +34 676 90 15 19 |
| STRAND.ES
Located in the heights of the Cap de Nice, this villa has 360 degree sea views of the Mediterranean Sea.
It spreads over 373 m² and in addition to four bedrooms and three bathrooms, it features a pool house and wine cellar.
The four bedroom and bath room villa is 250m² and opens out to a 550m² garden with a jacuzzi and pool.
Askingprice: €5,600,000
The open floor plan creates an even more spacious feel.
Askingprice:€12,489,700
DIRECT flights to Nice by Air Nostrum are making it even more desirable to own property in the French Riviera. From those looking to relax on its Mediterranean beaches or explore the historic old town to those looking to purchase property as an investment due to the area’s bustling tourism, there is an array of reasons to consider property in the area. Its year long warm temperatures makes Nice an ideal place for those looking for a home away from home anytime of the year.
Askingprice: €173,000
MARBELLA’S beaches, golf courses, and mountains make it an exciting place to own property. Whether as an investment or second home, owners will reap the benefits of living in Southern Spain with its vibrant historical scene and opportunities for relaxation. And if you’re already living near here you won’t have to waste time at the airport.
€9,950,000Askingprice:
Located in leafy Guadalmina Baja, this stunning 2,100 m2 villa on a 4,900 m2 plot of land is in close proximity to the beach and both San Pedro and Puerto Banus. As well as easy access to restaurants, shops, and local businesses with a view of the Mediterranean Sea.
The property features eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms with an Andalucian-style design. Special additions include a pool/billiard room, a fitness room, a home spa fitted with a sauna and jacuzzi, a cinema room, a wine cellar, and a heated swimming pool.
Askingprice: €245,000
The
€4,900,000Askingprice:
LAS BRISAS, NUEVA ANDALUCÍA Ref: OP13038 Beds: 5 | Baths: 4
Built: 434 m² including terraces | Plot: 931 m² | Price: € 1,680,000
Recently renovated villa in the heart of Nueva Andalucía close to shops, restaurants, schools and walking distance to Puerto Banús.
MONTE PARAÍSO Ref: OP14110 Beds: 3 | Baths: 2
Built: 169 m² | Terraces: 41 m² | Price: € 1,320,000
LOMAS DE SIERRA BLANCA Ref: OP13561 Beds: 2 | Baths: 2
Built: 207 m² including terraces | Price: € 750,000
LOMAS DEL REY Ref: OP13716 Beds: 2 | Baths: 2
Built: 175 m² including terraces | Price: € 725,000
Tel. (+34) 952 863 750 panorama.es
COSTA NAGÜELES III Ref: OP14078 Beds: 3 | Baths: 2
Built: 120 m² | Terraces: 20 m² | Price: € 575,000
Offices at Puente Romano and opposite the Marbella Club hotel
AS climate change accelerates and Spain faces increasing concerns over drought and heat, the EU is finally amending its energy efficiency laws. In a sensible bid to make buildings more carbon neutral the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) has recently been passed in Brussels.
However, while broadly good news for Europe, it could cause problems for people wanting to sell or rent their property in Spain, by making energy rating requirements more demanding.
But let me make this clear: The EPBD legislation isn’t new. It was first introduced in 2002 and has been updated several times since then - most recently in 2018.
As anyone who has bought, sold, or rented a property in Spain will know, all buildings have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when
constructed, sold, or leased.
And if you were recently selling you needed a visit from a property professional, such as a surveyor, who could assess your building and provide the relevant certification.
The EPC rates energy efficiency on a scale from A to G, with A being the most energy-efficient and G the least.
It considers a range of factors including insulation, heating, ventilation, and lighting.
The plan is to make all existing residential buildings net-zero by 2050.
The ruling proposes that all existing homes should be renovated to meet a minimum energy performance standard of F by 2030 and E by 2033.
Currently, though, in Spain, particularly in the countryside, many are more likely to achieve a G rating, particularly those draughty cortijos and fincas Should owners be concerned, given a ban on renting property that is ‘energy-intensive’ already exists in France? And in Belgium, owners who don’t upgrade now face fines.
Europe wants to standardise energy ratings meaning the worst performers, category G properties, represent the 15% of worst-performing buildings in each country.
The scheme was first proposed in December 2021 – after eight building renovation strategies submitted by member states fell short of the EC’s requirements.
Estate agent, Mathew Wood, based in Granada, estimates ‘around 80% of Spain’s housing stock won’t comply’. Clearly, this is problematic for Spain – especially when these schemes are introduced with insufficient advance
publicity.
It’s no surprise then, that there are already calls for a raft of exemptions and tweaks for older properties.
Unless exemptions are made, the potential impact here and particularly in rural areas, is going to be significant. Think of the thousands of fincas and townhouses, particularly holiday homes, built to poor standards. The old housing stock was constructed
without energy efficiency in mind and as a result, properties are likely to get a low EPC rating (G). There are other issues. For example, who would be responsible for the costly expensive upgrade in the case of inheriting a home? Currently that would fall on the inheritors to cough up before selling.
Over time, owners are likely to find it increasingly difficult to sell energy-inefficient homes, as buyers become alarmed by resale worries. Although the rules aren’t retrospectively applied to old properties (at pre-
IT’S been quietly resurrecting out of the ashes like a phoenix from the flames. But when the rebuilding of Estepona’s fire-gutted Laguna Village is complete, it’s set to roar like a lion.
The unusual curved roof construction on the outskirts of the resort is expected to become a leading nightspot when it is reopened by Ibiza’s Pacha Group this summer.
A giant €16 million investment will see it bounce back from the tragic fire that gutted it back in August 2020.
The 3,000 square metres are distributed over two floors, with an outdoor infinity pool centered on a new plaza and an
upmarket beach club.
While it is unlikely to become a fully-fled ged nightclub - like the famous Pacha in Ibiza - it aims to ‘revolutionise the social and gastronomic scene of the Costa del Sol’, insisted a spokesman.
Based on a wave or sand dune, the design by Archidom Studio is certainly eye-ope
ning and expected to be a big hit with locals from Estepona and Marbella alike.
“We are playing with curving corners to recreate organic architecture, using translucent glass bricks that offer interesting and intimate light reflections”, explains architect Chema Sobrado.
The new European energy efficiency laws mean selling or renting your property will soon get more complicated, writes Jo Chipchase
sent), more demanding building regulations have already been introduced for new builds in Spain.
The country has already implemented the EPBD through its Technical Building Code (CTE), which defines efficiency requirements.
Under the CTE rules, all new buildings must meet minimum requirements, and an EPC must be presented to the buyer or tenant when a building is sold or leased.
The CTE also rules that significant renovations or changes to a building must comply with the new laws. Any renovation must include improvements, such as installing insulation, energy-efficient heating or cooling systems, or solar panels.
If you want to change the use of your property, you could be facing a large bill. However, it’s not all bad news. Spain also offers financial incentives for improvements, such as grants and tax credits. So pop down to your town hall and see if you can get any help.
The EPBD is soon to be passed making
sure all EU member states incorporate it into their national laws. Each member state has some flexibility, but the basic principles remain the same.
And as the EPBD is part of the EU's broader efforts to reduce carbon emissions, it may become even more stringent, rather than being watered down, over time. So, if you are thinking of selling, it’s time to start considering how you could improve the energy rating of your property. Now, not later.
The simple measures to improve your energy efficiency include:
● Installing a pellet stove instead of your woodburner
● Install solar panels for energy and water
● Insulate the roof, walls, and floor – in that order of priority
● Improve the glass of your windows (to double glazing) and change old doors
IN June and July, as the mercury soars, we all need respite from the sweltering heat.
To get ahead of the challenge, here are some interior design tips to keep your home cool - and stylish - during the hottest months of the year. Whether you are lucky (an anything-is-possible home builder or handyman), or plucky (a keep-cooland-carry-on stoic), the number one piece of advice is: Don’t let the heat in!
If you’re building from scratch, the golden rule is: Windows exposed to direct sunlight become radiators, so set them back under bulkheads,
overhangs, and louvres. But if your home is built you’ll need to embrace shade, and the most effective cooling strategies for existing buildings include:
1. Applying window film to reflect heat
2. Installing awnings (toldos*), sail shades and pergolas to keep the sun off windows
3. Fitting external blinds (persianas*) to block the sun completely
4. Insulate and ventilate the roof.
Solar-powered roof vents help to release hot air that gets trapped inside. (ED: our Velux windows achieve a similar affect)
*With toldos, choose light colours to help reflect the sun’s rays, and for traditional-style homes look at traditional materials such as esparto grass, see examples at MIV Interiores
TRADITIONAL: Esparto blinds are cool
Otherwise (perhaps counter-intuitively to some) keep your windows shut when the sun is up, and consider installing mosquito screens so you can throw windows wide open at night.
If possible, open windows to create a through-draught. Magnetic mosquito door curtains are an inexpensive and effective solution. At times of abundant water, i.e. not right now, hose down your balconies and patios at dusk. Harness the cooling effect of evaporation to reduce radiant heat outside as you throw open your windows at night. If it’s important to match your hose to your house – or, for that matter, to your handbag - check out the exquisite range from Garden Glory And, by way of an eco-apology for that last suggestion, choose the most energy efficient appliances and light bulbs available. Energy-efficient appliances not only save money on energy bills, but also generate less heat, helping to keep your home cooler. And if you want hot food, cook outside in the evening: everyone loves a barbecue.
From a small sitting room to the hottest new restaurant, we will assist in creating your vision. With over a decade of experience, based between Barcelona and London.
Curating a bespoke design plan using the best local and international artisans.
References and testimonials available.
hello@sedesigns.studio
www.sedesigns.studio
WhatsApp: (+44) 7775 782 418
Just as evaporation cools your terrace, it can also cool your body. Electric fans don’t change interior temperatures, but the wind chill effect of air moving over your body helps evaporate sweat and creates a cooling effect. Magnovent sells stylish ceiling fans, but remember to turn your fans off while you’re out; they don’t shift the mercury.
That deals with physical heat, now to psychological heat. What decorative measures make for a chilled look?
In terms of colour, think cool and refreshing. Light colours like white, beige, and pale blues and greens reflect sunlight, conveying a sense of coolness and calm.
Ceiling fans stir the air and create movement in gauzy fabrics like sheer linen and muslin, visually supporting the sense of breeze.
Look at suppliers like Mark Alexander, a company producing
light linens, perfect for a stylish Spanish summer.
Replace any thick
rugs and carpets with lightweight, natural fibre options like jute or sisal.
Let the jungle in Houseplants add greenery and help purify the air and regulate humidity levels, so incorporate nature within your home for a cooler, more refreshing atmosphere.
Opt for low-maintenance plants like succulents and ferns, plants that thrive in the summer heat.
Cluttered surfaces gather dust and make a room feel stuffy and hot, so clear the clutter and embrace a minimalist approach to your summer decor. Keep surfaces clear, and select simple, streamlined furniture that allows air to circulate freely. And finally, keep hydrated and add colour and elegance to your space by keeping a stylish jug of ice-cold water or a refreshing summer cocktail on hand, served in chic glassware, or indeed super-chic Italian poolside acrylic courtesy of Italian brand Memento Synth
PRIME Minister Pedro Sanchez's government was in a great hurry to push through a new housing law before the elections on May 28.
Unfortunately, it seems that the Ley de Vivienda is going to be a similar disaster for the government as the sexual consent law was last autumn.
The consequences of that law have been - so far - that around 1,000 sex offenders have received reduced sentences and even been set free, due to incompetent implementation of the law.
So, why rush through yet another law, which is not ready to be debated.
Perhaps the biggest reason for the rush is to try and solve the problem of high rents and a lack of housing to rent which was one of the major concerns before the last general election.
The government, in its hurry, had to enlist the help of the Basque separatist party Bildu (the former political branch of ETA) and the Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana (Republican Left).
This was unpopular as, in turn, these parties got through demands to make it more difficult to get rid of squatters, introduce a new system of maximum rents and to make it illegal to raise rents with inflation (this
should be done on a different scale which they haven't finished yet). Unfortunately, the government did not listen to representatives of the property sector at all.
From the real estate association's national organization COAPI, the chairman Gerard Duelo was invited to talk and COAPI came up with a dozen or so proposals, the two most important of which were to introduce a national mandatory register for agents and to make liability insurance mandatory. The same as in Catalunya where this system has worked well since 2010.
After a number of meetings, the government's representatives had vetoed all but the last two proposals. They were also included in the proposed bill as clause 30.4 the week before it was to be voted through in Parliament.
But the day before the bill was to go up in parliament, Duelo was called up to the housing ministry where he was told the government had decid-
ed to scrap all his proposals!
It is fair to say there has been an outcry in the industry.
As a Spanish agent with over 20 years in the industry, I find it hard to see anything positive about this new law.
To top it all off, most of the things the law addresses are not even the government's responsibility, but are left up to the autonomous regions to decide.
The opposition-ruled regions, including Andalucia, have already ruled they will not introduce the measures Sanchez's law entails.
Now at the time of writing, a week after the elections, it can be seen that this incompetent housing law was one of the last straws for voters.
The governing parties PSOE and Podemos have suffered an unprecedented defeat.
The PSOE governed in 9 of the 17 autonomous regions and now appears to have lost power in all but Castilla La Mancha.
UNPOPULAR: Sanchez rushed through new housing law
They lost the strategically important Valencia - both region and municipality. And Podemos didn't even get into Madrid's regional parliament or municipal council.
It went so badly for them that President Sanchez has now announced national elections in July, although not actually due until December.
As a broker, I hope and believe the new government that takes office will quickly tear up this crazy housing law.
The political will seems to go in that direction; to promote investment instead of punishing and setting up barriers.
Contact me at chris@startgroup. com or via www.startgroup.com
THE number of residential mortgage loans agreed declined by 23% in the first quarter to 68,409 compared to the same period the year before.
This made it the second consecutive quarterly fall. This might be seen as ‘bad’ news, but in reality the market is simply back to pre-pandemic levels, which were seen as healthy at the time.
It could be argued that the post-lockdown bounce we experienced as pent-up demand was released is now settling down to a more stable and sustainable level.
Interestingly, the average new mortgage loan value fell by 4% to €146,870 in March making it three months in a row that had seen a fall, but this downward trend - if you can call three months a trend - is slowing.
In February the decline in mortgage loan values had been 7%.
This slowdown in loan value drops came despite the 12m-Euribor, the interest rate used for most mortgages in Spain, rising to 3.757% in May, the highest rate since 2008.
This meant that monthly mortgage repayments on the average €120,000 20-year
loan went up by €217.
Variable rate mortgages initially look attractive - in March the average interest rate was 2.50% for the first year. However, from the second year onwards lenders add the base rate to the bank margin meaning the rate payable is typically 5.4% making the 3.75% fixedrate option more attractive.
So, short-term saving on a variable rate may not be the best option. Each borrower has his or her own set of circumstances that need to be assessed by an expert to decide on the most appropriate loan.
Here at The Finance Bureau we have many years of experience and the expertise to advise you on the best course of action.
To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 or email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com
Spain’s new housing law is a shambles and should be torn up, writes Chris Fogelberg from Start Group
It is fair to say that there has been an outcry in the property industry
Short-term saving on a variable rate may not be the best option
1 A massive black moggie stalks across an industrial building in Murcia. Leaves suggesting a concrete jungle adorn the bottom of the building where a normal-sized man can be seen cradling his cat.
WALK through the backstreets of Estepona and count the massive murals adorning its high rise buildings - you could be forgiven for thinking Banksy had paid the town a clandestine visit.
Ranging from homages to Miguel de Cervantes to celebrations of the town’s seafaring history, the diverse daubs, that number nearly 50, are a prominent part of one of the Costa Del Sol’s most aesthetic towns. But Estepona is not the only place to have fantastic murals, as we demonstrate here.
2 This stop-you-in-yourtracks mural with its nod to Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights can be found in Ordes, Galicia. The work of Italian artist Blue, it features a tribute to vegetarianism with produce praying to a blender.
As part of a multi-million Euro expansion plan, MiColchón is opening a new 'Rest Center' in Estepona.
The Malaga-based company now covers the entire Costa del Sol through its soon-to-be 11 stores and has a strategy to expand across Andalusia. MiColchón is already firmly established as the
leading supplier and distributor of beds, mattresses, pillows, and other sleep equipment on the coast, and its new 300m2 store on Calle Fahrenheit in Estepo -
na's industrial estate further solidifies this position.
3 Street artists Shepard Fairey and D*Face teamed up for these two murals in Malaga. Located next to the Centre for Contemporary Art (CAC), the pair were created for a street art festival.
MiColchón Es tepona show cases the best beds and sleep equipment in Europe and offers a range of top interna tional brands, including Tem pur, Sealy, Flex, Nessen, Relax, Hukla Germany, and Emma. However, the store is not solely dedi cated to ensuring you get a good night's sleep. MiColchón is also the go-to place for finding a large selection of high-quality chairs and armchairs manufactured in Europe. This includes the presti gious Stressless brand, the finest relaxation armchairs from Nor way, and the comfortable Nessen armchairs, which are fully customizable and exclusive to MiColchón. They are made with the best stain-resistant fabrics and the finest Italian leather, featuring motorized relaxation systems such as the new 'Zero Gravity' mode that improves blood circulation.
Starting this July, the residents of Estepona will be able to enjoy personalized advice on the healthiest and most restorative sleep provided through Mattressology®.
To find out more about the opening of MiColchón Estepona, please visit WWW.MICOLCHON.COM or follow MiColchón on social networks:
ple, you can rest assured that the team will find the ideal sleeping equipment to suit your needs. With over 40 years of experience, MiColchón is a leader in the industry, achieving record-breaking sales figures in the last year with
4 It’s not always apartment blocks or houses that are illuminated by murals. Here, the Plaza de Armas bus station in Sevilla has a sleeping girl offset by eye-catching vivid colours.
5 The Basque capital of Vitoria-Gasteiz is known as the ‘Painted City’ for its murals which are featured on a walking tour. ‘The Thread of Time’ recalls its medieval past when it traded in fine fabrics.
ing special opening prices, along with its usual services and guarantees: free transport, assembly, and removal of used products, as well as the best prices on their products.
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UNCERTAINTY, inflation and Americans are driving Marbella’s roaring housing market this year, according to a leading real estate agency.
The ‘jet-set coast’ has seen house pri-
ces shoot up massively since shrugging off what was, for Marbella, merely a minor inconvenience in the Covid pandemic.
MALAGA province sucks up the highest percentage of household income in Spain for rental properties, with the Balearics a close second.
A joint survey from real estate portal Fotocasa and employment platform Infojobs showed Malaga area rental homes require 47% of income earned by a family, couple, or individual.
Second on the list come the Balearic Islands (42%); Barcelona (37%); Las Palmas (32%); Alicante (32%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (31%); Madrid (31%); with Valencia, Sevilla
Despite the pandemic, the Ukraine war and supply chain issues, the Marbella housing market has risen by a third since 2019.
“Currently the rental market is very busy, with very little availability for all of the villas and everything that is available is booked instantly,” Marketing Executive Anton Valov, at Key Real Estate, told the Olive Press. “And renting rather than buying is driven a lot by global uncertainty, with the world being in such a state of flux at the moment.”
The consistent demand has made it so that the concept
and Navarra all on 30%.
Teruel, with 16%, is the province with the lowest rate, followed by Palencia; Lugo, Ciudad Real and Leon (all on 18%).
In March, Malaga became the first city in Andalucia to break records in the price of housing both in the sales and rental markets. According to Fotocasa figures, prices have risen to make the cost of housing and rented property go up 5% and 57% respectively compared to the real estate bubble year of 2007.
With these increases, Malaga City became the second highest regional capital to exceed historic records, with the sale price at €2,932m2 and the rental price at €13.22m2.
ARE you ready to sell but not sure where to start?
Put yourself in the best position for a quick, pain-free sale by taking certain key steps.
Then you’ll be sure to present your home in the best light, increasing your chances of receiving a solid offer from a buyer and getting yourself ready to move on!
From fixing those small jobs around the home to room staging and repainting, here are my seven quick, but effective, tips.
First, do your homework on the value of your home. Look at comparable sales in your neighbourhood to get a feel for what you think is an appropriate listing price.
If you are selling and buying again, this will help you understand your own budget. And while you are at it, you might be ready to sell but things can move quickly so have you thought about where you are buying and your location?
Check out local agents, but remember to look for an agent with great experience and
local knowledge.
They will also have great connections to potential buyers and have regular posts across all social media platforms and relevant property websites. Make sure they give you a thoroughly laid out plan for how they are going to sell your home. Above all you need to find someone who inspires trust and who communicates well.
When it comes to viewings, they could be happening in the evening or on (rare!) dull days.
So stock up on light bulbs. Why? When showing your house to potential buyers, all light fixtures and lamps should be turned on.
First impressions do count, so, don’t let any lingering smells, dirty floors or dusty surfaces give a potential buyer the idea that the property is not cared for.
If it’s a second home a good spring clean is advisable before putting it on the market. Open windows and let good, clean fresh air sweep through. Make sure windows, mirrors and chrome fittings are buffed and sparkling.
of a ‘low season’ in Marbella no longer exists, with a continuous influx of tourists and part-time residents throughout the year.
But the ultra net worth individuals also see Marbella real estate as a safe haven asset in a time of high inflation.
The market for properties valued at over €4 million has seen a particular surge, according to Anton.
And finally, Americans are rocketing up the rankings for property purchases, driven by investment in Malaga by US tech firms.
Google’s cybersecurity centre of excellence is one of a number of projects that will further transform Malaga into a tech hub.
But does all this activity mean that the Marbella housing market is one giant bubble?
“In the last 40-odd years, the real estate market has never really fallen,” Anton explained. “In fact, it has only been rising and rising.”
A COURT has ordered a town hall to return a house to its owners after it was expropriated in 2001 to build five storeys of social housing.
The court ordered Palma City Council to pay the owners over €60,000 in compensation for damage done to the building during its years of control.
The finca was included in reform plans for the Sa Calatrava area. The 155 m2 property on Calle Bastio d’en Berard had been acquired by a German couple in 1995 who did not live there but rented it out.
The owners took legal action over the compulsory purchase price of just €60,000 as well as opposing the expropriation. They lost on both counts but plans to develop the site did not materialise.
The building was vandalised and occupied by squatters with its state deteriorating so much that it partially collapsed with
Palma council announcing plans to pull it down last year.
It said its condition was down to a series of tests undertaken for an archaeological study prior to the start of the non-existent site construction.
The couple began fighting to get the finca back in 2010, stating that the maximum period for an authority to use an expropriated property had gone well past the five year expiry date.
Palma Council rejected all of their arguments and requests, with the matter ending up in court, which has now found in favour of the owners.
The court ruling said: “After 18 years, the work or service for which the expropriation was undertaken has not been carried out.”
It ordered the €60,000 compensation to be paid, but Palma council can still appeal the sentence to the Superior Court of Justice.
And make up all the beds with crisp, fresh linens.
It’s comforting to live with personal keepsakes but when you are selling less is most definitely more.
Think about your property from a buyer’s point of view. Can they walk around and picture themselves living there?
Decluttering your space will go a long way in appealing to potential buyers.
Of course you can leave things on display but whittle it down to a livable minimum and box up things that you want to take with you and tuck them away ready to move.
Give your home a fresh lick of paint. Start by painting over those dark or bright orange walls and stick to neutral colours. These shades will make your home appear bigger, brighter and more welcoming.
If your property is small, add mirrors (where possible) mirrors opposite windows will reflect more light into the room.
Adding a fresh coat of paint to your home will also help cover the wall’s imperfections and
convey a blank slate to potential buyers.
According to several studies, staging can really help sell your home quicker and for more money. Staging your home does not necessarily need to cost a fortune.
Remember key points such as your home’s curb appeal when staging the home. After all, the outside of the home is the first thing potential buyers will see.
The tasks you might need to perform will be several repairs and home design: Think about rearranging furniture, decluttering, adding new curtains and pillows, repainting, touching up the walls, and giving your home the certain ‘je ne sais quoi’.
Another lovely touch is adding flowers, house plants and scented candles which inject amazing smells which are welcoming to potential new buyers.
The Spanish Estate Agent always goes the extra mile, and we are not interior designers, but we have 50 years combined experience and we know what is needed to get a sale. Get in touch with us today at www.thespanishestateagent.com
MODERN VILLA ESTEPONA, MALAGA
4 Bed | 5 Bath | 330m2 Build ref. LVN-0005
The best location on the New Golden Mile, just 10 minutes drive from Puerto Banús and 15 minutes from the center of Marbella or Estepona.
€1,999,000
APARTMENT ESTEPONA, MALAGA
2 Bed | 2 Bath | 100m2 Build ref. 100739656
Beautiful fully furnished apartment with sea and mountain views in the Playa del Angel urbanization.This property has a spacious living room from which you access the balcony.
€420,000
APARTMENT MANILVA, MALAGA
2 Bed | 1 Bath | 70m2 Build ref. LVN-0006
South west facing, first floor apartment in Manilva old town. Communal pool ,air con, marble floors.
€120,000
APARTMENT ESTEPONA, MALAGA
2 Bed | 2 Bath | 140m2 Build ref. YR-00090
Stunning golf course property with breathtaking views of Azata Golf Course and conveniently located just a few minutes' drive from Estepona.
€255,000
APARTMENT ESTEPONA, MALAGA
5 Bed | 5 Bath | 685m2 Build ref. 100739700
2 Bed | 2 Bath | 110m2 Build ref. MR-00027
2 Bed | 2 Bath | 170m2 Build ref. YR-00001BIS
Beautiful 5 bedroom, frontline golf, corner Villa in the much sought-after area of Sotogrande. Recently renovated to the highest standards and with views of the Valderrama Golf Course.
An awesome property 1st floor property, set in the Selwo Hills area, comes with 2 terraces and fully furnished, so you can move in and start living your best life right away.
Discover the ultimate luxury living experience in the heart of Marbella’s golf valley in Lomas del Marqués, an exclusive residential neighborhood nestled between the most soughtafter locations in Puerto Banús, San Pedro de Alcántara and Benahavis.
€2,400,000
€259,000
APARTMENT ESTEPONA, MALAGA
2 Bed | 2 Bath | 94m2 Build ref. 100739645
Magnificent two-bedroom apartment in the spectacular urbanization of Playa del Angel. Located with direct access to the beach, picnic area, beach club and children's playground.
€400,000
€383,000
2 Bed | 2 Bath | 180m2 Build ref. YR-00004
Stunning and spacious house, that boasts breathtaking views of both mountains and the sea. Comes with private terrace, pool and close proximity to Estepona centre.
€398,000
No one in the world sells more properties than REMAX
LOCATED in Triana district, Calle Betis has become an emblematic spot of Sevilla. The street’s patchwork façade of colourful and asymmetrical houses make it typical of the Andalusian capital. It follows the course of the river Guadalquivir, which the Romans called Baetis (hence the name of the street).
Calle Betis’s most distinctive characteristics is perhaps the tall wall that elevates it above the river. It was built in the 19th century as a factory foundation, but also to protect
the population from floods, frequent at the time. On the other side of the river is Sevilla’s historic quarter and its most prominent monuments. The street has many bars and restaurants with outside seating, from which you can have a panoramic view of the Cathedral, the Giralda and the Plaza de España, to name just a few. The most outstanding house on Betis, dating from the 18th century, is probably the Casa de las Columnas, with its Baroque-style façade.
LOCATED in Santiago’s old town, Rúa do Franco is well known for two reasons. Firstly, it leads pilgrims and visitors to Plaza del Obradoiro and the famous Cathedral. The street actually takes its name from French pilgrims (the Franks) who came from the other side of the Pyrenees. Nowadays, souvenirs shops pave the way
By Dilip Kuner
PAIN is not short of beautiful spots in which to live, from stunning beachside homes, to villas perched amongst the mountains of the Pyrenees and ancient farms hidden away in isolated valleys. But many people do not want remote hideaways to live in and much prefer city life with its vibrant vibe, culture close at hand, shops and restaurants just a step away. Here the Olive Press picks 12 of the most desirable streets in which to live…
WITH its fascinating buildings and impressive range of luxury boutiques, Paseo de Gracia is one of the most famous streets in Barcelona, and is often compared to the Champs-Elysées in Paris. It was originally built to connect the Catalan capital to the town of Graciá. Today, Graciá is a neighbourhood of Barcelona, but it has kept its independent and vibrant spirit. The boulevard is representative of the modernist era that ruled the city throughout the 19th century. There you can admire Art Nouveau buildings such as the Casa Batló and Casa Milá La Pedrera, designed by Antonio Gaudí, or the Casa Amatller by Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. Other examples of modernist architecture include works by Pere Falqués, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Enric Sagnier and Josep Vilaseca. The concentration of luxury brands on Paseo de Gracia contributes to making it the most expensive street in Barcelona.
to the holy shrine. Rúa do Franco is also the city’s epicentre for delicious Galician gastronomy, thus maintaining the tradition of medieval innkeepers who catered for pilgrims. Additionally, the street has become a nightlife hotspot for students, where they started a drinking competition called the ‘Paris-Dakar’. The challenge happens between bars called Paris and Dakar, separated by 160 metres (in each tavern you had to drink a glass of wine and tell a joke). Along the way you can observe many shells, trees and five stars carved in stone on the street’s houses. Shells identified them as belonging to the Compostela Chapter, the tree is the symbol of San Martiño Pinario and the five stars are the University of Compostela’s coat of arms.
de las Flores, in the old Jewish quar ter of Cordoba, regularly makes it in rankings of the world’s most beautiful streets.
In fact, much of the city’s historic centre has been declared a World heritage Site by UNESCO.
The narrow dead end street comes off Calle Velázquez-Bosco and ends in a little patio with a fountain in the middle.
The stone pavement, arcs and white walls cre-
ate the typical look of a mediterranean town street that makes it so popular with tourists.
Between the tile roofs you can see the bell tower of the Mezquita-Cathedral. Perhaps the street’s best known trait is the coloured pots of carnations and geraniums hanging from the walls and balconies. Unfortunately, although people still live in the houses, many are now souvenirs shops and other tourist-based shops.
CALLE Balborraz links Zamora’s old town with the judería; it starts off from Zamora’s Plaza Mayor and slopes down to river Duero. Its name originates from the Arab bab al ras, which means ‘door of the head’. There used to be a door at the entrance of the street with a sculpture of the head of Ahmed-ben-Moavia (also known as Abul Kassin - the city’s Arab leader before the reconquest). The door was destroyed in 1555 because it was threatening to collapse. Calle Balborraz is one of the oldest streets of Zamora, and as such some of the most important processions walk through it during Semana Santa. Nowadays most of the street’s houses date from the 19th and 20th century, with a few examples of modernist architecture.
GRAN VÍA is arguably the most iconic street of Spain. The boulevard was built in the early 20th century as part of an urban plan to modernize the city (a plan comparable to the Haussmann renovations in Paris). It soon became like a ‘Spanish Broadway’, full of hotels, cinemas, theatres and musicals. Lately however, many of the movie theatres have been replaced by shopping centres. Calle Alcalá is one of the oldest and longest streets in Madrid, at 10.5 km. Starting from the Puerta del Sol, it was the road to Alcalá de Henares and Aragón. At the intersection of Alcalá and Gran Vía stands the emblematic Metropolis building, topped with a statue of goddess Victory. Metropolis was designed at the turn of the 20th century by French architects Jules and Raymond Février. Its classic Beaux-Arts style was unusual in Spain at the time.
LOCATED in the historical centre of the ¨Golden City¨, the Calle de la Compañía amazes with its abundance of architectural gems made with the blond sandstone characteristic to the city. It is named after the Compañía de Jesús that resided there in the 17th century. In the street you can find the renowned Casa de las Conchas that takes its name from the
300 shells adorning its façade (¨concha¨ means ¨shell¨in Spanish). Shells are symbols for the order of Santiago and for the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Other buildings of interest are the Clerecía, that now hosts the Pontifical University of Salamanca, San Benito church, Madre de Dios convent and Agustinas convent.
WALKING through El Greco’s adopted home is like travelling back in time. Historically known as the ‘Western Jerusalem’, Toledo was once the home of Jews, Christians and Muslims all at once. Calle de Angel, in the old Jewish quarter, is an example of the city’s cross-cultural heritage. The figure of an angel, carved in the street wall, gives its name to the street. A wicket gate of Islamic style, separated two parts of the judería. Also on the street you can visit vestiges of Arab baths (speculated to have been used as a ¨Mikvah¨, a ritual Israelite bath) and Roman ruins.
AT the heart of Palma, Paseo del Borne is an outstanding example of the city’s European-like modernisation at the beginning of the 19th century.
It was built on the old channel Torrente de la Riera, that used to cross the city, and connects the famous Plaza Juan Carlos I and Plaza de la Reina.
The boulevard was designed by Madrilene architecture Isidro González Velázquez, who shaped it in a way reminiscent of the Paseo del Prado in his home city.
Two pairs of majestic sphinx guard the street at its beginning and end. You can shop at the boulevard’s big retail chains or luxury brands, or see an exhibition at the Casa Solleric, that also has a bookshop focused on art.
To take a break, you can stop at one of the many bars and restaurants and enjoy the shade from the lush tree canopies that frame the boulevard on each side.
CALLE Larios, in Málaga’s city centre and next to the port, is the epicentre of Málaga’s social life and shopping scene.
It is currently the most expensive street to live on in Málaga. It was named after the Larios, a wealthy malagueña family, who bought most of the shares when the city built the street. It was opened to the public on August 27 1891.
The harmoniously constructed street is the home of big retail chains and luxury stores such as the jeweler Swarovski. Calle Larios also hosts many major events, including Málaga Fashion Week.
In the early 2000’s it was renovated and became pedestrian.
IN North Tenerife, La Laguna is the second city of the Canary Island and home to its first University. Calle San Agustín is located in the city’s historic centre, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
You can gaze at the many colourful houses and visit historic buildings such as the Casa Salazar and the Convento San Agustín.
CARRERA del Darro is one of the most scenic walks in Granada, along the river Darro (which means gold in Latin).
It is located at the edge of Albaicín, the old Arab quarter that is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
QHow long have you lived on the Costa del Sol?
AI MOVED to this part of Spain in 1991 with my family from the UK. I was six years old at the time.
Q
What made you want to open a business on the Costa del Sol?
Well, since I have opened Mediterranean Homes, I have been very busy. At times, the workload is very demanding and working long hours is to be expected, but I really enjoy it.
The street has remained practically the same since the 17th century, with many interesting buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries and remains of Moorish houses.
It is also home to the oldest Arab baths in Spain. Two brick and stone bridges
(Cabrera and Espinosa) cross over to Churra, a neighbourhood that goes up to the Alhambra, which you can see from the street.
The street was closed to cars in 2012, which explains the absence of supermarkets and big stores.
A
Since I finished school, I have pretty much always been involved in the real estate industry. From 2010 to 2019 I was employed by a local real estate company in Alhaurin el Grande.
The time was right for me to start my own business Mediterranean Homes, in February 2019.
My son Leo was born in June 2022, and I am now very occupied being a full-time mom too, which I love, so now I try to find the balance between my business and being a mom. I love what I do, I meet so many people from all over the world. This is very interesting for me as I also love travelling, so I get to learn a lot from my clients.
QHow has business been for you in the past two years?
QIf you could oversee any other business here on the Costa del Sol for a day, which would it be and why?
Q
What is the best thing about the Costa del Sol as a place to live in your opinion?
AThere are many good things about living in this part of Spain. Obviously, the weather is one, the friendly people, the gastronomy, the spectacular scenery, and the overall lifestyle is wonderful, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
AHonestly, it’s been fantastic. I put this down to the fact that, unlike other agents, we specialize in selling country properties within the Guadalhorce Valley and there are many clients investing in this part of Spain. I honestly believe country properties will become more in demand in the future as more and more people choose country living over the hustle and bustle of the coast.
Q
How do you enjoy spending your weekends and free time?
AIf I am completely honest, I cannot see myself doing anything else, I really like what I do. It is not an easy job at times, but I love meeting new people and the challenges involved in real estate. In a nutshell “I love matching people with properties”
QWhat is your favourite food?
ADifficult question. I have many favourites.
Overall, I love Spanish food, Indian, Sushi, and seafood and recently I have really taken to spicy foods, as you can probably tell I am not fussy!
Q
Give us a brief description of what you get up to on your usual working day.
AMy husband and I enjoy spending as much time as we can with our son. We also enjoy eating out and we have so many restaurants to choose from.
My husband is a great cook too, lucky me!
AWell, we prefer to live inland. My husband and I bought our first home together in January 2022. Since we bought our home, we have been busy doing a lot of work for it and still have quite a bit to do. Luckily for me my husband is an engineer and does a lot of the work himself.
info@mediterraneanhomes.eu
Q
Describe what your perfect home on the Costa del Sol would be like and where it would be?
www.mediterraneanhomes.eu
+34 951 242 157
ASTUNNING environmentally-friendly home has been carved into rock in Formentera.
The brainchild of architecture firm Marià Castelló Martínez, the home is made up of mainly wooden panels.
The firm explains: “The scenic location has very few high buildings, so we were told to avoid creating a site that was overly tall.
“To pay respect to the nearby surroundings, the building uses a white exterior with cross-laminated wood panels.
“On the interior the ground floor uses brick walls on two sides of building, while using the aforementioned wood panels elsewhere throughout the house. The resulting space is a home that blends seamlessly into the landscape.
“It’s a house for a family sensitive to the environment.”
The house was designed to blend in with its surroundings
THE Spanish government’s new housing law was passed last month and continues to be the source of much debate.
While its intention is to address the housing crisis in Spain, there are concerns it may have unintended negative consequences. Critics argue it may lead to landlords leaving the rental market, a potential increase in rents, and an exacerbation of the housing crisis.
As property expert Mark Stucklin puts it, the law is already having a chilling effect.
“Owners of flats in [Madrid and Barcelona] have switched en masse from the long-term to the mid-term rental market in response to the law that intervenes heavily in favour of sitting tenants and squatters.”
He adds: “Quite predictably, a majority of landlords have left the long-term rental market.”
It’s too soon to know for certain if this is in fact happening and if it is a long-term trend or other factors. But it suggests that, at the very least, the immediate impact on landlords is negative.
The scale of the switch to medium term contracts on listings in Barcelona and Madrid is striking in its scale.
Long term listings in both have plummeted from around 75% to just 25%.
It is likely that, at best, the phenomenon is a mix of fear and seasonal factors. Whatever the balance, it is a warning sign.
Recent Eurostat data reveals that two out of three youngsters under 34 live with their parents, with the lack of affordable rental properties playing a significant role in this trend.
Many real estate industry figures suggest a more effective approach to the problem would involve offering financial incentives to landlords to increase rental stock, rather than attempting to manipulate the market.
One aspect of the new housing law involves setting limits on the rent increases that landlords can impose on tenants.
This measure is intended to improve affordability for long-term tenants who began renting prior to 2019.
And it’s true, people deserve and need affordable housing that doesn’t eat up their entire pay packet (in Malaga it’s often up to 45%).
However, rent controls could have the reverse impact, especially with the level of rent increases set below the rate of inflation.
It is true that when a tenant leaves a landlord is free to increase the rents to ‘catchup’ with inflation.
Still, it will discourage long term rentals, where the rent increases fall further and further behind each year that a tenant remains.
It will also discourage landlords from performing upkeep of a property since they are unable to recoup expenses in the form of rent increases.
Ironically, this could lead to a decrease in rental properties overall, an increase in
rents due to the supply-demand dynamic, and a decline in the quality of rental properties.
Mikel Echavarren, CEO of Colliers, expressed concerns that the controls could result in a decline in property maintenance.
“The freezing of rents will create ghettos of real estate where it is not profitable to undertake renovations aimed at increasing sustainability, since investments will not be reflected in rent increases under this law.”
Another aspect of the law designates certain areas as ‘stressed’, where even stricter rent controls can be enforced. This measure is intended to address situations where rental prices, along with basic utilities, comprise more than 30% of average income. However, critics argue that this measure may not accurately reflect the true nature of the problem and could unfairly penalise landlords.
extend the deadlines for evictions, making it more challenging for landlords to recover their properties.
The onus is on the landlord to provide information on the tenant. They must justify whether the home is the habitual residence and guarantee they, the landlord, are not large property owners – in other words own more than five properties.
If they are large landlords they must include information on the situation of vulnerability or not of the ‘tenants’.
Antonio Carroza, president of Alquiler Seguro , warned in elEconomista.es that the new law might revive a black market in rental properties.
“We are concerned that renting will again become the last option to access decent housing in Spain.”
Additionally, the law’s eviction requirements have also raised concerns about deterring landlords from entering the rental market.
The new provisions place the burden on landlords to provide information on tenants in eviction proceedings and
These provisions are intended as a means of protecting a tenant from unfair eviction or being evicted because of a financial crisis.
Ironically, what it does is insist that the landlord invade the privacy of the tenant to prove that they aren’t in a precarious situation.
If the tenant is in a precarious situation then eviction can be stayed for up to two years.
Obviously, no one should be thrown into the streets because they are unemployed through no fault of their own.
However, is it fair for individual landlords to have to support tenants? Should it be up to landlords to seek out social assistance for their tenants? Is it fair to put that responsibility upon them when their role is to provide housing?
It seems like the government wanted the benefits of having a social housing program without the political cost of spending tens of billions to build social housing. Instead, they are demanding that landlords take on the responsibility with no or minimal financial gain for themselves.
In some ways, it doesn’t matter whether it is ‘just’ or not. If someone was thinking about becoming a landlord and they saw the extra burdens that this law puts upon them, are they likely to consider it as a viable source of income? Or are they likely to look elsewhere?
Answer those questions and I think we will know whether the new housing law will succeed in the lofty goals that have been set for it by the current government.
Reduced to 2,395,000€
Totally refurbished unique contemporary, chic villa
5 Beds | 4 Baths | 571m2 Built | 100m2 terrace
REF: 176-01837P | 4.595.000€
A totally refurbished villa on a very private plot, situated in the heart of Las Brisas and a short drive to the Los Naranjos Golf course. An elevated south facing plot offering magical mountain & sea views. A perfect villa for families and golfers and for anyone that is looking for that special architectural experience. Offering a unique style and feeling to all other villas on the market with high vaulted ceilings in wood, modern windows, and curated decor. The custom Danespan/Puroform designed kitchen, naturally flows into the open plan dining room living room. The property also offers a state-of-the-art home cinema, gym exercise machines and pool table. The pool area is a tropical haven with its outdoor kitchen, pizza oven and spa style swimming pool.
RINCONADA, NUEVA ANDALUCIA
South facing top floor apartment.
2 Beds | 2 Baths | 113m2 Built | 28m2 terrace
REF: 176-02394P | 439.000€
A rare top floor apartment in the popular complex of La Rinconada, with it´s well manicured large communal garden and pool area . Situated in the middle of the Golf Valley within walking distance to shops, restuarants and various sports facilities. An open-plan kitchen opens up the combined living and dining room which leads you out onto the south facing terrace with views over the garden and pool. The apartment was renovated 7years ago with a Scandinavian touch and feel. The community is gated and very private. A little gem well worth visiting.
Elegant apartment in popular complex.
2 Beds | 2 Baths | 100m2 Built | 11m2 terrace
REF: 176-02298P | 495.000€
A fully refurbished apartment in the “classic” urbanisation of La Macarena. Top quality materials have been used to create this Nordic feel property that enjoys fantastic mountain and coastal views. The apartment is distributed over a single floor, with a terrace straight off the living room with majestic views. Fully air-conditioned and partial underfloor heating. Situated in a well run community, within walking distance to shops and restaurants. A true gem that needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.
here I can see Soportújar, Láujar, Vallacar [sic] and Cáñar. I hear the singing of four rivers tumbling down to the olive trees of the Vega de Órgiva.’
From 1924, Lorca’s family spent summers in the Alpujarra. His mother treated her liver
complaint with the medicinal waters of the Lanjarón Spa (‘balneario’). Lorca travelled from Madrid to join his family.
While in Lanjarón, staying at Hotel España, he worked on a collection of drawings. He sent postcards featuring the ruined
Lanjaron ‘castillo’.
Much of Lorca’s correspondence with the sister of Salvador Dali, Anna Maria Dali, dates to his Lanjarón holidays. This includes the short story, ‘The Mediterranean is One and Indivisible’.
The town has since printed his poems on its ‘fuentes’ (springs), on beautiful ceramic tiles.
Lorca later toured La Alpujarra composer, Manuel de
Falla, and they discussed mounting a puppet show. They also visited Guadix, on the far side of the Sierra Nevada.
With the rise of the far right changing the political climate, and stifling liberal Spaniards, Lorca was removed by the Franco regime in August 1936.
Lanjaron
Lanjarón dedicated 2019 to Lorca. The town has many fountains bearing his poems, the most beautiful of which is in ‘Plaza de Santa Ana’, just off the main street. Don’t forget to visit Bar Rincón de Lorca at Hotel España, which serves great tapas.
Laroles
Between August 4-6, the village of Laroles celebrates the eighth edition of its cultural festival, ‘Me Vuelves Lorca’. The event features live performances of music, theatre, oration, and comedy. It aims to bring culture to a rural part of Granada, just like Lorca would have done. More info at: www.mevuelveslorca.com
Granada
The city has mounted a walking route that takes in sights associated with Lorca.
These include:
● The Huerta San Vincente country house, now converted into a museum, where Lorca’s family enjoyed summers from 1926 onwards.
● Frederico Garcia Lorca Centro - a cultural institution dedicated to the
research of Federico’s life and work.
● ‘El Rinconcillo’ – the traditional restaurant, Chikito, occupies the site of the historic Café Alameda, where intellectuals held the famous El Rinconcillo group. Its heyday was between 1915 and 1922, with members including Lorca, Falla, Lanz and de la Serna.
● Manuel de Falla’s house in Antequeruela Street, near the Alhambra. Lorca visited between 1922 and 1939. In 1962, it was converted
into a museum.
● Plaza de los Aljibes - the main access to the Alcazaba of the Alhambra. It has a viewpoint with stunning views of the Albaicín.
● San Nicholas viewpoint – looking over the Albaicin, Alhambra, Darro Valley, the old Granada, and the horizon of the Vega. These views inspired Lorca during his youthful walks.
www.universolorca.com/en/ruta-lorquiana/lorcas-route-in-granada
CITY PROUD: Lorca loved to visit his favourite monument, the Alhambra
After a stint in hiding, he was arrested in Granada, taken to the village of Viznar, held captive, and executed. Although the exact motivations for the killing were ambiguous, Lorca was known for his left-wing political views and activism. He supported the Repub -
licans, and his work frequently criticised the establishment. There was also his sexual orientation, which made him a target for persecution at the time. However, despite the attempt at repression, his work would go on to outlive him.
abierto lunes - sábado NEW STORE Avenida Alpujarra, 29, Lanjarón, 18420 Granada Calle Correo, 1 Orgiva, Granada, 18400
The exact motive for his killing has always been ambiguous
PAUL Cunningham Nurses Charity was my vision. On my return to Spain after losing my son Paul to spinal cancer at the age of 33, I was shocked to learn that there was no hospice care nursing available in Spain.
As a successful business woman, operating eight offices throughout the Costa Blanca and Lanzarote, I have lived in Spain for over 30 years and understand the needs of the expat communities. Then I met the right people, in the right place at the right time, to start the charity in 2008. It was necessary to have a massive amount of fund raising and support to open the first charity shop in Quesada, which is still open and running.
Fundraising events included galas, dinner dances, raffle, with participants donating not only money, but time and services. Many of the venues and music were donated and every event was so enjoyable, and I tried to be present at many of these events. Without all this help, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The headquarters of the charity share an office in La Marina with my insurance office and we now have three charity shops, which along with friends and sponsors of the charity, raise the necessary funds to support the nurses in giving home care for terminally ill patients. We work very closely with Torrevieja hospital, which in all reality is a godsend for them, as they call us to inform us that there is a patient who needs the charity’s help to enable them to return home.
We have all types of equipment available for free of charge loans and the nurse allocated will have a brief from the hospital doctors regarding medication and patient requirements. We are not just there for the patient, but also there to help and support the family.
Despite the problems over the last few years, we are surviving but it isn’t easy. Fortunately I have a very steady pair of hands, acting on my behalf– thank you Chris.
My vision and my hope would be finding somebody, with the enthusiasm and talent to take the charity to the next level and extend coverage throughout all of the Costa Blanca and beyond, but I do feel that this is just a dream.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR A QUOTATION, PLEASE CALL ONE OF MY OFFICES, EMAIL INFO@ JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET OR VISIT THE WEBSITE WWW.JENNIFERCUNNINGHAM.NET
IT was with a sense of coming home that I arrived back in Spain a few weeks ago and, in particular, my favourite region of Andalucia.
I first arrived in this country 25 years ago almost to the day and have now set up home again near Sotogrande.
After finishing university, I had headed out into the desert in North Africa to begin my career as a writer, aged 21, and after three months I travelled back to Europe to visit friends on the Costa del Sol, taking a boat from Algeria to Algeciras. After three days of travel, following 90 days of dry (in both senses of the word) dunes, I arrived in the leafy gardens by the Alcazar in Sevilla.
There I was greeted by flamenco dresses spinning out Sevillanas in the warm summer night as a guitarist strummed and a bar served ice cold Cruzcampo. In the heat of Sevilla, I always retreat into Casa Matías on Calle Arfe to write – I’ve written about it in two books and in newspapers from the Financial Times to Daily Mail – although it was not me who discovered it. It was actually one of my oldest friends, actor Hugh Dancy, who joined me in Sevilla fresh from his own North African adventure in his first starring role in Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down and, speaking Spanish, he quickly found the best bar in town.
Hugh went on to great things, from being nominated for an Emmy opposite Helen Mirren in Tom Hooper’s Elizabeth I and most recently starred as Detective Will Graham in the series Hannibal opposite our friend,
In his inaugural summer column for the Olive Press, UK society page regular Alexander Fiske-Harrison on nights out in Ronda with Claire Danes and ‘coming home’ to Spain
the Dane, Mads Mikkelsen, the best of all Bond villains, who now lives in Mallorca. My fondest memories are of when he joined me here in Spain in 2009 with his wife Claire Danes on the heels of their wedding in France and they visited again to meet my polo player fiancée Klarina (that’s why we’re in Soto) in what turned out to be our last social engagement before COVID-19 lockdown. (They were also coincidentally the first friends I saw after lockdown when Claire was filming The Es-
sex Serpent with Tom Hiddleston.)
However, it is not the celluloid blockbusters or art house gems which have been the backdrops to my favourite stories of these meetups around the world. Actors seem to have much more fun when working on projects destined not to do so well. Hence my fond memories of nights
Quick Crossword
Across: 7 Tentacle, 8 Ills, 9 Tartan, 10 Metric, 11 Send up, 13 Corner, 14 Per, 15 Nieces, 17 Oppose, 19 Odessa, 21 Karate, 23 Mayo, 24 Maryland.
Down: 1 Behave, 2 Stet, 3 Schnapps, 4 Ream, 5 Gift wrap, 6 Alpine, 12 Decision, 13 Crockery, 16 Indian, 18 Satiny, 20 Arms, 22 Rule.
out in Dublin with Hugh and Mads and his Swedish pal Stellan Skarsgård, the charming Kiera Knightley and the legendary Ray Win stone – fresh from his extraordinary turn in Sexy Beast as a retired gangster on the Costa del Sol (actually filmed in Almeria). The last time we were together with Hugh and Claire was with financier friends in Ronda. The Olive Press had earlier covered their honeymoon in Gaucin, but the newspaper wasn’t there in Ronda, when we spent a lazy afternoon knocking back manzanillas and Ronda tintos over tapas telling old Hollywood tales at the once-famous De Locos Tapas.
Nobody knew there were two Hollywood stars in town, and nobody bothered us, just as they didn’t when the King and Queen of Sweden recently came to visit, or Bill Gates had a dirty weekend (I assume), so anonymous and undisturbed
is life in that ancient mountain redoubt.
It’s exactly why I was back last weekend, writing about the town for the Telegraph: only heaven can have a bridge which looks down so far...
While De Locos is no longer there, in its place is a fine spot, Barrafino, where I drank finos and ate fabulous steak, before taking a walk around the wonderful casco histórico that hasn’t changed one iota.
Next stop is Pamplona, where I am heading with Ernest Hemingway’s grandson John, with whom I co-authored a book.
I hope to match my feet against the fighting bulls of Miura, Domecq and the other names that inspire dread amongst a certain Spanish crowd.
I know some readers will hate that, but as I have always said, you can always come and berate me to my face… at 8am on calle Estafeta on July 7. But tread carefully, the bulls may disagree with both of us.
RESERVATIONS: +34 951 74 47 77 / +34 627 12 14 43 clive@cotorestaurante.com www.cotorestaurante.com
Monday to Saturday: 11am-12am Sunday: 11am-6pm Ctra. de Ronda, A-397, Km. 44, 29679 Benahavís, Málaga
Enjoy
RENFE’S new low-cost AVE-alternative service, AVLO, started operating on the southern route from Madrid on June 1. It aims to increase its daily connections from one to ‘possibly three’ trains a day in each direction from the capital to Malaga and Sevilla.
THE arrival of the new high speed OUIGO trains between Malaga, Sevilla and Cordoba have been delayed for the fourth time.
The French firm has run into compatibility issues with the current management system in Andalucia.
Once in operation, OUIGO is expected to run two daily return services between Atocha in Madrid and Maria Zambrano in Malaga.
REGISTRATION for summer discounts of up to 90% on trains for youngsters between 18 and 30 has opened.
The government will also fund half the cost of European Interrail passes and 90% of state bus tickets between June 15 and September 15. Anyone interested needs to register by contacting the Ministry of Transport.
HISTORY lovers can now enjoy dramatised night visits to the oldest royal palace in Europe.
The UNESCO-protected Real Alcazar, in Sevilla, is open from Thursday to Saturday until October 21.
This year tours will be performed by the Sevilla Classical Theatre Company, and
will also be available with an audio guide in English. The actors will take on the personas of some of the most important characters who lived in the palatial home down the centuries.
lalalabanus.com
@lalalabanus
+34 640 377 646
Feel like waiting six months for your fast food?
McDonald’s think you do
FAST food kings McDonald’s has launched an advertising campaign in Spain to illustrate just how long it takes to get your order so quickly.
To the shock of customers it apparently takes six months,
Puerto
Other
which is third and Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava (15th). The two most Instagrammed beaches in Europe are Positano and Cinque Terre, both in Italy.
the burger giant claims. In the ad, 'An Order Worth Waiting For’ customers place their orders only to be informed they will have to wait a little longer to get their food. The order is then sent to farmers getting up at the crack of dawn to prepare the locally sourced ingredients that go into a Big Mac.
McDonald’s is keen to impress the company's commitment to Spanish suppliers involved in the supply chain. And the campaign also comes with an innovative gimmick: Customers ordering before June 19 will be able to opt for a special order that arrives in six months.
This is intended to mirror the time and effort spent by farmers and breeders in producing the ingredients.
Customers who opt for this can then track the entire growth process of the ingredients used in their favourite meals.
The aim is to cultivate appreciation of the hard work of suppliers who contribute to the company’s ‘commitment to fresh, locally sourced ingredients’.
SPAIN welcomed a record 7.2 million international tourists in April.
The extraordinary figures were helped by 1.4 million British arrivals, some 8.7% more than in April 2022.
France and Germany come next, contributing more than one million visitors each while arrivals from the US were over 60% up on the same month last year. Catalunya was the busiest region with 21.3% of the total, followed by the Balearics (16.3%) and the Canary Islands (16%). Spain is expected to receive between 52.3 million and 54.8 million foreign tourists between May and October, slightly up on the same period in 2019, which was a record year. Spain's priority is now to attract travellers from distant markets such as the United States, China, South Korea and Japan.
MALAGA firm Todo Surf Technology has developed an advanced surf forecasting app that provides reports and wave forecasts for over 6,000 beaches around the world. The free app features 360 beaches in Spain and provides long-range surf forecasts from across the globe including wave size, swell period, swell size, water temperature, tides, wind direction, and strength.
IT was one of the most exciting launches of the year, where a range of high society guests were treated to giant brochettes of beef, wild turbot and exquisite canapes.
But Marxa chiringuito is just one of three exciting new places to visit at Sotogrande’s hip So/Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort.
The exclusive five-star hotel also counts on its wonderful gastronomic restaurant, Cortijo Santa Maria and IXO Tapas & Bar. Cortijo Santa Maria 1962 is quickly gaining a big reputation for its traditional Andalucian cuisine, with a range of contemporary touches.
Led by executive chef Leandro Caballero,
it represents a journey through Andaluz recipes, particularly using local and fresh ingredients. Meanwhile, IXO has more than 40 signature cocktails, alongside a range of ‘avant-garde tapas and music. There is lots of
live music this summer, open to tourists and locals alike, every Friday and Saturday from 9.30pm until midnight and until the wee hours in July and August. You’ll certainly be impressed with Marxa which specializes in grilled meats cooked on a five-metre-long-grill.
“It’s excellent and we are focusing on all kinds of things, in particular local fish with the fantastic wild turbot for two amazing,” explained chef Caballero. The SO/ brand is renowned for its fashion collaborations, partnering with famous designers from Christian Lacroix to Viktor & Rolf.
It was set up by leading hospitality and lifestyle group Ennismore with the company Accor and has hotels in many major cities, including Vienna, Paris and Berlin. With bespoke spaces, signature tailoring and experiences, each hotel reflects the local culture it is found in. So/Sotogrande, which has 152 rooms and 36 suites, pays tribute to fashion, design, gastronomy and golf. It also has expansive gardens, a kid’s club and a fully functioning wellness sanctuary. Visit www.so-sotogrande.com for more information
THEY say out of little acorns mighty oak trees grow… And so it’s fitting Marbella restaurant, The Oak, has had a relaunch seven years on.
The steak joint, owned by the team at La Sala, has bounced back in a magical guise that literally can’t be missed.
Sitting on the main Banus
roundabout en route to Nueva Andalucia it stands out like Major Oak, of Robin Hood
fame, its name writ large with a ‘tree of light’ blasting out above it like a firework.
A string of famous footballers, agents and business people made it to the launch, including Pimlico Plumbers magnate Charlie Mullins and singing sensation James Arthur, who was mobbed by female admirers for most of the evening. Football guests included Rangers goalie, Alan McGregor, Stephen Clemence and 18-year-old Liverpool starlet, Bobby Clark.
Meanwhile, co-owners included former Spurs and Ireland winger Stephen Carr, while his ex-colleague, David Bentley, was one of the stars of the night, jumping around like a Dancing Queen.
Bentley told the Olive Press he was ‘really excited’ by the re-
KICK
(and
launch, having been involved in its first guise from 2016 and La Sala for a decade.
“I’m sure it’s going to do really well,” he insisted.
Boss Ian Radford decided to change it to a sports bar during the complicated years
hold up
Bentley of the pandemic, but realised now was the time to bring it back.
“It’s going to be one of the best top quality steak and meat places in Marbella and we wanted it to be glamorous,” he explained.
His owner tied him in his field, alone, from being a puppy.
The man lived elsewhere and rarely called to see Bandido, leaving him with old food and stale crusts of bread.
And then, of course, the man died and Bandido was forgotten. Almost on death's door and by amazing fortune a neighbour called the police.
So next, Bandido was put into the most horrendous kennels that made Alcatraz prison look like the Hilton.
So afraid was he that a member of staff called Borders
Without Borders and pleaded for them to get him away. He was suffering badly. They did and they found him a home. An elderly lady who adored him.
He followed her everywhere. He is extremely shy and nervous and it takes a week or so for him to relax but then he is a faithful shadow who longs to give the abundance of love he holds within.
All seemed well, until the old lady’s family paid their annual visit a few months later and immediately told the association to take him back.
They claimed their mother - who had loved him very much and was devastated - was too old. She was struggling to care for him.
Now Bandido is back in prison though luckily he now has a sponsor who
will pay for a full medical, arrange transportation to you and pay for his annual vaccination for the next 4 years and assist with his food.
He is about six years old but the vet said he has already become a grandfather from sadness.
He just needs a peaceful, secure home and a huge heart. Is it you? You will be drugged by his gentleness and delirious with the unusual loveliness of his face. Please get in touch with us at the following numbers and email.
Tel: 0034 651 501 635
Email: qtoneill@yahoo.com www.borderssinfronteras.org
I NOTICE that Juliette de Courcy Withey has had the dubious honour of appearing on your front page twice in recent issues. Well done! I know several people who she owes money to and people should be warned about her. There are too many dodgy expats here willing to prey on their own countrymen.
Please keep on exposing them!
(Name supplied)
Editor’s note: Sadly you are correct. The Olive Press has exposed many scammers over the years and will continue to do so.
I HAVE been fortunate to live on the Paseo Maritimo in Los Boliches (Fuengirola) for many years. I have never had any cause for complaint until a team from the Ayuntamiento started to take out every single tree (other than palm trees) on
fact it will have a massive impact on wildlife and the environment?
Maybe someone has close friends in the Palm Tree Business, it just does not make any sense!
RE your excellent article on the Witheys, she never gives up this one. She is just a bad apple through and through. She dropped a lot of people in it ... in fact many many clients have contacted me asking if I had read your article!
Robbie McCamley, Los Boliches both sides of the Paseo from the Los Boliches bridge towards Torreblanca. You will not need me to explain the huge environmental issues of pulling out approximately 200 long established trees to replace SOME of them with Palm Trees.
It means a vastly less shade on the Paseo (and there was not enough anyway), and what on earth are we doing ripping out trees that are established and eye pleasing as well as the
Local insurance company owner (Name supplied)
Editor’s note: Juliette de Courcy Withey and her husband David pocketed premiums they were meant to hand over to insurance companies leaving many people unknowingly uncovered.
SPAIN’S economic good times hit another bump in the road after preliminary data revealed an unexpected decline in the country’s industrial production in April.
The report, from national statistics agency INE, indicates that output across all sectors, except capital goods, contracted.
It marks a disappointing reversal from the 4.1% growth experienced in March, as economists had
By Walter Finchhoped for a 1.5% increase.
In fact, during April, industrial production decreased by 0.9% from last year. On an unadjusted basis, industrial output fell by 4%, contrasting with the 5.4%recovery seen in the preceding month.
The contraction in industrial production was primarily driven by a significant 4.9% fall in the durable
is at its lowest level since 2008, just before the financial crash.
In May, the jobless total fell by almost 50,000, to 2,739,110.
Over 200,000 new workers were registered in the Social Security system to make a total of 20,815,399 its highest number ever.
Some 70% of the new jobs are within the services sector.
consumer goods division, closely followed by a 4.3% decrease in intermediate goods output. Meanwhile, production of energy items slid by 1.5%. However, there was a silver lining as the output of capital goods demonstrated resilience by advancing 3.2%.
Looking at the month-onmonth figures, industrial output experienced a substantial decline of 1.8% in April, in stark contrast to the 1.3% increase observed in March.
This decline represents the largest drop in 13 months, adding to the surprise and concern surrounding Spain’s industrial sector performance.
AQNUPS (Qualifying Non-UK Pension Scheme) is an offshore unapproved pension arrangement which satisfies the definition of a pension scheme as set out in Section 150 of The UK Finance Act 2004. It is classed as an unapproved pension arrangement because contributions made into the scheme are not eligible for UK tax relief. However, these schemes are fully recognised by HMRC as defined by UK legislation.
QNUPS have become an increasingly popular investment vehicle for British expats in Spain looking to diversify their retirement savings.
A Qualifying Non-UK Pension Scheme can offer several tax benefits.
Lump sum investments into the scheme are immediately outside of your estate for UK inheritance tax purposes whether you remain abroad or return to the UK.
If you nominate your spouse as a beneficiary, when you pass away, a Spanish succession tax liability is not triggered, provided the pension is drawn in the same tax efficient manner. When your spouse passes away, if your ultimate beneficiaries, say your children, live outside of Spain, no Spanish succession tax is due.
If you structure your pension income in the form of an annuity the effective tax rate is anywhere between 2% and 6% - dependent on the amount you draw as an income, the length of the annuity and progressive tax rates in your autonomous region.
Your investments can continue to grow within the pension structure free of Spanish capital
gains tax.
It may offer asset protection against creditors and legal claims and in some cases may be exempt from claims made against you in bankruptcy.
It provides a high degree of flexibility in terms of investment options enabling you to diversify risk and potentially increase your returns
Whilst there are no specific guidelines regarding the level of post-tax contributions you can make, these must be reasonable and commensurate with your overall wealth, earnings, age and future income requirements to avoid being captured by UK Income Tax anti-avoidance provisions.
To pay the minimal amount of tax on pension income your annuity contract must be fixed during your lifetime which means you must consider maximum income requirements at the outset. If you break your annuity contract pension income gets taxed at Spanish marginal rates.
The Spanish Tax Office is now insisting that annuities are paid out of an insurance policy. This means that pension assets must be held an insurance policy for greater tax efficiency. It's essential to seek professional advice and carefully consider all the pros and cons before making any decisions.
We are in the Costa del Sol fully available for meetings throughout the week from Sotogrande to Nerja and inland Andalucia.
Your pensions are key to your long-term financial security. With the complex UK pension regulations, Spanish tax regime and frequent rule changes, specialist advice is essential. The problem for expatriates is that UK pension transfers often require UK-regulated advice, but most UK advisers cannot advise EU residents post Brexit.
Blevins Franks is authorised to provide regulated advice on UK pensions to residents of Spain. We have in-depth knowledge of the UK pension and Spanish tax regimes and the planning opportunities for expatriates.
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SHOCK new figures show that the number of skin cancer patients has risen by 40% in Spain in the past four years.
According to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology, over 78,000 cases are diagnosed every year, which means that 120 individuals in every 100,000 people suffer from skin cancer.
Within these figures, experts explain that 12 in every 100,000 individuals have Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.
However, they warn that in 2040, this form of skin can-
By Alberto Lejarragacer, which is by far the most dangerous, will become the second most common tumour, ahead of colon and lung cancer. And it is expected to become the most common type of
A WOMAN was given the all-clear for a suspected Ebola infection at a Basque Country hospital with tests showing she in fact had malaria.
Ebola is a serious and potentially fatal viral disease with a 50% mortality rate transmitted to humans through wild animals and then between people.
The patient was admitted to the High Biological Security Unit of the Donostia University Hospital in San Sebastian on June 1 after recently returning to a trip to the Central African Republic.
Spain has had just one recorded Ebola case when Galician nurse Teresa Romero contracted and overcame the disease in 2014.
cancer in men by that year. Scientists point out that skin cancer is often caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which is already reaching dangerous levels in Spain. So they remind holidaymakers not to expose themselves to the sun for long periods and to always use sunscreen.
“People spend the whole year working inside an office but when the summer holidays arrive, they go to the beach for the whole day. This sporadic, yet excessive exposure is particularly dangerous,” Eduardo Nagore, Head of the Valencian Institute of Oncology said.
Experts insist 95% of the cases can be prevented with basic measures such as using sunscreen.
The number of people suffering from this type of disease is increasing worldwide.
REuse REduce
Firework
MALAGA residents were left fuming over the racket caused by the christening of a British cruise ship in the port. The crew smashed champagne and let off fireworks at midnight.
Kinky cafe
POLICE raiding a Madrid cafe after complaints of noise were surprised to find 60 people partying and a secret dark room used for orgies.
Chew that
Hey Jude
REAL Madrid have boldly put aside their past trauma with English players to land the prized Birmingham-born midfielder Jude Bellingham for a nine-figure sum. Beating off stiff competition from financially juiced Premier League clubs such as Manchester City and Chelsea - as well as PSG - they will stump up €103 million to sign Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. The sum Madrid will hand over is second only to the €115 million they paid for horror
LOST IN TRANSLATION
And this in spite of the fact that he has been married to Spanish model Elsa Pataky since 2010.
Ballon D’Or winner and Real Madrid icon Lukas Modric, now 37. The 19-year-old will line up next to other elite young tal-
MERRY BERRY
DAME Mary Berry, 88, swapped baking for dancing and went on a six-hour dash to Ibiza superclub Pacha. The Queen of Baking was whisked to the party island by TV chef James Martin, who recounted the tale to Holly Willoughby and Dermot O’Leary, filling the Phil-Schofield-shaped hole on This Morning’s sofa. And the cook-book author, born in 1935, was even seen throwing shapes and burning down the house on the dancefloor. She later called it ‘good fun’ and ‘terribly exciting’.
Restaurant el Muro Mijas NOW OPEN!
SUNDAY ROAST
Chicken, roast pork or beef, all served with fresh seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding
We have a chill out area as well as a terrace looking up to Mijas Pueblo as well as two other terraces and an inside dining area.
Our menu has many different dishes including meats, fish, pasta, pizza, Asian cuisine and others to suit all, including various vegetarian options.
Wednesday - Friday: 17.00 - 23.00
Saturday & Sunday: 12.00 - 23.00
T: +34 951 104 424
ent including Vinicius Junior (22), fellow Brazilian Rodrygo (22) and Frenchmen Eduardo Camavinga (20) and Aurelien Tchouameni (23).
Madridistas will hope Bellingham - a rising English star who has never played in the Premier League - will be more Steve McManaman than Johnathan Woodgate or Michael Owen. While the former won two Champions Leagues with los merengues, Woodgate did not play for over a year after his transfer due to injury, and when he finally made his debut he scored an own goal and then got sent off. Owen lasted just one season and spent most of it on the bench.
The young man had the misfortune of plummeting several metres into the pit housing the organic waste. The tourist, who suffered bruising but was otherwise unharmed, was freed from his sticky situation by Malaga firefighters after a 30 minute smelly ordeal.