ARCHIVED - Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 14th February 2020

One-off circumstances lead to a sharp rise in Corvera airport passenger numbers and San Javier proposes a new water and wildlife park

But let's start with a Happy Valentine message fom the Costa Cálida courtesy of Cartagena council who have installed a splendid arch of love in front of the Palacio Consistorial for all those who just luuuuurve to share pictures of themselves on social media! Happy snapping!

It has often been said that there are lies, damned lies and statistics, and this week provided a perfect example of this in the Costa Cálida with the news that passenger numbers at the Region of Murcia International Airport in Corvera in January shot up by 138 per cent in comparison with the same month last year!

The reality, though, is that this remarkable increase is due to a combination of circumstances which cannot be expected to be repeated. Firstly, in January 2019 the airport in Corvera was open for only the second half of the month after flights were finally re-routed from Murcia-San Javier, and on top of that over half of the 67,570 people passing through the terminal building this January were not actually expecting to do so.

The only reasons that staff at Corvera were so busy for a few days in January are that flights were re-routed from Alicante-Elche airport, firstly due to a fire in the terminal at Alicante and then due to the Costa Blanca airport being closed for two days during Storm Gloria, when other services from as far away as Valencia were also diverted to Murcia.

Still, it’s nice to lead with such a positive story, even if the facts are distorted by freak circumstances: the highest January airport passenger total in Murcia since 2009 and a figure over three times as high as those reported in the first month of 2015 and 2016 at San Javier. If only it could be like this all the time!

On the subject of Corvera, it is also reported this week that the former management company at the airport has been ordered by the High Court to pay 182 million euros to the Murcia government in respect of a bank loan which the consortium took out to finish building and opening the airport and for which the government acted as guarantor, and with no appeals admitted against this decision it may just be that at last the legal wrangling which has surrounded the airport since the regional government first approved plans for it to be built in 2003 has at last come to an end!

How the bankrupt company will pay this huge amount is another thing altogether!

Elsewhere this week has provided yet more evidence of why the Region of Murcia is known as the Costa Cálida, with mid-February temperatures rising to 26 degrees on Wednesday. Things are a little cooler heading into the weekend but it illustrates once again why northern Europeans are so keen to jump on a plane and head for the sun during the winter!

Image: Terra Natura Murcia

Other stories to catch the eye this week include the publication by the Town Hall of San Javier of information concerning the proposed construction of a water and zoological park, possibly similar to Terra Natura in the city of Murcia, to be located in the area of La Calavera. This scheme, of which practically no details are available, has provoked a good deal of reaction from readers, most of whom appear to be in favour of the water park but less convinced by the prospect of exhibiting animals in captivity: in fairness, it should be pointed out that it is not clear at present whether this would be a traditional “zoo” with animals in cages, an aquarium or a “wildlife park” where they are allowed semi-freedom in enclosures designed to replicate their natural habitats.

On the topic of wildlife, another topic to have struck a chord with the nature-loving readership of Murcia Today has concerned birdlife in the north-west of the Region, where for the first time in over a century a black vulture chick has hatched and has been reared by its parents in the wild. As soon as the nest was discovered last year it was discreetly placed under protection by the Department of the Environment in the regional government, and the new arrival marks a small but important addition to the local fauna, which already includes a thriving population of griffon vultures in the countryside of Caravaca, Lorca and the rest of the north-west.

Other items in the news this week

Other local fauna however is less welcome: Murcia close to maximum alert status for pine processionary caterpillars: the warm weather is causing a plague of the caterpillars which are potentially lethal for dogs and cats.

Take maximum precautions if you do encounter these caterpillars as they can, and do, kill pets, and can cause a multitude of health problems for humans as well. Although this information has been published many times before, it's extremely important to ensure that new arrivals to the region are fully aware of how dangerous these are; we certainly had no idea ourselves when we arrived and think back with horror now about walking our dogs and encountering these caterpillars without any understanding of the danger they presented to our dogs.

Rare Iberian lynx adapting to life at Terra Natura wildlife park: two specimens are expected to be ready for their debut in public within a couple of months as Terra Natura becomes only the fourth zoological establishment in the whole of Spain to exhibit the Iberian lynx. Sadly, these magnificent animals are struggling to live alongside humans in the wild as their territory is eroded by human activity.

Opposition in Lorca and Mazarrón to plans for huge offshore fish farm: plans are pending approval for 80 enclosures to be located under 2 kilometres from the coast near Puntas de Calnegre and Parazuelos. Although the economic benefits are undeniable for the local economy politicians from all parties are expressing their opposition to the plans.

Budget for the cull of Argentinian parakeets in Madrid soars to 3 million euros: 11,000 parakeets are to be captured and sacrificed at a cost of 272 euros each. We may enjoy seeing them in the trees above us but residents protest about the noise and the mess they create.

Brexit makes it advisable to renew UK passports 15 months before expiry date: burgundy passports are on the way out as blue is the new black following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. It may mean that some people "lose a year" off the value of their passport, but is it better to be safe than sorry????

A chance for Bremainers to fight for individual EU citizenship? UK nationals opposed to Brexit believe they could apply for individual associate EU citizenship.

British man becomes second confirmed coronavirus patient in Spain: the virus was contracted during a skiing holiday in the French Alps and it was the patient himself who reported his circumstances when he began to feel unwell once back home in Mallorca.

Later in the week there was a false coronavirus alarm in Murcia when a child who travelled to China a month ago presented flu-like symptoms, but he was cleared by tests at the Arrixaca hospital on Thursday.

At the same time, it is reported that the outbreak in China is beginning to affect Murcia wine and furniture exports, while fears of the virus spreading have led to the cancellation of the annual Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, which was due to start on 24^th February.

12.5 million euros to protect major roads in Murcia against future flooding: the RM-19 motorway near San Javier is usually one of the first to close in episodes of heavy rain but the government announces plans to improve the situation on the regional road network.

Pre-emptive action to prevent electric scooter danger on the streets of Cartagena! Primary schoolchildren’s road safety classes are to include scooter riding hints.

Free parking at Águilas Plaza for the main 2020 Carnival parades: the edge-of-town mall offers 1,044 parking spaces free of charge.

Burglar arrested after leaving his car badly parked in Los Nietos: residents identified the man as he attempted to retrieve his car from a tow truck.

Restoration and cleaning continue at the Mar Menor and Mediterranean beaches of Cartagena: thoughts are already turning to the start of the beach tourism season at Easter as the Town Hall redoubles its efforts along the coastline.

200 new trees planted in the streets of Cartagena: climate change mitigation combines with urban renovation in numerous districts of the city.

Muddy rain is more common in Murcia than anywhere else in Spain: washing the car or the patio causes more frustration in the Costa Cálida than in the rest of the country!

Floating submarine museum proposal outlined for the seafront in Cartagena: the Delfín submarine has been awaiting its fate in Cartagena since being withdrawn from naval service 15 years ago!

Minor earthquake in Lorca on Monday afternoon: a 2.3 mbLg tremor was felt by residents in south-west Murcia.

New drains to improve floodwater collection in San Javier: over 600,000 euros are being spent on an 850-metre system in the Barrio de los Pescadores.

Winter flu epidemic has peaked in Murcia says government minister: 92 still in hospital and 9 deaths so far from complications to already existing conditions.

Sheraton hotel in Hacienda del Álamo denies having laid off staff: the management company reports having maintained its full staffing level since the hotel re-opened despite reports in the regional press.

500 pay homage in Cartagena to migrants who died crossing the Mediterranean: flowers cast into the sea in memory of those who failed to reach Spain and southern Europe.

Just 3 years behind bars for Murcia man described as the best banknote forger in Spain: Juan Pedro González Sánchez was found in possession of fake notes with a face value of millions of euros.

Cartagena Town Hall devotes land in Tallante to experimental desert truffle cultivation: the gastronomic delicacy is ideally suited to the climate of the Costa Cálida as it requires very little water.

Murcia unveils only the second basketball court in Spain to be made out of recycled glass! Over 18 tons of glass were used to manufacture the eco-friendly court at the Príncipe de Asturias pavilion in the regional capital.

Former Trampolín Hills boss faces possible 7-year prison sentence: Antonio Martínez turns down a plea bargain offer over alleged fraud at Solera El Trampolín.

New Murcia solar power plant will provide energy for 25,000 homes: the Algibicos farm is under construction in Baños y Mendigo, on the southern side of the mountains which separate the city of Murcia from the Campo de Cartagena.

Merchant vessel picks up 14 African migrants off Cabo Tiñoso: the interception took place on Tuesday morning 30 miles from the Costa Cálida.

New artisan centre opens at the Pósito building in Lorca: the historic 16^th century building is now devoted to the promotion and display of traditional crafts.

Three minors under investigation in Mazarrón after spate of car vandalism: at least a dozen cars were damaged during a mindless spree on 9th December.

Work begins on Amazon logistical centre alongside Corvera airport: reports in the regional press suggest the workforce could be raised from 200 to 1,000 after Amazon were impressed with the speed with which the necessary construction licence and other permits have been issued.

Property news: the Murcia market continued to hold its own while national sales figures fell last year

This week saw the publication by the Spanish government’s central statistics unit of the residential property sales data for the month of December 2019, showing that the number of transactions was 1.8 per cent higher than in the last month of 2018 but that in the whole of the year there was overall decrease in activity of 3.3 per cent.

The sharpest falls are reported in the Balearic and Canary islands and partly as a result of this for the first time in 6 years the property market in Spain slowed down slightly in 2019. However, in the Region of Murcia the growth in sales was maintained, albeit with only a slight increase during the year of 1.2 per cent, and at the same time data made public by the country’s property registrars confirmed the degree to which the market in the Costa Cálida is reliant on non-Spanish buyers.

The registrars report that almost one in five (19.97 per cent) of all sales in the Costa Cálida was to foreign buyers, the fourth highest proportion in the 17 regions of Spain behind the Balearics (29.4 per cent), the Comunidad Valenciana (26.2 per cent) and the Canaries (25.8 per cent).

This implies that non-Spaniards purchased over 3,300 homes in Murcia in 2019 at an average of over 9 per day, and it has historically been the case that in the Costa Cálida a very high proportion of foreign buyers are British. How Brexit will affect this variable is, like so many other aspects of the departure of the UK from the EU, unclear at present, but while is generally expected that the number of Britons acquiring a home in Spain will fall as a result of uncertainty over their future status in EU States, during 2020 the effect could easily be the opposite, as British people seek to secure their rights in this country prior to the end of the “transition period”.

Only time will tell, but in the Region of Murcia perhaps more than in any other part of Spain the effect of Brexit on the property market statistics could be a very telling one indeed.

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