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Date Published: 23/07/2021

ARCHIVED - Outdoor terraces in Las Dunas shopping centre closed to cut down on illegal drinking parties

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

The Las Dunas centre in Cabo de Palos, Cartagena, has been a source of complaints for years

By closing the terraces on the first floor, Cartagena council hopes to make it more difficult for minors to access the empty areas of the centre and use it for botellon drinking sessions.

The unfinished state of Las Dunas shopping centre, located next to the weekly market in Cabo de Palos, has been a cause for consternation among residents, business owners and holiday makers for many years.

The project, situated in Cabo de Palos, close to Km 0 of la Manga del Mar Menor, was halted in 2017 and since then has lain in an unfinished state, gradually acquiring a veneer of graffiti.

Today, while bars, restaurants and commercial units occupy the front half of the centre, the empty units at the back have become a congregation point for youngsters partying, sometimes resulting in violent confrontations, which have resulted in frequent complaints from residents in the area.

The Councillor for Citizen Security, Juan Pedro Torralba, said that Las Dunas has become the go-to venue for ‘botellen gatherings’ in the last few years, with young people even travelling from other municipalities to party there. Local residents have complained that more often than not, due to excessive drinking and drug taking, disputes frequently spread out into the streets, despite the fact that 22 local police officers are assigned to control the area. The fact is that the volume of youngsters congregating at the centre simply overwhelms the police presence on occasions and the police lack the resource to maintain a permanent presence in the area 24/7.

So, in a move to prevent the misuse of the unoccupied sections, the Council has decided to close the outdoor terraces of businesses on the first floor of the shopping centre to prevent access to the unauthorised areas at the back of the building. Business owners on the bottom floor have also been warned that they face the same fate if they fail to put up solid barriers to keep undesirables out.

The decision is motivated by the appeal of customers in the esplanades that are both at the top and bottom of the commercial area, in the last three weekends. According to the sources consulted, the gatherings consisted of large crowds not wearing masks or social distancing, passing around alcohol and cigarettes with the obvious risk of Covid, as well as several sporadic violent incidents.

Earlier this month, the City Council provided several mobile plastic barriers to businesses on the first floor, but now wants more solid fencing on both levels to prevent unwanted visitors accessing the empty and dilapidated areas which are already destroyed with graffiti and strewn with rubbish and empty bottles.

The measure, applied on Tuesday, is part of the tightening of the nightlife control plan that came into force a week ago, also following repeated incidents reported by the surrounding residents. In one instance, it was reported that twin brothers were set upon by a group of six or seven youths in an urbanisation next to the Levante Beach. According to the Guardia Civil, both suffered injuries to the face and head, one suffered a crack in his finger and the car they were in was damaged.

In addition to the closure of terraces, from next weekend four additional agents will be stationed in Cabo de Palos to control the situation, while bar owners in Las Dunas have been hiring private security guards for the past three weeks.

Unsurprisingly, business owners located on the first floor are furious about the closure of their terraces, insisting that it won’t help to prevent the congregation of youngsters in the unoccupied areas of the centre.

“If they close us, the botelleo is going to multiply in all directions,” one bar owner complained, adding that establishments on the ground floor have just as little control over the minors that pass through. He suggested that limiting occupancy upstairs by closing the terraces would actually lead to more people drinking illegally if they can’t find a table.

Image: Ayto- Cartagena