ARCHIVED - Isla Plana residents frustrated as the neighbours association bar remains closed for the fiestas

No sign of progress towards re-opening 8 months after the licence was suspended

Eight months after the popular bar of the neighbours’ association on the seafront in Isla Plana, with views out towards the church and the island which gives the village its name, was closed by the Policía Local of Cartagena, and with the annual fiestas of the village looming in August, the local population and numerous summer visitors are less than pleased to see that still no apparent progress is being made towards the premises re-opening.

When the police sealed the bar area off last November it was because the manager of “the social” (as it is known by some British expats) was accused of serving hot food without a licence, and not without justification – at the time there were boards advertising paella in place outside the building. For a long time the food served at the bar had consisted mainly of cold tapas (such as mussels from the tin and Russian salad), while any dishes which required cooking could be seen being carried to the bar from private kitchens where they had been prepared.

However, it appeared that either this too was a contravention of the rules because a separate licence is needed to serve cooked dishes rather than to prepare them, or that after 12 years running the establishment the manager, Sebastián Torres Ballesta, had been surreptitiously cooking food in the area behind the bar.

Sr Torres continues to claim that he is being singled out for unfair treatment by people who would rather see the bar under different management and denies any wrongdoing, and at present the doors to the premises have been adorned with copies of an appeal he has lodged with the Town Hall of Cartagena and of the licence which has been suspended.

The local residents of Isla Plana continue to use the building for other purposes, but on Monday 22^nd July, when in a “normal” year the outdoor terrace would have been packed with people enjoying ice-creams, drinks and the breeze, as well as the bilingual English and Spanish conversation activity groups which met there, the only table being used was occupied by a few women playing ludo. Inside, the men folk were doggedly indulging in a typically noisy session of early evening dominoes, but without a ready supply of coffee, beers and refreshments the atmosphere was subdued to say the least.

These year-round locals are of course aware that the in the issue of the contravention of the terms of Sr Torres’ licence justice must be allowed to run its course, but this does not diminish their frustration at the fact that after eight months there is no sign of a temporary arrangement being made to allow the fiestas to go ahead as usual. The main events will still be held in the Plaza del Mar (the terrace alongside, with the sea views), but it is hard to imagine the evening bingo, the foam parties, the music and the dancing without refreshments to hand: some of the residents even speculate that people will be bringing wheelbarrows stocked with ice cubes and cans!

It has to be stressed that for the Spanish residents of Isla Plana – and indeed many in La Azohía – the “Asosiasión” is more than just a venue for a coffee. It is the hub of their local community, and the “cantina” bar is an integral part of it. When the refurbishment of the building dragged on for two years a few years ago they were deprived of a meeting point, a venue to watch Sunday evening football matches in company and, above all, a place where everyone knows everyone in what is a small community during the winter months.

What they are hoping is that a licence can soon be awarded to another manager, preferably a local person – if not born and bred in Isla Plana, then at least strongly connected to the identity of the village.

At the same time, they look forward to a return of the lower bar prices which characterized the venue in the past, some of them complaining that prices in other nearby bars have been raised now that the competition from the Cantina has been removed.

One even added that in his view this is just another indication of how Isla Plana and La Azohía are among the outlying districts "forgotten" by the Town Hall of Cartagena, and that they might be better off if included in the municipality of Mazarrón.

Meanwhile, for many of the expats living in Isla Plana and La Azohía, and for those returning to the area as summer visitors, the closure of “the social” will be most unwelcome. The niceties of the Spanish legal system are such that long delays are almost inevitable in almost all proceedings, but in this case it is certainly a shame that no short cut or temporary measure can be found in order for one of the main attractions of the west of the bay of Mazarrón to be made available again!

Images: all taken at the neighbours’ association on 22^nd July 2019

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