The Provincial Department of Environment has reported favourably on the environmental impact study relating to the proposed construction of a new marina on the Nerja-Torrox border, namely on Vilchez beach.
The environmental impact study had been a pending issue for the past eighteen months, blocking further progress on the marina project proposed by both the councils of Nerja and Torrox. The study rules out the possibility of locating any new marina at either El Playazo or Calaceite beaches, so at least that’s settled.
The report by the Department of Environment lays down clear guidelines as to remedial measures which will have to be taken in order to incur the least possible damage to the ecosystem of the area. The company responsible for the construction and management of the new marina will be chosen through a public works concession and said company will have to make an inventory of flora, fauna, landscape values, water resources and other items before starting construction.
The current intention is that work on the new marina would begin before the end of the current municipal legislature.
The Mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, expressed both satisfaction and anger at the announcement.
The Mayor is satisfied because the environmental impact study has at last been addressed and further progress can now be made with the project. He was not happy, however, with the way the announcement was made.
The announcement was made through a press release issued by the PSOE in Torrox and later confirmed by the Provincial Department of Environment. The Mayor is angry because he believes the commitment was to first inform the municipalities concerned before making any press release and described the situation as a ‘shame and scandal’.