Is it working?…

Millions and millions are being pumped into local municipalities in attempts to revitalise local economies and the talk is of ‘sustainable’ growth, ‘sustainable’ tourism, ‘sustainable’ economy and ‘sustainable’ just about everything else. But is it working?

In many municipalities, Nerja included, the vast sums of financial aid are being used, in the main, for various infrastructure projects, many of them being relatively small projects. So, who benefits? Who suffers? Is it sustainable? Does it work?

There are so many building projects going on at the moment in Nerja, although no sewage plant as we all know only too well, and new ones seem to start almost every week. Plaza Cantarero, Plaza Cavana, Balcon de Europa, calle Carabeo, calle Andalucia…the list is endless.

These, often small projects do have their benefits, but not necessarily to the one who need it at the moment. Several local building firms are, of course, benefiting from these projects but one gets the distinct impression that they are already becoming overstretched.

They do not appear to be contracting sufficient labour to maintain all the various sites, so when there is activity in, for example, Plaza Cavana, there is inactivity on another site, such as calle Carabeo or Plaza de la Ermita. It is no wonder that virtually all the projects fail to meet their deadlines. Many take twice as long to complete as was originally forecast.

A few building firms, then, do benefit. Who else?

The Council, of course, as much of any municipality’s revenue is derived from building projects – building licences, first occupation, opening licence etc.

What about the local residents and tourists? Well, it will ‘look nice’ when finished, but in the meantime there is much disruption to daily life. Restricted access, noise and obnoxious smells in some cases.

And the local businesses? Here seems to be the rub. To make the place ‘look nice’ for the future, many businesses have to suffer greatly while the works are going on. Not particularly good, to say the least, when there is a recession and they are already struggling.

The cafes, and other businesses, on and around the Balcon de Europa were forced to close for long periods as access to their premises was restricted or, on occasion, totally cut off. It is a similar situation in Plaza Cavana.

There is currently no access to the shops or bar on one side of the square. This may only last for a short time in this instance, but this is not always the case in other areas.

The roadworks in calle Carabeo, which are moving at snail’s pace, are resulting in hardship for the businesses at the far end of the street as people tend, or are forced, to bypass the area by going through the Los Huertos car park.

Businesses, therefore, derive little or no benefit from all these projects, quite the reverse in fact. And it these businesses who are the backbone of the local economy, both for residents and tourist visitors. The only saving grace, perhaps, is that most of the disruption is during the ‘off season’, but that may not be much consolation for a business on the verge or struggling.

Some municipalities have introduced measures to stimulate the local economy, encourage new businesses to start up or provide assistance for those wishing to expand, but not many.

How about using some of the funds to enable the temporary waiving, or discount, of the opening licence, reduce local business taxes for a short time to encourage growth, arrange preferential loans or any number of measures which would actually stimulate the local economy?

Local businesses are closing down almost on a daily basis and, unlike even a few months ago when one disappeared but another took its place, this does not appear to be the case recently.

The construction industry is obviously important, but should not be seen as the ‘only’ industry, particularly in a tourist resort. If the local economy was healthy and booming, all these building projects would have far less of an impact, but it’s not.

These projects should, of course, have been carried out in the boom years rather than building thousands of homes which are still unoccupied and decaying, but then again, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Quick profits at the time were all that mattered.

On the ‘sustainable tourism’ front, all the emphasis is still on golf courses (play ‘spot the golfer’ at Baveira), marinas (take a look at Marinas del Este!), five star hotels (look at the number that have fallen by the wayside on the Costa del Sol), rail link (look at the Tranvia), luxury housing and accommodation and other ideas.

When you talk to tourists, the vast majority are looking for a ‘typically Spanish resort, good beaches, traditional beach chiringuitos, local atmosphere and culture and value for money.

There are enough luxury items, such as golf courses, within easy reach of Nerja, so why not be a bit different and imaginative?