The proposed Nerja Marina, one of several projects seen by many as being absolutely essential to the future growth of the town as a tourist resort, has been in the pipeline for a very long time.
On September 24th 2007, the Junta de Andalucía apparently gave a firm undertaking that work on the €33 million project would begin during 2008.
A basic draft of the project and an environmental impact study were made and these went on public display, as required by law. The public display period ended on January 22nd 2008.
Nearing the end of the year, and as there is no sign of any movement with the project, the mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, the mayor of Torrox, Toñi Claros, and the director of Agencia Andaluza de Puertos, Montserrat Badía, headed to Sevilla for discussions with the Ministry of Public Works.
The Nerja Marina is to be sited on the Nerja-Torrox border, if anyone was wondering why the mayor of Torrox attended the meeting.
The trio were informed that the project is still awaiting an environmental impact study by the Department of Environment itself, hence no forward progress. The mayor of Nerja expressed disappointment that this information had not been passed on as it would have saved them a wasted journey to Sevilla.
The mayor of Nerja has now set up a meeting, scheduled for December 1st 2008, with the provincial delegate for the Department of Environment, Remedios Martel, in which he hopes to hear (good) news about progress with the environmental impact study.
If, and it’s a big ‘if’, various reports, rumours and promises are to be believed and, more importantly, carried through, next year, 2009, could see work start on both the marina and the sewage plant. But don’t hold your breath……except in the case of the (continued) absence of the sewage plant.