Chiringuitos open over Easter

ALMERIA’S ‘chiringuitos’ (beach restaurants) opened over Easter although the owners have still not been told by the Junta de Andalucia whether they will be able to remain in place. The Junta took over this issue on April 1, but hopes are higher than two years ago, when it was in the hands of the Provincial Coastal Department, who told the owners their restaurants would have to be removed from the sand to become legal.

However, the President of the Junta de Andalucia, Jose Antonio Griñan, defended that ‘chiringuitos’ are a special type of restaurant and should be allowed to remain where they are and the Junta will now be the body deciding on this.

In Malaga province, building grants have been awarded to 20 ‘chiringuitos’ to build new premises which are adapted to coastal laws.

In Almeria, mainly Roquetas de Mar and the capital, some 1,300 families are waiting for a decision from the Junta.