Two-month wait for AVE route tortoise decision

THE Ministry of Public Works is sifting through appeals against compulsory land purchases in Cuevas del Almanzora.
Madrid plans to expropriate 500 hectares of land that will become a reserve for tortoises whose natural habitat is affected by the route of the planned Almeria-Murcia high speed AVE line.
Manuel Niño, second in charge at the Madrid ministry, met the 276 householders and landowners who will be affected if the plans go through. They have offered alternative land that would be equally suitable as a habitat for the tortoises but will not have a negative impact on the homes and in some cases the livelihoods of those involved.
The ministry’s final decision will be announced in September, Niño said.