Reinstated Marbella mayor aims to strike deal with Starlite

ONE of the very first decisions made by returned Marbella Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz is to come out in favour of the continuation of the Starlite Festival.

She has stated that this is a unique festival which is important for the promotion of the Marbella brand on an international basis.

It is her wish to have the event declared a “festival of municipal interest” in the same way that Madrid has declared Gay Pride Week as being in the same category.

Critics however suggest that this will require a change in the law as unlike Madrid, Andalucia does not recognise such a title.

In addition, she has announced that unlike the previous administration which only agreed to an annual extension of the rights for the Starlite Festival to be held, she will be requesting permission from the Junta de Andalucia to extend them for a decade.

All of this, prior to any decision by the courts on the matter of alleged illegal construction on the site.

The previous council had a number of disagreements with organisers of Starlite Sandra García-Sanjuan and husband Ignacio Maluquer which led to the threat of Starlite being transferred to another city which would have hurt employment prospects although rental paid for the area used is small.

It was the incoming Mayor Muñoz who first agreed to the festival in 2012 and it is she who is acting so quickly to try to ensure that it remains a regular annual feature on the Marbella music calendar.