Still up in the air

In 2021, AREME (Foreign Residents Association of Estepona) wrote to the Town Hall regarding the lack of ramps on a footbridge crossing the A7 at Benamara/Benavista.

As no positive response  was received they created a petition in early 2022 and once sufficient signatures were received sent this to the Estepona Mayor.

Disabled and those with pushchairs marginalised

On September 27,  2022 AREME received a letter from Ana Velasco, deputy mayor in charge of all infrastructure in Estepona stating that Town Hall had agreed to their request however they required the petitioners to raise around €16,000 to pay for an engineer’s report and licences to allow this to proceed.

Between September 2022 and February 2023 AREME contacted a number of the local urbanisations and businesses as well as using  its own reserves to ensure that the this total was available and the report was completed and sent to the Town Hall.

No go from MOPO

On March 10 2023,  Estepona Council sent all necessary documents to the Ministerio de Obras Publicas (MOPO) in Malaga Capital which is in charge of roads and bridges in the Province and apart from a query which was quickly dealt with in November 2023, approval is still awaited.

Understandably, those who contributed the money towards the engineer’s report and review are asking why this matter is taking so long to be resolved and there is certainly no reluctance on the part of Estepona Council as they have allocated funds for the work to be undertaken.

The only answer seems to be that whilst the ‘Mills of God grind slowly’, they are more than matched by MOPO!