A rather unwelcome set of new measures has been announced by those fun folks still running Mogán Town Council this week, making clear that they will not allow parasols, umbrellas, tables or towels to be used to reserve space on the beaches, for long periods in the absence of their owners. The representatives of the people of Mogán have decided such items left unattended will be considered abandoned, and may be removed by municipal workers.
It is one of the more striking changes included in their proposed modifications to the Municipal Ordinance and bylaws on the use and exploitation of the beaches, which were initially approved this Wednesday, with only the members of Mayor O.Bueno’s government group (CIUCA) voting in favour of the measures put forward at this weeks town council plenary, where they also agreed to double the per km rate for mid-distance taxi journeys, by removing the “interurban” tariff, charged bewteen Arguineguín and Playa del Cura.
Councillor for multiple areas, and Bueno’s right hand man, Mencey Navarro, claimed it is a fact that some people go to the beaches first thing in the morning, deposit their belongings in order to reserve a space, then leave only to return hours later.
We haven’t seen much evidence of this ourselves, nor have we ever heard of it causing a problem, perhaps you have heard or seen something different?
Let us know in the comments if you have.
Mogán’s beaches have always been well cared for, with plenty of space for everyone who wants to use the sands along the coastlines. We’ve never known a situation where anyone has ever complained that they could not find a spot on the beach. Now of course Mogán have taken back control of the beaches from the companies like Puerto Rico SA that always looked after them so well. So what’s this all about then?
“During those three, four, five hours, that stretch of the beach cannot be used by any other because it is occupied by those belongings,” warned the deputy mayor. “These objects will be understood as abandoned and municipal personnel may proceed with their removal.”
O.Bueno’s local executive, who have, one way or another, held an absolute majority in the town hall since 2015 in spite of various allegations, arrests and ongoing court cases, have defended the new measures saying the objective of these changes is to improve coexistence and safety of beach users by detecting behaviours and activities that have not been thought about previously and/or regulated until now.
No camping on the beach
Another change to the local bylaws will be the definition of what is meant by camping on the beach, the description of which will now be explicitly expanded to specify that it is prohibited all year round and at any time of day or night.
The town council have taken time to specify harmful actions that should now be regulated, such as throwing rubbish onto the coastline, as well as the cleaning of any type of container while on the sand, in the sea, or in showers and foot baths. They have specifically prohibited the use of any hygiene or cleaning products when washing in the sea or on the beach – including showers and foot baths.
The launching or beaching of any type of boat in bathing areas is now to be completely banned, as well as mooring or anchoring of these types of vessel. Moreover, the ordinance indicates that boats cannot approach closer than 200 meters from the shore.
All these changes are also included in the infractions sections, which range from minor to very serious. It is considered very serious, for example, to be caught “accessing or leaving with a jet ski along the shore of bathing areas when a marked channel is not used for this purpose,” said Navarro.
The agreement will be exhibited to the public, on the notice boards of the Town Council, and in the Official Gazette of the Province, for 30 days so that any interested persons can examine it and present claims or objections they deem necessary.
No more advertising brochures under a stone
In the same session, the CIUCA government group voted in favour of initial modifications to the Ordinance for Cleaning Public Spaces and Municipal Waste Management, which was approved while the PP and PSOE opposition parties abstained. The new regulation, of conduct not previously considered before now, seeks to prevent the deterioration of the image of public spaces, especially in tourist areas: caused by the scattering, depositing or abandoning of any kind of flyers or advertising materials. This action becomes part of the list of ‘prohibited activities’ within the regulations and classified as a serious infringement.
Stopping substantial modifications to licensed works
The members of the town council also agreed to modify the municipal ordinance to prevent people or companies from carrying out works and sneaking in substantial project modifications, based on having “prior communication” that would otherwise have required a request for a new license, hopefully closing a loophole in urban planning processes, a measure which will also be exhibited to the public for 30 days, both on the notice board of the town hall and in the Official Gazette of the Province, so that interested persons can present allegations or objections if they consider it appropriate.
Mogán Taxi’s “Urban Rate” abolished
La Alcaldesa and her CIUCA council also agreed, controversially, to abolish the “urban taxi rate” which allows for travel between designated urban areas at what is known as Tariff 1, and instead to now exclusively apply the “interurban rate” known as Tariff 3, a price set by the Territorial Price Commission of Las Palmas and the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of the Government of the Canary Islands.
This will essentially mean the doubling of taxi fares from the current €0.63 per kilometre, when travelling between Arguineguín and Playa del Cura, to now become €1.26 per kilometre at night, and a slightly lower €1.10 per kilometre during the daytime. Instead of applying a lower rate for travel within the local area the town hall have decided to simply apply the rate usually charged for travelling outside the area to other municipalities.
Unless enough local residents speak out in the next 30 days, this newly approved ordinance will become local law.
Finally the plenary approved extrajudicial acknowledgment of €344,521.40 worth of invoices, paid mostly for the supply of water, from their collaborators in the local water company, as well as a fee for the provision of the waste treatment services, which was approved once again with votes from the O.Bueno’s government group (CIUCA) and this time supported by the PP while the PSOE abstained.
Mogán town hall change traffic priorities on three Puerto Rico streets above Amadores
