Yesterday's Levante news announced that infrastructure works will start in March. The 2000 houses, hotel and sports complex will follow!
Personally I'd be more surprised if they started in March than if the opening ribbon was cut by Elvis sitting atop Shergar!
From the 1st February you will find us in our new premises beside the "bar union" opposite Caixa Catalunya on the main Calle San Vicent.
The Minister of Economy, Finance and Employment, Gerardo Camps has announced that following investigation into flooding of this beautiful building the cause can be attributed to rain!
Anyone interested in his views on rocket science can contact me for his email address or view the council website at: www.statingthebleedingobvious.com
After the flooding the world famous Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava suggested putting waterproofing measures in place! He can be contacted via : www.afterthehorsehasbolted.com
Todays Levante tells us that IKEA is weighing up both sites, Paterna & Alfafar. This is turning into a farce akin to the 33rd America's Cup.
Having only once stepped inside an IKEA store I'm not sure I really understand what all the fuss is about. I found nothing of interest and found the queues to pay lessened my will to live.
Presumably all the posturing is a negotiating tactic by the Swedes to see who will offer the most insentives for them to build. Good for them!
Forget Paterna, whoever thought that an IKEA store would open there! According to todays Levante the first IKEA will now open in Alfafar a town/retail park a few kms south of the city. The land classification for construction is more advanced there and the store could be opened as early as 2011. Can't wait!!
How this leaves the Paterna project is so far uncertain though two IKEAs would seem unlikely.
The town council of Vilamarxant have voted themselves pay rises a little ahead of inflation. The Mayor will see his pay increased 54% and his team in the order of 43%.
No details of fringe benefits are available.
A unanimous vote by councillors will lead to a complaint to AENA, Spain's equivalent to BAA, over noise levels produced by flights from Manises crossing the town. I can't say that I've noticed any increase in noise pollution and am sure it can't be louder than all the abuelas shouting at each other in the bars!
As the property slump bites harder we have noticed an increase in the number of spanish second property owners who are now thinking of renting out their holiday homes. Good news you would think but finding a tenant is not so easy. No Moros, Gitanos, Eastern europeans,foreigners in general - the Brits seemingly an exception as they are viewed as a soft touch! (Sellers often say that their property is ideal for Brits, meaning that they know no spaniard would pay the asking price to live in the middle of nowhere!!) Basically for a good chance to allow the landlord to accept your money you need to have full time employment, bank guarantees, a letter of recommendation from the Pope and be blood related!
Well true to form I went to the water company office in Vilamarxant and I owe 6 months water(€89). They say they have sent two invoices to my bank and both have been returned. They even keep a straight face when they say it. On a previous occasion when the whole urbanization was cut off for maintenance for a day they told me they had sent a letter to all neighbours to inform them in advance. Strangely no-one received the notification. Anyone who has lived here for a while will realize that even the suggestion that someone would afford such courtesy to a client is in itself laughable.
Arriving in Lliria this morning I saw two local police officers writing a ticket for a car parked on a loading only bay. About time I thought, common sense at last. Upon closer inspection I was pleased to see that they were leading by example (like the blind lead the blind!), one was parked facing the wrong way up a one way street and the other on a pedestrian crossing!
Incidentally am I the only one who has noticed that most spaniards avoid crossing on the designated points, but prefer to cross 2 metres either side of it. When a friend of mine once complained to a police officer about a car parked on a zebra crossing outside of his kids school he was told that they turned a blind eye to this at pick up/drop off times, but were hot on the case between times! Madre mia!!
