Frai, Comarex, Caja Rural de Granada VS Gabriel Clavijo

A few weeks ago I wrote about Los Llanos de Coin, a golf project approved by the regional government and the then administration of Coin.

This project was stopped by the incoming Mayor, Mr. Clavijo, and his administration, with the support of the citizens of the town on the grounds that it would jeopardize the supply of water to Coin and the surrounding area, as the project would tap into a very crucial water table.

Yesterday the judge decimated the court case brought by the promoters against the Mayor judging it premature and ordered that the case should be archived until further notice. Although the Mayor during a newspaper interview stated that he was happy with the judges decision I am not so sure, because it means that a simple appeal from the plaintiff will be enough to force the case out in the open again.

I am not a lover of politicians but in this particular case I feel sad that a man doing a difficult job, putting the interest of his fellow citizens before his own, should be left to fight this battle on his own.

Clavijo belongs to the Socialist Party which happens to be in power at a regional level as well as a national level.

My question is - Why not stand up and clearly state that the Seville government made a mistake when they approved the initial project?

Honestly admit that the environmental study of the land in question was flawed from the beginning and divert the court case towards them if there has to be one. I sympathize with the promoters who appear to have acted in good faith but the facts are clear.

Los Llanos sits on the main water table of Coin, Alhaurin el Grande and Mijas and should not be used and abused to the detriment of the population of these towns. A compensation agreement between the regional government and the promoters should be reached as soon as possible and the pressure taken off the Mr. Clavijo in order that he can focus on the towns problems rather than having to appear in court to defend other people’s blunders.

COURT RULING FOR LOS LLANOS DEVELOPMENT, COIN

The court case brought by Caja Granada and a promoter against Coín Council for impeding a fully approved development to go ahead, opposite Las Delicias in a place called Los Llanos, was heard on Tuesday….


The judges ruled that the council was acting in good faith and to the benefit of Coin’s residents because the development would take place on top of Coin’s main water table, thus threatening the main supply to the town itself. Of course, the judge left the door open for the bank and promoter to appeal to Andalusia’s Supreme Court of Justice, ‘whatever that means’ so watch this space sometime next year.


Personally I think the present council should not even be in court. To use a metaphor, it is equivalent to putting a person who stops another from abusing a child in prison. The court case should be against the very clever architect who bought the land in the first place. And who then with his generous and all persuading purse convinced the not so bright but all powerful mayor at the time to push the project forward to the regional government as an emblematic and necessary one.


If there was ever a perfect example of “In the world of the blind a one eyed man is King”, this was Coin at the time. At regional level at the time things were not faring much better. The Socialists needed the Andalusian nationalists to run the region so they were prepared to throw a few crumbs at the right time and in the right places. It took an association of ecologists and the then socialist candidate for mayor to stop the whole thing and ask for further environmental studies. These subsequently confirmed the need to stop the folly of building on Los llanos. The then candidate is now the mayor of Coin who was brave enough to go against his own party for a cause he believes is just.


I don’t know who will win in the end but one thing I am absolutely sure of is, the people who devised and approved this dodgy project are not sitting in the docks, the people who bought it are guilty of naivety and the mayor who stand to loose his own house should the Supreme court rule against him should be given a medal for fighting this battle on behalf of his fellow citizens. Piero Repetto

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