The meeting was called by Santiago Martinez to discuss the problems on Camposol.

BO listed the problems after asking the membership for their observations. Bob did not have long to collate all the information he received in well over 100 e-mails but he created a list of the most pressing issues on Camposol and presented it to the meeting.

SM explained that he is the Councils Technical Supervising Architect and he is leading a team of four, 2 Architects and 2 Engineers and they are working solely on the Camposol problems.

JG explained that the Council are collating all the problems on Camposol along with input from the CRA. JG went on to say that the Council are in the process of issuing enforcement notices on Masa to complete all outstanding works and if they do not comply the Council will use the guarantee bond monies to do the work. Their intention would be to address the most urgent problems first such as the roads and the sewage works upgrade.

The Bridge.
SM said he is calling MASA on a daily basis to get them on site and do the remedial works to the approach road to the Bridge. The Council will also instruct MASA to reinstate the original rambla crossing for emergency use only.
Escaturas.

jG said that Escaturas, Completion Certificates and Certificates of Habitation will all be resolved once the revised plans of the Urbanisation Camposol are agreed. This is part of the brief of the dedicated team headed by SM.

Turistica.
The designation of Turistica properties is a MASA problem and should be subject to legal action by the owners against MASA, for mis-selling.

Licences.
Anyone not having building licences for work done by Abril 28 (MASA small building firm) should, in the first instance, contact MASA for them. If not successful they should then instruct an Architect privately to legalise the situation for them.

Rambla.
This situation is ongoing between MASA, the Council and Hidrografica.

Drainage from hill areas.
Council will instruct MASA to re-establish the gulleys that feed the ramblas. Most were filled in by MASA during the construction of Camposol.

Roads in general.
Will be the subject of detailed Architects inspection to establish the condition and what is required to bring them up to a standard acceptable to the Council. MASA will then be instructed to carry out such works as is necessary. Any information or photographic evidence can be sent to the CRA on Bob’s e-mail address, bob-brendaowen@hotmail.com, who will forward it to the Council to assist in the process.

Cleaning of B Sector Commercial Area.
This will be the subject of a meeting between the CRA and the business owners.

Empty and unsafe villas.
CRA will produce a list of empty villas owned by MASA or the Banks and submit to SM who will issue an order for their maintenance. Any unsafe villas will be designated as “ruins” and then a demolition order issued.

C Sector irrigation system.
CRA to contact MASA to establish position of stop cocks.

Exposed electric cable on D7 sub-station.
Council to contact Ibrodola.

MASA Rubbish.
Council to instruct MASA to clear up urbanisation of old building materials including the old cement works and the old MASA store on B Sector.

Car Parking.
The unofficial car park opposite B Sector Commercial Area to continue to be used for overspill as this area is dedicated for commercial use and if built on will include more car parking.

D Sector Commercial Area.
There are no plans for a commercial area on D Sector.

Street Lights.
The Council will survey all street lights and tell MASA what they have to do to bring them to an acceptable level.

Dangerous Street Lights.
CRA gave a list of the dangerous street lights to SM who undertook to inspect them as a matter of urgency.

It was agreed that another meeting would be held as and when any progress is made on the issues discussed.

CRA /Mayor Meeting July 7th 2010

Meeting started at 12:50

Those present:
For the Town Hall:
Francisco Blaya, Mayor.
Jacqueline Gálvez, Councillor for Foreigners.
José Antonio Román, Councillor for Urbanism.
Ricardo Fernandez, Lawyer.
For the CRA:
Bob Owen, Chairman.
Barrie Eveleigh.
Pete Pitt.
John Daws.
José Navarro.

1. J.N. and J.G. agreed to share the role of translators for this meeting.

2. Secondly, permission was asked for B.E. to record our meeting with a voice recorder. F.B. said there was no problem.

3. The meeting begun with Jose thanking all those present for attending the meeting, especially the Mayor.

4. B.O. asked “In the recent meeting between ASHC and the Mayor and meeting between the CRA and councillor Galvez the minutes state that you are now going to enforce a Entitad on Sector A and then presumably the rest of Camposol. This contradicts the possible middle way forward that has been discussed with you in meetings with the CRA over the last 9 months. Is this what you intend and if so why the change in policy?”

F.B. explained that they had not changed their policy towards Camposol, they are following the procedure laid down by the law relating to not only Camposol but to all urbanizations. They had been looking to find a formula that would be the best way forward for the procedure of the self management of Camposol. He also stated that the Plan General, the Plan Parcial and our contracts state that Camposol will be run by an entity. The Council are looking at the best way to assist with the collection of community fees as they found that the problem of how to ensure that all residents paid their fees was the biggest fear when the first entity was set up on A Sector some years ago. He went on to say that it has to be clear that all the costs associated with this and the maintenance of the community will have to be met by the residents and they have always said that. He added that “Camposol should be self sufficient.” “The Council will ensure that the administration is being done properly.” He went on to say that they are trying to find administration companies that have experience of the type of urbanization such as Camposol and what they will have to do with that company is find a way to finish the urbanization. Entities have duties regarding conservation and maintenance. To get Camposol up and running the residents will be responsible for the street lighting, cleaning and conservation of landscaping areas. These landscaped areas are in fact being looked after by the residents already. The Mayor thought that the best option is to suggest two or three administration companies and we can choose whether to go with one of those or look elsewhere.

J.G. stated the Town Hall have to deal with representatives of all homeowners, and not just a residents association.

F.B. said the Town Hall will study how to elect this representative committee of all B, C and D proprietors.

5. B.O. “In the Plan Parcial for B, C & D it states that these sectors when taken over by the Council will become part of the entidad that will have been formed for A Sector. How can this now be amended to your proposal of different entidads for different sectors?”

F. B. The matter of whether there will be one or two entities or whether they will come together is complicated and it might be better to have several because of the size.

B.E. made the point that the Garrigues report states that B C & D sectors join A sector’s conservation body.

R.F answered by stating that there are no legal restrictions and once the administration is put in place we can organize ourselves as we wish. We could even have separate administrations for poligonos if we like although each separately managed area would have to contribute to the common facilities such as that of the treatment works
.
F.B. said that because of the reality of the situation and especially the street lights, the self management should function now.

B.E. “Are you saying we should start the entity process on B, C & D now?”
J.G. “Yes.”

B.E “Even though the infrastructure is far from being up to standard or completed?”

F.B. & R.F. both said yes but it would still have to be completed.

J.G added that we “would be paying for the street lighting not mending the roads.”

F.B “The Council have to by what ever means ensure Masa finish the Urbanization by taking the guarantee or whatever.”

B.E “But we know and the Mayor has agreed that there is a big shortfall between the guarantees and the amount needed to put things right.”

F.B “First we have to get that guarantee and see what we can do with it. We are going to take the route that will finish the urbanization. We will see what the administration company can do, we shall see what the bank guarantees are and what we can do but we have to find that route.”

B.E. Shouldn’t there be a detailed survey done by engineers to determine what the cost will be.

J.G “They are doing that. The detailed survey goes back to Masa telling them what is needed.”

J.A.R. stated that they already had reports for all Camposol.

B.E. questioned this on the basis that there has not been any evidence of the presence of the necessary engineers or the type of investigation that would be needed. A suitable survey would for instance need such things as test bores to investigate the underlying problems with the roads.

B.O. “Can we summarise?” You believe we have come to a crossroads where we have to start looking after things ourselves by way of an entity or the like, but we will not be responsible for unfinished works or works not up to standard.

R.F said we should not worry, we (the council) shall have to do what we have to do, and we do not have to complicate your lives. It is the council’s responsibility to ensure Camposol is finished to the set standards. At the same time we (the residents) have to organise to pay for expenses relating to the responsibilities that we take over. (Street lights, street cleaning and green areas)

F.B. “An Entity or any other form will not be responsible for any part of the infrastructure that had not been accepted by the council as up to standard and fit to hand over. The initial entities will run in parallel with the council administration. The council will be responsible for getting the infrastructure up to standard before handing it over to the entity. The council will seize the bank guarantees, decide with us on priorities and attend to them. The council will then seize land, assets and anything else to secure funds to finish of the infrastructure.”

P.P. asked if the Town Hall have to wait until the 2013 deadline to take action.

R.F. stated that because of the building phases are not completed, we have not to wait until 2013 and this deadline should not be considered at all.

J.G. stated the Town Hall is actually planning this and that the Council is no longer dealing with MASA in a friendly way.

6. B.O. “Will the residents of Camposol be expected to pay for the shortfall?”

F.B. stated that the shortfall was for the council to sort out and it should not be of concern to us, it was their job to ensure everything was finished to standard.

B.E. asked what the monetary amount of that shortfall is.

J.A.R. stated they have not quantified it yet.

7. B.O. raised the subject of the database.

F.B. said the council and admin company were able to compile that from their own and others records.

8 J. N. stated that duties about conservation and about maintenance are separate duties, and not the same one. And that Entities have mandatory duty of conservation, but not in maintenance, as it can be read in the Garrigues report. Therefore is no obligation for a virtual entity to pay for the electric power to the street lights and that Garrigues Report and article 26 of law 7/1985 support this position.

F. B. stated the Town Hall is not able to pay for the street lighting. It is the residents responsibility.

R.F. stated that, anyway, in the actual legal situation of Camposol, homeowners have to pay for street lighting. He also stated that this is just a detail and the important thing for Camposol as a whole was to form an entity or other form of self-management.

J. N. stated this particular detail is an important one for our members.

R. F. stated that once an Entity (or another form of self management) is running, further discussions about particular responsibilities can be arranged.

9. B.O. “As you are aware there is an ongoing strategy from Masa with possibly the assistance of Iberdrola to cut off the street lighting on Camposol. It will not be long before there is complete darkness and Camposol becomes an open house to every thief in Spain. This is obviously not acceptable and as the Mayor you have a legal duty of care, as stated in the Garrigues report, for all citizens on Camposol. Is it not about time that you took direct action to correct this serious situation?”

F.B. stated we must organise ourselves the sooner the better, to try to resolve this because the Town Hall can not. However, the Town Hall will do whatever it is legally bound to.

10. B.O. “At the last CRA meeting with the Mayor the council lawyer said that the problems with the rambla on sector D, which was holding up the acceptance of sector B, C & D, was not a major issue. Can we have an update on how this matter is progressing?”

R. F. stated that it is really a major issue but that is progressing through normal legal procedures. There was nothing new to report at this time.

11. B.O. “What is the latest on the Medical Centre Opening?”

F.B: “Medical centre will open this autumn, quite likely September. There are only a few small requirements to get it completed”

12. B.O. “What is the latest on the construction of the community centre?”

F.B.: “Contracts for building of the Community Centre were signed yesterday. They now have one month to start building”

13. B.O. “As you are aware there are many disabled car badge holders on Camposol but no parking spaces allocated for their use in the two commercial centres. Can this be corrected?”

F.B. said the council would investigate the situation of disabled parking bays.

B.O. pointed out that the taxi rank was unused and a waste of three parking spaces.

14. B.O. “With the hot weather and tourist season upon us, as you kindly did last year, could you increase the number of rubbish collections per week during this period?”

F.B. said refuse collection was still not being paid by Masa, but they will look into it.
Despite that, J.N. agreed to personally talk with Salvador Ardil, the councillor in charge of refuse collection, who was not present at the meeting.

The meeting closed at 14:20.

CRA/J Galvez Meeting 16th June 2010.

Those present:
Jackie Galvez (JG)
Greg Green (GG)
Bob Owen (BO)

The meeting started at 11.15am.

1. In the recent meeting between ASHC with the Mayor the minutes state that the Mayor is now going to enforce a Entitad on Sector A and then presumably the rest of Camposol. This contradicts the possible middle way forward that has been discussed with yourself and the Mayor in meetings with the CRA over the last 9 months. Why the sudden change?

JG stated that there was still a middle way intended but the Mayors view was that the best way forward for Camposol was for there to be an Entidad supported legally by the Council. This would entail an Entidad Committee elected by the homeowners of A working with an administrator to agree a budget and collect an agreed annual quota for all owners which would be paid into a Camposol A account solely for Camposol purposes. The Council were looking in to ways that legal support could be provided to the Entidad which would allow for bad debtors to be pursued and made accountable for the paying of their quota using Council resources, rather than having to use the Spanish courts which would be expensive and drawn out.

This process would be to call a meeting of all owners on A and select a management committee which would then agree a budget with an appointed administrator.

JG stated that she hoped this process would be put into place before the end of 2010.

JG said that this would then allow the problem of street lighting and security to be taken over and resolved by the Entidad.

GG asked what would happen if Masa had not completed the Sector as per planning consent.

JG said that the guarantees were in the process of being applied for but Masa, as expected, were drawing the process out and she had heard that they were currently tidying up the green areas on A Sector. She stated that she still believed the guarantees would be paid unless Masa completed all the work outstanding but this would still take some time.

GG asked, if the guarantees were not paid then how would the necessary work to roads etc.. be completed before the proposed acceptance at the end of the year.

JG replied that the sector would not be taken over if the infrastructure for the street lights was not certified as functional by the Council engineer but the roads and green areas would be brought up to standard once the guarantees were received at a later date.

GG asked what exactly the Entidad was expected to pay for.

JG confirmed that the list in the Bye Laws were correct but said that full responsibility for roads would only be imposed after they were brought up to acceptable standards before or after acceptance.

GG asked which street lights were the responsibility of the Entidad.

JG replied all.

Prov 1: GG asked if it was still the intention to have two Entidads for Camposol.

JG replied that the Mayor thought that was the best way forward with an Entidad for A Sector followed by a separate Entidad for B, C & D Sectors. She thought that it would be beneficial for A to be used to formulate the procedures and the lessons learnt be put in to practice on B, C & D.

GG made it clear to JG that there would a lot of people not happy with this arrangement and the Garrigues report indicated that there would legally be one Entidad for the whole of Camposol. He also said that many people living on B, C & D Sectors resented the fact that an Entidad would be set up under negotiated rules for A sector on which they would have no say and yet still have them imposed on them at a later date.

JG replied that to the Council it seemed logical to separate the sectors because of the main road dividing them and she was not aware of there being a provision for one Camposol Entidad as written in the Garrigues report. She said she would look in to it. She also stated that it was only legally possible for the Council to negotiate with the homeowners of A and the Entidad committee re the acceptance and takeover of A.

Prov 2 : What do the inhabitants of Mazarron pay in IBI and what do they receive in the way of services for this payment.

JG used her only circumstances as an example. She stated that she lives in a townhouse with no garden on a standard street in the area. She pays approximately 300 Euros a year and this is used by the council to pay for:

• Council administration building and services.
• Local police and fire services.
• Roads.
• Street lights.

Prov 3 : GG asked why this system could not be applied to Camposol.

JG made the following points:

• The amount of IBI she pays is for a small town house and the 300 Euros is equivalent to what is charged for a two bed villa with swimming pool on a medium size plot on Camposol.

• Everything is relevant to what you pay. The roads in her area are in a poor state and only ever get repaired under grant money obtained from the central government which was a rare event. There are very few street lights.

• All urbanizations, small & large, and apartment blocks had their own conservation body and pay extra management fees.

GG asked if there was any way that this system would or could be put in place for Camposol?

JG stated that this was impossible as the authorization for the development of the Camposol Urbanization in both Plan Parcial was agreed subject to there being an Entidad formed.

2. There is some concern from our members that if guarantees for all of Camposol are taken from Masa at the same time that they will used to put A Sector right as it is being accepted first and nothing left in the pot for the remaining sectors. Can you confirm the situation with this.

JG stated that monies recovered from guarantees could only be spent on the Plan Parcial for which the guarantees applied. This meant that guarantees for B, C & D Sectors had to be applied to work on those sectors.

3. At the last meeting with the Mayor the council lawyer said that the problems with rambla on sector D, which was holding up the acceptance of sector B, C & D, was not a major issue. Can we have an update on how this situation is progressing?

JG confirmed that the lawyer was confident that if the proposed plan was submitted by Masa and approved by the Confederation Hidragrafica (CH) then the acceptance and issues of all licences for Sectors B, C & D could proceed without the artificial rambla being constructed.

GG told JG that from recent information received from CH in Murcia there had been no communication from Masa about this plan and therefore nothing was happening.
JG agreed to speak with the Council architect to confirm the situation and she said she would come back to us.

GG then asked if this happened and Masa did not build the rambla then who would pay for it. JG didn’t have an answer for this.

GG stated that this was a very important point as at some stage even if the CH approved the project, if it was not built, they could still come along at a later stage and insist the rambla be re-enstated to its original condition.

4. As you are aware there is an ongoing strategy from Masa with possibly the assistance of Iberdrola to cut off the street lighting on Camposol. It will not be long before there is complete darkness and Camposol becomes an open house to every thief in Spain. This is obviously not acceptable and as the Mayor has a legal duty of care, as stated in the Garrigues report, for all citizens on Camposol, is it not about time the Mayor took direct action to correct this serious situation?

JG stated that this was still the responsibility of Masa but after GG pushed her about the duty of care the Mayor had to the residents of Camposol she agreed to speak with the Mayor about the situation and come back with a reply.

5. Now that the infrastructure on Camposol, especially the sewage and bridge, is showing regular signs of failure can we put in to place a more efficient method of communication between the CRA and Council.

JG agreed that it was important for the CRA and others on Camposol to have a point of contact to report these incidents and get them resolved as soon as possible.

It was agreed that Bob Owen (Tel: 968 970 577 or 647 849 260) would become a central point of contact for residents to report to within Camposol and JG and GG would then be contacted to advise Masa and Aquilia directly.

6. Under Spanish law pensioners and large families receive discounted water charges. As Aqualia are supplying and billing for water on Camposol shouldn’t these discounts be available to those that qualify?

JG stated that she was aware of these discounts which were also available on other utilities. She said that even for the Spanish it was very difficult to apply and receive the grants. The only way they seemed to be successful was through local social services in cases of severe hardship.

She also felt that they would not apply to Camposol yet as water supply was still the responsibility of Masa and not Aqualia.

7. We have been approached by many people living on Camposol about the possibility of having a weekly market on Camposol as the majority of villages and towns in Spain do. Can you give us advice on how we should go about requesting the Mayor to grant a licence for a market.

JG stated that there was a major problem currently with local markets and many such as Canadas de Romero had been closed because of the constant complaints from the Civil Police of many traders not having the correct licences and being non-registered for social security and tax payment.

She said that the best method of having a market was for a street to be closed and licensed traders setting up on a set day per week. This would all be controlled by the local authority but couldn’t be put in to place on Camposol until take over by the Council.

8. There is a new group on Camposol looking at provision of facilities and activities for children. Will JG agree to meet this group to discuss how she and the council can help with this serious problem.

JG agreed that if this group contacted her she would be happy to arrange a meeting.

9. As you are aware the local Age Concern charity will soon receive its official charity status. We have been approached by Age Concern concerning the possibility of them having a small office on Camposol which can be used as a point of contact for what is a very worthy and needed cause. We do know that the Council own the small office on A Sect Commercial Centre which is currently just used a few hours a week by the ASHC. Is it possible for the Mayor to make this facility available for a short period whilst Age Concern raise enough funds together to obtain a more permanent site?

JG stated that it would not be possible to offer the use of this office as it would set a precedent for all charities to request its use.

She said that she would speak with Loius at the Camposol Business Centre to see if he would offer some facilities on a short term basis.

10. What is the latest on the Medical Centre Opening?

JG stated that the centre was now furnished and all communication lines installed. As far as she was aware it was ready to go and just waiting staffing which was the responsibility of the Murcia Regional Health Authority.

11. What is the latest on the construction of the community centre?

GG & BO were shown plans and drawings of the new centre. Both commented that it would be a very modern, light and welcome addition to Camposol.

JG stated that it should be open one year after building commenced.

GG stated that this was different to earlier information provided by JG and the Mayor that the building would be open one year after approval of the grant which was 1st March 2011.

JG then stated that it was all to do with when the grant money was received and would get further information and get back to us.

GG asked that JG organise a meeting with the Mayor as soon as possible.

JG agreed to speak with the Mayor.

The meeting closed at 12.45pm.

CRA/Mayor Meeting 24th Feb 2010 Minutes
Mazarron Old Town Hall

Those Present :
Mayor Blaya Blaya
Jackie Galvez – Counciller (JG)
Ricardo Fernandez Puche – Council Lawyer (RP)
Greg Green – CRA Chairman (GG)
Joyce Stewart – CRA Vice Chairwoman(JS)
Les Crook – CRA Membership Secretary
John Daws – CRA
Bob Owen – CRA
Barrie Eveleigh – CRA (BE)
Enrique Olmos – Translator

The meeting commenced at 10am.

1. Now that the Council have officially announced that they are taking legal action against Masa to recover guarantees and the statement given to the CRA in the meeting with the Mayor of 4th Nov 2009, that the process for taking the funds was straight forward and could only be appealed against by Masa after the money was taken, can the Mayor give some idea of how long it will be before the Council adopt A Sector?

The Mayor started by going through the process that has occurred and his vision of the future:

i. The council have been holding back on taking action against Masa as they realise the cost of completing Camposol will be huge and they wanted Masa to pay for as much as possible.

ii. Having accepted that Masa are not going to do anything further the Council have begun the process of applying for the guarantees covering all sections of Camposol. Masa were informed by letter if this intent.

iii. In law Masa are allowed two months to reply with any objections. As usual Masa used the time allowed before answering. Their objections then have to be answered by the Council and another two months allowed for a reply. All this takes time.

iv. The Council will approach the banks holding the guarantees for payment. There are then two possibilities.

a) The bank pay the money to the Council over any objections by Masa. This might take as little as two months. Masa could appeal against payment and should they win the money would have to be repaid.
b) Masa can inform the banks prior to payment being made of their objections and the banks could hold on to the money pending a judgement. This might take a year.

v. When the money is received a full technical assessment will be undertaken to prioritise the work needed and the money used to complete as much of it as is possible. How to finance the rest will need to be discussed then.
BE asked what would happen if there was not enough money from the guarantees to complete the outstanding work, will the council still take over Camposol.

RP stated that it could not be taken over until this work was completed.

There then followed a discussion on who was responsible for making up the shortfall. The CRA position being that the Council (as stated in the Garrigues Report) was fully responsible and the Mayor saying that the residents of Camposol were responsible. This point was not finalised in the discussion.

GG stated that the process still had a long way to run and it would be sensible to start compiling plans and databases ready for the day when Camposol was accepted by the council. The Mayor showed no enthusiasm for this.

2. In the meeting with the Mayor on the 6th May 2009 the Mayor said that J Galvez was to head up a council group looking at the proposed management structure for Camposol. Could we please have an update as to the preferred management structure agreed by the Mayor and what steps are to be taken to put this in to practice?

The Mayor stated that it was still their preferred option that Camposol come under Council administration with an extra levy tax being paid for the additional costs required to maintain Camposol under the guidance of a Camposol management committee. To do this it would only take an amendment be approved by the Council Plenum. The Mayor preferred this option as the powers held by the Council would allow easier and more prompt collection of all taxes due.

GG asked if the Mayor saw this process as being for a whole Camposol. The Mayor supported by his lawyer said that they believed that the administration of such a system would be easier if the urbanization were broken down in to two areas. GG asked what would be the preferable break, to which the lawyer said in equal parts. GG asked the Mayor if it was his intention to divide Camposol into one containing A Sector and the other consisting of B, C & D Sectors. The Mayor would not commit himself at this stage but on being pushed for an answer the lawyer stated an equal split would be preferable.

3. Will the Mayor now commit himself to having a meeting with all groups concerned to negotiate the smooth adoption of Sector A and to a 5 year plan being put in to place to cover all work outstanding and day to day maintenance?

GG asked once again that after listening to everything said previously in the meeting and the reality that the Camposol infrastructure was deteriorating day by day then it was unacceptable not to start the process of preparing data bases, budgets etc.. From what had been said it would be at least two years before any additional Camposol taxes were agreed collected and available to maintain and improve Camposol. The Mayor again would not commit himself away from the process he had outlined earlier.

4. As requested by the Mayor in our meeting of 6th May 2009 the CRA have now contacted the Confederacion Hidrografica who state that they are unlikely to sign off the Revised Plan Parcial without the completion of the artificial rambla on D sector being agreed and completed. Now that the Mayor has acknowledged that Masa is not going to complete this work will the Mayor give his views on who will undertake and pay for this work to enable the Revised Plan Parcial for Sectors B, C & D to be signed off resulting in the Council being able to adopt these sectors?

The Council lawyer showed little concern for the discussions and details obtained by the CRA from their meeting with the Confederacion Hidrografica (CH) and said that he believed that the Plan Parcial could be signed off with the consent of the CH without the artificial rambla being completed but plan approved.

GG asked the lawyer why, if there were there no problem, why there at least 3 poligono’s without escrituras and owners worrying if they actually owned the villas they lived in. He also stated that the CH had mentioned the possibility of the rambla being restored to its original state which would obviously mean many villas being demolished. JD asked directly if there was any chance that his villa would be demolished. JG said no.

There was then a discussion between the Mayor, JG & the lawyer as they obviously disagreed with each other over what had been said.

It was agreed that the lawyer look further in to the situation and report back.

5. Over the last few weeks Mrs Galvez has been involved with the council engineer over the problems with the sewage pumping station on D Sector. The engineer reported that the system installed by Masa did not have the capability to deal with the levels of sewage created. Now that we are agreed that Masa is unlikely to correct this and with the upcoming high season of visitors to Camposol can the Mayor tell us what he can do to deal with this problem before it gets worse?

JG stated that the Council Engineer had visited the site and spoken with Masa and the problem with the sewage had now been resolved. GG confirmed that it had been some weeks since he had heard reports of any further problems.

JG also stated that the Council Engineer had also looked at the subsidence at the major bridge approach on B/C and was talking to Masa. GG stated that he had been in regular contact with Masa and had seen a Masa engineer at the site. If no work is started in the next week GG will contact Masa for an update. GG & JG stated that both engineers had reported that the problem was with the approach and the bridge itself was structurally sound. JG stated that if Masa did not carry out remedial work then the Council would undertake the work and bill Masa.

6. Could the Mayor confirm if Masa were now paying for rubbish collection?

GG stated that the residents of A, B, C & D were paying Masa for this service through their water bills.

The Mayor stated that the only money the Council were receiving directly for rubbish collection was from Sector A residents with Aqualia contracts. He said that, the last time he had asked, Masa was not paying for sectors B, C & D to the Council but he would request an update.

JS asked if the owners on B, C & D could pay directly to the Council for rubbish collection. The Mayor said that he would look in to it.

The meeting closed at 12pm.

Next meeting agreed for approximately 3 months time.

Meeting Minutes Mayor/CRA 4^th Nov 2009

Mazarron Town Hall

Those Present :

Mayor Blaya Blaya

Jackie Galvez – Counciller (JG)

Greg Green – CRA Chairman (GG)

Joyce Stewart – CRA Vice Chairwoman

Les Crook – CRA Membership Secretary

John Daws – CRA

Bob Owen – CRA

Barrie Eveleigh – CRA

Enrique Olmos – Translator

The meeting commenced at 11am.

1. What is the current situation in regard to legal action being taken by council against Masa and what time period is envisaged by the Council legal team before results are achieved.

A : The Mayor confirmed that action was now being taken against Masa and a full report had been prepared by the councils head of legal affairs. Up to the present date the Council had adopted a policy of diplomacy with Masa to try to get as much work completed as possible before the point came where it would be necessary to take action to seize the guarantees and complete the work needed to bring Camposol up to the standard required for adoption. The Mayor would not commit himself on a timescale but stated that it would be weeks rather than months. Firstly the legal papers would have to be served on Masa notifying them that the guarantees were being seized and then the Council needed no further authority to take the money. Masa could appeal the seizing of the guarantees but this would be done after the money was in the hands of the Council. Any appeal would not prevent a plan of action being put in to place to complete the necessary work needed to complete Sector A and the subsequent adoption.

2. We have a figure from the Garrigues Report on the amount of Guarantee for Sector A. Although this was in pesetas in the original Plan Parcial the amount equates to approximately 86.000 Euros. Can the Mayor confirm this? How much are the guarantees for the other Sectors and are they guaranteed by the banks. If not what format are they in?

A : The Mayor confirmed that there were the following guarantees in place :

Sector A – 136,000 Euros approx to complete infrastructure such as roads, pavements & lights.

                  Approx 600 Euros per house for other works.

Sectors B, C & D – Approximately 1 millon Euros to complete infrastructure such as roads, pavements & lights.

                  Approx 600 Euros per house for other works.

The Mayor also acknowledged that if Masa did not complete any further work then these amounts would no where cover the work needed to bring all Sectors up to a satisfactory level for adoption. Should this come about then a plan would be needed detailing the priority and extent of work that could be undertaken with the finances available.

GG requested that the homeowners of Camposol be included in this process and the Mayor agreed that this would happen. GG asked when this would be put in to action and the Mayor stated that he was unwilling at this stage to discuss this as the legal process had to take its course of action. The Mayor confirmed that all guarantees were in the form of bank guarantees and there would be no issues in obtaining the funds from the relevant banks.

GG requested an update on the work being undertaken by JG and the Council legal department in exploring a way forward in the future administration of Camposol. JG stated that this was ongoing and the preferred plan was still as discussed previously where the Council would administer Camposol in conjunction with an elected representative body of homeowners with an annual Camposol levy being applied to each house in addition to IBI.

3. We have copies of official Council documents that show Masa agreed a payment of 2 million Euros to the Council in lieu of the 10% of land that would have been legally given to the Council under the Plan Parcial for Sectors B, C & D. The payment was to be made over five payments. Has the money been paid and if so has it been used?

A : The Mayor confirmed that this process was common on all developments in Spain and he could confirm that the agreement for 10% of the land on Camposol Sectors B, C & D was resold back to Masa. He also confirmed that the money had been paid in full by Masa and although he couldn’t say exactly where the money had been used it would have been invested in the Mazarron area as there was no obligation for that money to be used on Camposol.

4. Could we please have an update on the signing off of the revised Plan Parcial for B, C & D Sectors & have the Confederacion Hidrografica been in contact with the Council?

A : The Mayor stated that this was a major concern for him and the Council. When they came to power the previous administration had allowed much work to be undertaken by Masa different to the original Plan Parcial for Sectors B, C & D. This included a bridge in the wrong place, many polygonos with more or less houses than approved and a problem caused by the building of houses on the rambla on Sector D. They had decided with the help of Masa to produce a revised Plan Parcial and this was completed in late summer 2008 and sent to the Confederacion Hidrografica in Murcia for approval. Part of the plan to resolve the rambla problem was for an artificial rambla to be constructed around D Sector. The Council have been chasing the Confederacion for some months to get the plan signed off but in a meeting between the two in September of this year the Confederacion Hidrografica has now requested an environmental impact report from Masa in relation to the planned construction of the artificial rambla. Everyone is now awaiting this report before any headway can be made on this issue.

GG stated that this situation was causing major problems for the homeowners of Sectors B, C & D who now find themselves in a position of having no or incomplete escrituras and no Certificates of Habitacion. Without these documents it is virtually impossible to sell their houses and in some cases this has caused severe financial hardship.

5. Could the Mayor give his opinion on what should be done if the exposed sewage pipes on the badly affected roads on Sector D burst over the winter?

A : GG showed the Mayor pictures from the roads on D35 & D26 where severe erosion from rain has caused the sewage pipes to be exposed. He also said that at sometime during the winter it was quite possible that if no remedial work was undertaken then the pipes could fracture resulting in raw sewage from some 2000 houses on the Sector flowing down the streets and in to the rambla to Mazarron. This potential health and environmental catastrophere could be avoided if work was carried out now to repair these areas. GG also stated that Masa had been made aware of the situation and had done nothing to correct it.

The Mayor said that he was aware of the problem and his technical department had completed a report on this situation and it had been forwarded to Masa for action. When GG stated that is was obvious to all concerned that Masa were not going to spend another euro on Camposol and it was now up to the Council to support the people of Camposol. The Mayor replied that legally their hands were tied and they were unable to intervene.

A intense debate took place with GG eventually asking what advice the Mayor would give about actions that the CRA should take when the pipes did break. JG suggested that at this point there would be little option but to take out an injunction against Masa which if not acted upon could mean that the Council could be ordered to get involved by the courts.

6. Could we please have an update on the promised bus service?

A : JG stated that a process was underway to provide an integrated bus service for all of the area covered by Mazarron Council. Concessions had been sent out but the project was very large and still some way off completion. In the meantime because of this time problem the Council had approached a company about a bus service specific for Camposol and the Country Club. She had travelled the proposed route with this company and at the end of their discussions the company decided that without a subsidy from the Council of 120,000 Euros a year they were unwilling to put a service in to place. JG stated that the Council could not afford this amount of money to provide this service.

7.  Could we please have an update on the Medical Centre?

A : The Mayor stated that the Medical Centre was now nearly completed and ready for handover to the Regional Health Authority for fitting out with furniture etc,, and once recruitment was complete, opening. He would not be drawn on an opening date as a similar centre in the Port was now way over the proposed opening date due to Regional Health Authority delays.

8.  Could we request that the Mayor arranges increased police patrols on Camposol now that the nights are closing in?

GG opened this session by showing a picture to the Mayor of a electric meter on Sector D which had recently been cut out by Iberdrola and a sticker put over the gap saying that the meter had been removed due to non-payment of bills. GG went on to say that this was now a daily occurrence and we will soon find ourselves, as last winter, without any interior street lights and all the problems that this brought about with personal safety and house security.

The Mayor sympathised with the situation and confirmed once again that this was out of the Councils control and the blame lay firmly with Masa. He did give an undertaking to make sure that police patrols would be stepped up if possible.

9. There are many homeowners on Camposol that are worried about their legality in occupying their villas. Can the Mayor confirm that these people are legally occupying their homes?

A :   In spite of repeated requests when asked whether the people on Camposol were living there legally or illegally  the Mayor would only say “we are where we are”. JG went on to say that when this administration came in to power there were over 1000 people living on Camposol and it would have been impossible to take a step back and ask everyone to leave until the Certificates of Habitation had been issued.

10. With all the rumour and conjecture that there is on Camposol can we ask the Major to issue a statement that lays out the proposed way ahead as he sees it for Camposol?

A ; When asked this question the Mayor declined the offer on the grounds that he felt the people of Camposol were being kept up to date by meetings such as this one.

11. The Council has recently announced changes to the Padron system for foreigners, could this please be explained.

A : JG stated that this initiative had come from Central Government (National Institute of Statistics) who are questioning the actual numbers of foreigners on the Padrons. She went on to say that there were currently approximately 7,000 non Spanish Europeans on the Mazarron Padron of which some 3,000 will be struck off in the next few months.

She went on to explain that in future only foreigners with Residence Cards or Forms would be allowed to register on the Padron. Anyone else who registered just because they have a house in the area and only visit and not reside in that property will be struck off and not be allowed to re-register.

JG also stated that there would be no retribution against those that had applied and been added to the Padron but did not have residencia.

12. JG was asked if she wanted to read the minutes from these and future meetings with the CRA before publication?

A : She stated that she didn’t feel this was necessary as this meeting was non-political and previous minutes had been considered fair and factual.

The meeting was closed at 12.50pm.

Jaqui Galvez Meeting Notes 22nd June 2009

Jaqui Galvez Meeting Notes 22nd June 2009

Mayor/CRA Meeting 6th May 2009 Notes

Minutes of Meeting With J Galvez 1st April 2009