Administrative chaos on Arona’s beaches

[Janet]

Arona Ayuntamiento has reserved a section of Playa de las Vistas for those who want to hire sunbeds and sun umbrellas from the resident concessionary company. The general public will no longer be able to use it without paying for a sunbed, and anyone who just wants to put down a towel will have to use the non-reserved part of the beach. These areas are expected to become rather packed in the height of summer, and criticism of the council's move is widespread.

Despite such criticism, however, signs in both Spanish and English will soon bear witness to the privileged section reserved for those who are prepared to pay for sunbeds, and expressly prohibit leaving a towel or other belongings on the beach. Arona says the service is profitable, raising 1.3 million Euros a year for the concession less just 110,000 paid to Costas. That's good for the council, of course, but not so good for the many people who actually want to use the beaches without being charged for the privilege. JA

[Michael]

Fuck them. There are other beaches. 

[Guanche]

This is a tourist tax nothing more nothing less. I would love to see them try and do this at Teresitas beach near Santa Cruz.

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

I thought it was illegal to restrict public access to beaches?  For example I have heard (but have not tried) that you can simply turn up at the beach at the Abama and use it.  Wonder how they can get away with it?

[Janet]

The way around this is to declare a part of a beach "reserved"; public access is still perfectly possible to the general beach, just not to the part that's for the paying crowd. It'll be interesting to see how big a part that turns out to be ...

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Depends on what they're charging.  And who is Costas?

[Janet]

Costas is Spain's national department with jurisdiction over the coastline - part of the payment for the management of which is made from local funds.

The charge for the sunbeds is already set, the concessionary has been in place for some while, but I don't know what it costs to hire a sunbed and parasol. What has changed now is that Arona has forbidden the practice, common to date, of the public just going among the sunbeds and putting a towel on the floor for free ... sharing the space, and the parasol shade ...

[Nova]

I wonder whether the lifeguards will see any of the proceeds....

[Janet]

It seems that the Ayuntamiento is having second thoughts about putting up notices about "exclusive use" of parts of Playa de las Vistas because they are "rather aggressive". Concejal de Medio Ambiente, Antonio Sosa, said that the council was now seeking alternatives to the notices, but not to the rule itself, because "that is specified in the conditions drawn up by the Ayuntamiento". While announcing this, Sr Sosa also confirmed that his department had spoken with the Dept of Costas: it was a formal matter, he said, to which a solution is being sought. Why do I get the distinct feeling that Arona has overstepped the mark here, and that it's more than just an issue about "notices"? JA

[Janet]

Is Arona to be condemned for ever to live in the shadow of incompetence and maybe even worse? After the fiasco of the sectioned-off beach for the concessiary to exploit, it now appears that the contracting service of the Ayuntamiento has warned the environment department at least 26 times that, on the basis of technical reports, seasonal services on Los Cristianos and Troya beaches, and the sunbed concession on Playa de las Vistas, should be suspended because they are being run illegally. A report from the municipal Contratación service dated 25 March is categorical: "Since 7 February 2011 there have been 26 warnings that there is no legal basis for the provision of such unauthorized services and they should be ordered to be suspended". And of course the lifguards ...

What does it take ... ? JA