By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 21 Aug 2016 • 17:00
BEACH ART: Coastal Authority permission has not been sought.
THE PSOE opposition on Benidorm Council sent out a call to reprieve the elaborate sand sculptures on the resort’s beaches.
A party spokesman criticised the town hall’s decision to eject artists from the beaches following an announcement by Benidorm’s beaches councillor Lorenzo Martinez.
The councillor confirmed that his department had not requested the necessary permit from the Coastal Authorities for using the sand this year.
“When we took over at the town hall we came to the conclusion that sand sculptures are not a necessary activity amongst all those that we offer on our beaches,” he explained.
The PSOE disagreed and called on Martinez to rethink his decision. When they were in power at the town hall, the sand sculptures were a regulated activity and the artists paid an annual fee that brought in extra income, the party said.
Martinez repeated that the veto remains in place, but further along in Campello the town hall still allows Gabriel Istrate to shape elaborate designs that take him three days to complete. He has been coming for three summers and said he makes around €70 a week in tips.
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I really do have a bewilderment at people who think as Lorenzo Martinez seems to, what is wrong with the people here is Spain today who reach town hall or government positions where they cannot see the enjoyment that things like Gabriel Istrate create and the interest from tourists these sculptures create, it is exactly the people who think like this councillor appears to that should not be councillors!
On the 70⬠a day that Gabriel Istrate says he earns, well as much as I really think sculptures such as he creates are fantastic and should be allowed I do take his 70⬠a day with a pinch of salt… unless he works it out at 365 x 70⬠🙂
Totally agree with PSOE. An absolutely ridiculous situation. No permit! Oh please. Next, we’ll hear they want to levy some sort of tax on using sand for artistic purposes!!!
Well there is a tax as such for them to pay, I hear in Torremolinos, Benalmadena y Fuengirola they have to pay quite an amount to cover their permit and was also told by one of these artists they need to be paying their social security to get the permit, true or not I don’t know but from the stories I have heard from people who run other beach activities I wouldn’t be surprised if it would appear to be the case!
It would also seem the town halls hang out of these people who have beach permits, so much so that some of the boating, skiing activities etc. can no longer afford to use the beaches as a base point but in the case of sandcastles they need to use the sand, another reason to make you think these councillors are a few cookies short of a full box. 🙂
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