Torrevieja’s Court of Instruction Number 3 has called on Councillor Javier Manzanares (PSOE) to testify in relation to an investigation opened for alleged irregularities regarding the occupation of a public road with terraces in Torrevieja. The judicial appointment, which the mayor must attend, is scheduled for 29 November.
The proceedings have been opened following a complaint against the City Council filed by a private individual residing on the La Mata beachfront next to a terrace that that allegedly violates the conditions to operate on a public road.
The complainant says that the chairs and tables of the terrace are located on the walk by the sea, which is in the public domain.
A kiosk has also been erected in the area, displacing urban furniture, a bench and a wastebasket and newly installed bollards put in place by the Ministry of the Environment to allow the parking of supply trucks have also been removed.
The judicial action highlights the municipal inactivity and points out that the breach of the regulations of this well-known ice cream parlour goes back to 2014. However Manzanares, who will be running for mayor in the next municipal election, maintains that as soon as he was alerted of the irregularities, which date back to the days of the PP, he quickly put in measures to have them corrected.
The revenue from public road occupation is 1.7 million euros per year in Torrevieja. The use of terraces is supported by the payment of fees and the establishment must obtain a license. But the 600 terraces are supervised by just two local policemen who are even responsible for mediating the fees. There is no surveillance whatsoever during the night shift when even more abuses occur with the occupation of public space.
