Vol. 1 Issue 6 www.gibraltarolivepress.com November 25th - December 9th

GIBRALTAR

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DONT MISS OUR 8-PAGE PROPERTY SPECIAL - FROM PAGE 13

PROMISES have been made, speeches have been delivered and manifestos have been published... now all thats left is for votes to be cast.Fabian Picardo and Daniel Feetham will find out on Friday morning which one of them will lead Gibraltar for the next four years.While many assume the result is a for-gone conclusion - with Picardo all but

clinking a champagne flute in Number 6 - one pre-election poll by GBC revealed that a third of voters are still undecided.However, while the latest poll puts the GSLP/Liberal Alliance out ahead on 67%, it is worth remembering that this years UK election exposed how unreli-

able polls can be.There are 17 seats to play for in total, meaning the GSD require a swing of four seats.Picardo and Feetham, along with the rest of their parties, have been campaigning relentlessly for the last month.Picardos left-leaning GSLP have fought to persuade the public that investing sav-ings into Gibraltars future is the right

Fabian Picardo,

GSLP

Daniel Feetham,

GSD

By Tom Powell

VITAL STATISTICS:

Age: 48Grew up: Varyl Begg estateFirst job: LifeguardUniversity: Reading then ManchesterMarried to: Julia Feetham, from NottinghamFather of: Two sons, one daughter

Supports: Manchester United

Listens to: The Script

path.The current leader insists the Rock has become far more financially stable under his stewardship.However, Feetham and the centralist GSD argue to the contrary. They believe the government has gambled with Gibraltars future, spending too much money, and kept secrets from its sub-jects.Either way, their rivalry has bubbled over at times, most recently with a daft spat over who was the most experi-enced lawyer in a TV debate, which even made the tabloids in the UK.But the time for debate is over. Now is the time for Gibraltar to elect its next leaders.There will be 14 voting booths open from 9am-10pm on Thursday, with the result ex-pected early Friday morning.

Ive met the new Dawn: Pages 6-7

Police hunt yacht-owning lover of missing mother

EXCLUSIVE

FULL STORY - Page 2

BATTLE FOR NO6

Gibraltar goes to the polls as Feetham and Picardo wait excitedly to see who will be next Chief Minister

I want the good times to last forever, lets not gamble with our chil-drens future.

Give us the chance to show you all the

great work weve been doing, and will

continue to do.

olive pressthe

ropertywww.gibraltarolivepress.com November 25th - December 9th 2015ropertyP

THE property sector is set to bounce back at an even faster pace over the coming years.And many in the industry feel this change is across the board, from studio apartments and small holiday homes right up to the luxury sector.If 2015 was the year of the comeback, 2016 and 2017 will see prices contin-ue to rise with the rental market also gaining ground, according to a leading property expert.Prices are predicted to increase around 6.2% next year alone, claims Servihabi-tat CEO Julian Cabanillas.This rise is almost three times this years increase, which is currently pre-dicted to sit at between 2.3% and 2.6% overall.The real estate giant, part owned by La Caixa bank, also predicted that pur-chases next year could grow by 25%.This positivity is shared by property ex-pert Terra Meridianas Adam Neale.The crisis brought many tough years for the property market with the crunch really hitting in 2011, he told the Olive PressThe market has picked up since then across all budgets and now we can real-ly see the good times picking up again.

Let the good times roll...

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

Property sales are back on track with multi-million euro purchases, renewed con dence and fresh hope for the future

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1,700 new homes for Rock!

THE GSLP are prom-ising to build 1,700 new homes if they get into power this week.Fabian Picardo has insisted the majority of properties will be affordable homes.The homes will be built at Hassan Cen-tenary Terraces and Bob Peliza Mews.This is more than double the 850 new homes which have been constructed in the partys rst four years.

CrossheadWe will continue to prioritise people on the basis of their eligibility and need, states the manifesto.And we anticipate other exciting de-velopments also be-coming available.Meanwhile, Gibral-tarians who were forced to abandon hopes of buying property on the Rock and have moved to Spain will be eligible to buy in the next round of affordable housing.Those who previous-ly owned property will need to pass the nancial assessment test.

SOUGHT: Lisa Brown and Alcaidesa Marina where boyfriend lived

VITAL STATISTICS:

Age: 43Grew up: Calpe, Upper

TownFirst job: Runner at

HassansUniversity: Oriel Col-

lege, OxfordMarried to: Justine

Picardo, from GibraltarFather of: Two sons

Supports: Liverpool

Listens to: Kings of Leon

2 www.gibraltarolivepress.comNEWSNovember 25th - December 9th

A MANHUNT is underway for the yacht-owning boyfriend of a missing mother who worked in Gibraltar.Police are probing the possibility that Lisa Brown, 32, may have been ab-ducted and taken out to sea, possibly en route to Ibiza.The mother of an eight-year-old son was last seen at her home in Guadiaro, near Sotogrande, on Novem-ber 6, having failed to pick up son Marco from school.A search of the surrounding area, including helicop-ters, sniffer dogs and a diver opera-tion in nearby Rio Guadiaro, has so far found nothing.Now it can be revealed that her boyfriend, from Liverpool, has also vanished in mysterious circumstances.The Olive Press has discov-ered that he was apparently living on a yacht in La Lin-eas Alcaidesa marina where Brown was a regular visitor.A Briton, Peter Young, who also has a boat at the marina told the Olive Press

NEWS IN BRIEF LOST AT SEA?Police hunt yacht-owning boyfriend of missing mother who worked in Gibraltar

EXCLUSIVEBy Tom Powell

he recognised her face as soon as he saw the first news reports online.She often came to visit her boyfriend who is from Liverpool, in his mid-30s

and generally seemed like a nice person, he said.

But about six weeks ago he disappeared in the

middle of the night ap-parently without pay-ing his berth fees.According to Young, he was later told that his boat broke down in the middle of the Straits and had to be towed into

Ceuta. A few nights later he left again after

getting it fixed.He may have left Ceuta and then called in at Duquesa port and picked her up, he suggested.He had always said he planned to soon take the boat

to Ibiza.The retired expat from Northwest England added that while he knew the Liverpudlian as Simon, he also

supposedly used the name Damien.Its a real mystery and everyone is talk-ing about it, he added.Police have meanwhile made further enquiries in Gibraltar, it can be re-vealed, including at the offices of her former employer Ladbrokes.Brown, from Dumbarton, Scotland, was actively searching for jobs in Gi-braltar the day before she vanished, it can be revealed, having left betting firm Ladbrokes in August.The Royal Gibraltar Police have been working with the Guardia Civil in the search and spoke to staff at one Gibral-tar recruitment agency.The police have declined to give an of-ficial comment on their search for her

boyfriend, or even disclose a name at this stage.But a source close to the inquiry said: Police are keen to speak to him and havent yet been able to reach him.They believe he has left the country. Hes a young British man who was liv-ing in Spain.Browns son is currently being looked after by his father her ex - Tony Tomillero.Her family members have flown over from Scotland to help the search.Sister Helen said last night: I last spoke to Lisa on November 4 but she never mentioned anything about a new boyfriend.Everything seemed fine.

MISSING: Scottish mother Lisa Brown

has not been seen since November 6

Gay rightsTHE Equality Rights Group has criticised the GSLP/ Liberals mani-festo on LGBT issues as a far cry from their 2011 general election stance and not a credi-ble position on equality.

50th honourTHE 50th anniver-sary of the com-missioning of HMS Calpe is being marked with an ex-hibition until the end of November.

Fire feastTHE Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service has held a gala din-ner at Grand Bat-tery House to com-memorate 150 years since the services inception.

Stop bulliesCHILDLINE Gibraltar has been carrying out an anti-bullying awareness month, most recently with a poster competi-tion and bake sale at John Mackintosh Hall.

THE EX: Tomillero is

looking after their son

3www.gibraltarolivepress.com NEWS November 25th - December 9th

FIRST she conquered the Rock, now shes out to conquer the world.Miss Gibraltar 2015 is in China competing against 119 oth-er beauty queens for the Miss World title.Hannah Bado, a primary school teacher when shes not dazzling pageant audiences, bid her family and friends goodbye at Gibraltar airport.Miss World begins in the city of Sanya on December 19, where Hannah will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Kaiane Aldorino, who won the event in 2009 and is now Gibraltars deputy mayor.She will be keeping fans up-to-date with her eastern ad-venture through photos and posts on her Facebook and Twitter accounts.The event has already caused controversy though, with Miss Canada being denied the right to compete after speaking out about Chinese human rights abuses.Anastasia Lin, 25, did not receive an invitation letter to the opening ceremony which means she could not apply for a visa.Other contestants received their letters at the end of October.

FOR first-time visitors to Gibraltar, the place can seem somewhat bi-zarre.Thats exactly what British comedi-an Marcus Brigstocke found when he arrived for the literary festival this month.Before beginning his talk at John Mackintosh Hall, he asked if any-one in the audience would be happy to help him understand this crazy place.

Do you actually come from here? he asked the audience. Because Im going to need someone to help me understand it.Main Street is like Thorpe Park with no rides, and you have to cross a runway to get there, he joked.Brigstocke, who regularly appears on TV and radio panel shows, was talking about his new book God Collar which explores religion and his personal faith, or lack of.

THE most talked about con-testant of Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! is closely connected to Andalucia and Gibraltar.Controversial royal, Lady Colin Campbell, who has be-come a jungle favourite, her-alds from a long line of Sep-hardic Jews from Cordoba.Aristocrat Campbell, 66, who married the queens cousin in 1974, found her ancestors, the de Pass family, had been expelled from Spain 500 years ago and emigrated to Jamaica.She is however, a regular visitor to the region and has a large network of friends in Spain and Gibraltar.A friend told the Olive Press: She is often over here and loves this area of Spain. She

Cowardly cancellationsAMERICAN music gi-ants have bottled per-formances in Spain after the Paris terrorist attacks.Prince and the Foo Fighters cancelled a string of high-profile concerts following the at-tacks, that killed 130.Prince cut short his European tour, which included a date at Bar-celonas Teatro Liceu, while Dave Grohls band announced a gig in Bar-celona, alongside other concerts in Europe, was being scrapped.A statement on the bands Facebook page said: In light of this senseless violence, the closing of borders, and international mourn-ing, we cant continue right now.There is no other way to say it. This is crazy and it sucks.

FEW royals are as stunning or fash-ionable as Queen Letizia... yet her latest house guest is giving her a good run for her

money.Opening up her royal palace

to Queen Rania of Jordan - along-side husband King Abdullah - she has

got the media analysing her every item of clothing, alongside those of Rania.The pair have so far been snapped at the airport and at the Prado museum where both looked fabulous.

Gib: Thorpe Park without the rides

British comedian flummoxed by crazy Gibraltar

Jungle star Lady Colin Campbell has links to Gibraltar

EXCLUSIVEBy Iona Napier

normally comes completely unrecognised but that is unlikely next time!He added: She is also fre-quently in Gibraltar and has one or two close friends living here.Campbell is a controversial character, who describes the British television-watching public as oiks.She was raised as a boy named George, due to a pro-truding clitoris, and it was not until she was 21 that she was confirmed female and had corrective surgery.In her 1992 biography of Lady Diana, Lady Colin controver-sially claimed King Juan Car-los had a fling with the queen of hearts, as well as breaking the story of Dianas bulimia.

And shes off!

FASHION qUEENS

On route to Nirvana!RICHARD Gere and his Spanish girl-friend Alejandra Silva are well on their way on the eightfold path to Nirvana.The Buddists have been in Madrid to help highlight the plight of homeless people.The pair were on hand to attend the pre-miere of Geres new film Time Out Of Mind, which tackles the difficult subject.They were attending the event alongside the boss of the homeless charity, the Rais Foundation, for which Silva, from Galicia, is a patron.In the film, Gere plays a panhandler on the streets of New York.

CONFUSED: Brigstocke

OUTSPOKEN: Lady C

BEAUTY IN THE EAST: Hannah heads to China

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4 www.gibraltarolivepress.com

NEWS IN BRIEF

CRIME NEWSNovember 25th - December 9th

A TEENAGER has died after being run over by a UK na-tional with links to Gibraltar.The Englishman drove his van into three Spanish friends, all from La Linea, following an alleged fight inside a strip club.He then drove off up the A7 towards Malaga with one of the two friends in pursuit, until he was caught in a quickly set up police road-block nearby.

AlcoholThe incident took place at 1:30am on Saturday morn-ing outside Show Paradise Striptease in Guadacorte, near Los Barrios.Paramedics arrived on the scene within minutes but could not do anything to save the life of the young-ster, Juan Carlos Perez, 19,who lived in the barrio of San Bernardo.An investigation is now un-derway. Reports claim the

Paying respectGIBRALTAR government staff held a two minute silence to remember those murdered in the Paris attacks on November 13.The French consul in Gibraltar Pierre Fayaud and Chief Minister Fabian Picardo gathered outside No6 with staff to observe the silence, as did Gi-braltarians across the Rock.The flag was flown at half mast until that evening and the Moorish Castle was lit in the colours of the French tricolour flag.

GIBRALTARS Windmill Hill prison is not fit to detain children, according to a Council of Europe report.The investigation, carried out last year by an anti-torture committee but only recently pub-lished, reveals a number of shortcomings in Gibraltars detention facilities.

Particularly, there is a total absence of specific rules, regimes or specially-trained staff to deal with juveniles.Windmill Hill Prison is not a suitable place to accommodate juveniles, it states. We rec-ommend a strategy for addressing the specific needs of juveniles deprived of their liberty,

RUSSIAN bombers on their way to Syria have flown over Gibraltar in an 8,000-mile show of strength round trip.The two aircraft, the largest combat planes in the world, were spotted soaring through the

Straits before entering the Mediterranean and firing cruise missiles at ISIS targets in Syria.It has been reported the two Blackjack Tu-160 bombers took the long route in order to dem-onstrate their long-range bombing ability.

Out of lineA PAIR of British soldiers have been fined for attacking teen-agers in Gibraltar. The two soldiers were both fined 500 for kicking and punching three teenagers in an unprovoked attack. They were visiting the Rock for a training weekend when the incident occurred.

Armed police as Rock goes on alertARMED police are pa-trolling the streets of Gibraltar following the Paris terror attacks.Their presence has been heightened in key areas as the Royal Gi-braltar Police reinforce their Stay Safe mes-sage.Although there is no specific intelligence of an imminent attack the threat remains at Sub-stantial, meaning an attack is a strong pos-sibility.The strongest message we can send to terror-ists is to go about our daily lives as normal, and show that they can-not overcome our com-munity by the use of fear and intimidation, said Detective Superin-tendent Ian McGrail.Gibraltars counter-ter-rorism security advisor is working alongside the UKs counter-ter-rorism office to monitor critical infrastructure and crowded places.

Hit-and-run death horror

Driver linked to Gibraltar runs over three after strip club fight

By Tom Powell

driver, currently in custody, was under the influence of alcohol.Meanwhile, an emotional funeral has taken place, with hundreds of Perezs friends and family members publicly mourning the teen-ager with a march through La Linea.

Russian bombers do overpass

NO PLACE FOR kIDS

which might include estab-lishing a small unit with a few secure places.Furthermore, a need for an anti-bullying policy and prob-lems with hot water, blocked drains, flushes not working and overcrowded cells were also mentioned.Elsewhere, the report recom-mended upgrading the cus-tody cells in New Mole House police station too.In general, however, Gibral-tars detainees were found to be treated in a proper, satis-factory way.

TRAGIC: Funeral in La Linea and (inset) crime scene

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TRICOLOUR: Gibraltars tribute to Paris victims

Teen muggedA 27-year-old Span-iard living in Gibraltar mugged a local teenager who was waiting to meet his mother for dinner, taking his phone and a silver chain.

Fake bookAN online cyber-sex scam temptress has attempted to black-mail a local man over Facebook, the Royal Gibraltar Po-lice have confirmed.

Locked upONE of Britains most notorious drug traf-fickers, Robert Dawes, has been arrested at his luxury villa in Benal-madena.

Poor tasteA SPANISH teenage prankster was arrested for a false terrorist alert in Malaga after doctor-ing an online El Pais article to suggest a jihad terrorist was attacking the citys Vialia shop-ping centre.

5www.gibraltarolivepress.com October 15th - 28thNEWS

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A campaigning, community newspaper, the Gibraltar Olive Press represents the local and expatriate communities working or living on the Rock with 10,000 copies distributed fortnightly on a Wednesday.

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FEATURE

GIBRALTAR Covering Gibraltarwith 10,000

copies

No going backTHERE is nothing more heart-breaking than the loss of a young life.And it will be very hard for mourners to forgive the death of 19-year-old Juan Carlos Perez who was the victim of a hor-rific hit-and-run incident this weekend.The seedy backdrop of a strip club fight late at night only adds to the sense of pointlessness of this tragedy.Rarely when we get behind the wheel after a drink or two do we consider the sheer destructive ability of the vehicles in our power.We dont know yet the fine details of this case, but going forward we should look out for our friends trying to drive after a drink and try to take the moral high ground in the face of a mindless brawl.

FROM a new park to a fantastic uni-versity and from 850 new affordable homes to a new school, Fabian Picar-do has certainly not contemplated his navel during his first four years in office.But when asked what he is most proud of achieving, the Chief Minister leans back on his plush office sofa with a boyish smile and refers to one small line in his last election manifesto.We will ensure that IVF treatment is avail-able through the Gibraltar Health Author-ity, read the promise in the GSLP/Liberal Alliance document four years ago.Describing the entire manifesto as a new dawn, Picardo is buzzing to explain that he has actually met this new dawn. Quite literally.By this, he means the babies born thanks to the free IVF treatment, which was intro-duced to help struggling would-be parents to conceiving naturally.There are now 25 new Gibraltarians as a result of that policy, he states proudly. That is some achievement.As indeed, is his no small effort of introduc-ing - with wife Justine - two small Gibraltar-ian boys into the world during his first term in office.Handsome and healthy, Sebastian and Oli-ver are apparently only too happy to sit by their dad during key events in the Gibraltar calendar, such as National Day.It is just a shame that neither of them - nor the 25 others born from IVF treatment - will be old enough to vote for the Rocks ebul-lient leader on November 26.Not that it should matter. The Oxford gradu-ate seems set for a landslide victory, al-though he is quick to rubbish any sugges-tion that its in the bag already.I wont take any single vote for granted, there is everything to play for, he states, pointing at a photo of a local lady in the last issue of the Olive Press, who had told Dan-iel Feetham she was voting for him.I spoke to her this week and shes defi-nitely not voting for him, that much I know

Four years after taking charge, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo tells Tom Powell his proudest achievement, one regret and why Gibraltar doesnt need a Podemos or UKIP

and started working straight after break-fast the next day.It might, of course, help to explain the tur-bocharged effect he has had on the Gibral-tar economy. GDP has rocketed from 1.16 to 1.84 billion in four years. And only the border problems stopped it short of reaching 2 billion.Meanwhile, the Community Care kitty has gone from zero to 100 million, he in-sists, while deposits in the Gibraltar Savings Bank have grown from 300 million to over 1 billion, and the list goes on ...Game-changing projects have been coming thick and fast, from Common-wealth Park to two new schools, from the University of Gibraltar to sheltered accom-modation for the elderly at Charles Bruzon house and Seamaster Lodge.Even the mythical airport tunnel is soon to become a reality, he promises, with the

WHEN youre working hard on an election campaign, its not easy to keep up your fitness regime.So its a good thing Fabian Picardos work-out of choice only takes four minutes.The Tabata method is an increasingly popular form of high intensity training

founded by a Japanese scientist.It involves 20 seconds of hard training (as hard as you can) followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated eight times. The result? A gut-busting workout which builds muscle and sheds those extra pounds.

Spain still

has an allure for him and his wife, who try to see the

real Spain as often as possible

HAPPY FAMILY: Picardo, wife Justine and sons Sebastian and Oliver on National Day

Ive met the southern end now completed and water draining underway.But his party is only fulfilling manifesto com-mitments made four years ago. This, Picardo

believes, is why Gibraltar has not seen the emergence of an anti-politics

party like the rest of Europe.We have done exactly what we promised we would. If we had not carried out our promises people would have started to lose trust, says Picardo. People value honesty.

Honesty is, of course, one of the most important aspects of

government, but what happens when the right-wing press in your

neighbouring country takes a distinctly dis-honest approach? Picardo has been keeping a sharp eye on the Spanish media, forcing retractions and apologies from both Telecinco and ABC.If Im not on the front page of a right wing Spanish newspaper then I havent done my job, he jokes.We have done a fantastic job in getting apologies and now they are much more nu-anced in their reporting because they know that we will be coming after them.Crossing the border into Spain has general-ly not been an issue for the Chief Minister, where he is indeed recognised.There has only been one real incident of note, in Algeciras, where he was stopped from speaking and left without police pro-tection.It was clear we had been set up, they just wanted there to be trouble, he says.But Spain still has an allure for him and his wife Justine, who try to get in to see the real Spain when they can.This meant slipping away to celebrate her 30th birthday in Barcelona earlier this year, where despite being recognised by a few lo-cal Catalans, he had no problems.

TabaTa or noT TabaTa?

for certain, he laughed.We are meet-ing the leader in his tempo-rary office in a wing at Num-ber 6, the his-toric crucible of Gibraltar government.Going through a major reform - like so much of the enclave these days - the whole building feels modern and stylish, if a touch sterile.Ushered in with a perfunctory smile, we are seated on a comfortable brown Ches-terfield sofa, from where we have a good view of the rather sparse office, which cur-rently houses his treadmill, just one book-shelf and a rather lonely looking desk at one end.Smartly dressed in a navy blue suit and light blue tie, he perches at one end of another sofa and, to be fair, looks like he would rather take a nap.He immediately launches into full cam-paign mode though and admits he is working marathon hours at the moment in what he describes as the politics Olym-pics.Indeed, before his partys new manifesto was finished, he was getting just three hours sleep a night. Now its a more com-fortable six although, as his chief press officer admits, a 1am text from the boss is not an uncommon occurrence. Some idea he has on this or that. Sadly I cant turn my phone off, he adds.But no surprise. Picardos work ethic is legendary. He started out as a messenger boy with leading local law firm Hassans aged just 14, during the school holidays.Entailing running around the enclave deliv-ering this and that, he got his first taste of life in commerce and, perhaps most impor-tantly, with litigation.It was little surprise to anyone then, when he took up a full-time role with the firm the day he returned from Oxford University with flying colours. Some six years later, he had been made a partner.The hard work continued into politics and, as if to emphasise his work ethic, after winning a closely-fought election four years ago, he and his team were sworn in

WELCOME: Picardo with the Olive Press Tom Powell

November 25th - December 9th

Searching for answers WITH a manhunt underway, rivers being searched and the mystery getting deeper by the day, it is difficult not to imag-ine the worst in the case of missing mother Lisa Brown. As possible theories about abduction circulate, the search for her rings all too familiar. With no recent news forthcoming on the disappearance of expats Agnese Klavina and Amy Fitzpatrick, Lisa is the latest example of a dark shadow that lingers over southern Spain. We can only hope that the investigation into the case of Lisa isnt swept under the carpet by tourism-seeking politicians, as seems to have been the case with Agnese and Amy before that.

Rock ready to vote BY Friday morning, Gibraltar will know who its new leader is. As both parties campaign machines go into overdrive in the days before Thursdays general election, polls suggest a clear majority for Fabian Picardos GSLP/ Liberal Alliance. But Daniel Feethams GSD will be hoping the 2015 UK elec-tion result is a good gauge of the unreliability of opinion polls. The GSD have underlined education as a cornerstone of their campaign, proposing a new secondary education cam-pus at the Rooke site. The GSLP point to a stable economy and record-breaking unemployment figures during their tenure. Once the polls open at 9am on Thursday morning, the choice is yours.

7www.gibraltarolivepress.com FEATURE

Four years after taking charge, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo tells Tom Powell his proudest achievement, one regret and why Gibraltar doesnt need a Podemos or UKIP

POWER COUPLE: Picardo with lawyer wife Justine

new dawn

THERE is a shop window here versus the reality of what hap-pens behind it, explains gym fanatic Feetham. This govern-ment projects itself in a positive way, but all of these schemes are actually funded by very, very large debt.Perhaps he has a point.At the last election, the overall net debt was 240 million, which Feetham claims has now grown to 418 million, with al-legedly departmental spending being about 40-50 million over budget across the board.And dont forget there is the small mat-ter of the new power station and a sew-age treatment plant to fund on top of that.This is gambling with the future of the next generation, pure and simple, Feetham insists.If I gave my daughter my credit card, Im sure she would buy nice things, but shed also ruin my finances and jeop-ardise our future, he says.Gibraltarian born and raised, his pri-mary objective is to prevent austerity. I want the good times to last forever, he says. And that takes proper planning.But there is more to Feetham than the pedantic politician, who loves his home-land as much as anyone, despite oppo-sition claims he is unpatriotic.I was born and raised here in Varyl Begg estate. My father was a taxi driver and my mother was a cleaner, he remi-nisces.We lived five of us in two bedrooms, which means I can immediately em-pathise with anyone who has a housing problem.To be honest, I have always been left-leaning due to my upbringing.But thats not to suggest he didnt love his time on the Rock as a kid. In fact, Feetham admits he had an incredibly happy childhood.He would wake up at five every morning, in the days when Varyl Begg was still surrounded by water, and go spear fish-ing for sea bass, octopus and anything else he could find.A natural swimmer, his first job as a 17-year-old was inevitably as a life-guard.And after studying at University in Reading and Manchester, he was quick to persuade his English wife to return to the Rock with him so their children could enjoy it the same way he did.

And in the blue cornerThe olive Press previously spoke to Picardos opposite number, Danny Feetham. Here are the highlights

We had a fantastic time because we love Spain, the food and the culture, says Picardo, whose grandmother was in fact Spanish.Growing up in a humble family of six on the Rock was very different to how it is now. Back then, Gibraltar was completely cut off from its neighbour with the border shut, but the claustrophobia felt by some adults, certainly didnt transcend to children.In a very very happy childhood, the young Fabian enjoyed playing football, riding his bike a red Chopper without a helmet, and reveling in the sheltered safety of life on the Rock.He was brought up in a working class home in the Upper Town and, despite having two brothers and a sister, the vast age differ-ences meant he was effectively an only child.

It was a humble, Catholic upbringing that so many Gibraltarians can relate to, and which has equipped him to lead the nation he loves into a bright future.But when asked if he has any regrets about his leadership so far, he doesnt hesitate to hit out at rival Daniel Feetham, essentially the Punch to Picardos Judy.My biggest regret is that I told the Leader of the Opposition he should resign, be-cause Danny Feetham is now the most im-portant member of my team, going into this election, he says, delivering the put-down with a wry smile.Then he stands up, stretches and prepares to get back to the non-stop work that has served the nation so well, thus far.The only question that remains to be an-swered is, do Gibraltarians agree?

I READ MY OLIVE PRESS ONLINETHE first issue of the Gibraltar Olive Press is undoubtedly a col-lectors item, and Fabian Picardo has been wise enough to bag himself a copy.But the Chief Min-ister tends to keep up with the latest editions online, through issuu.com, where each edition is available for free on the day of publi-cation.Visit www.gibral-tarolivepress.com to read all the latest editions.

November 12th - 25th 20156

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FEATURE

GIBRALTAR Covering Gibraltar

with 10,000 copies

WEVE only just sat down with croissants and coffee on Main Street, when a middle-aged Gi-braltarian woman jumps in and literally grabs Danny Feetham.All smiles and gushing, she insists her entire family is going to vote for the GSD leader in the forthcoming elections, and she is sure he is going to win.It is a glowing accolade, particularly after he entirely failed to persuade a dog to come over for a pat just two minutes ear-lier, the cur literally sprinting away, his tail between his legs.And no I didnt pay her, he says beaming, after I finally drag him back to the job at hand: Running a rule over the leader of the opposition in advance of Gibraltars gen-eral election on November 26.Either way, it has gone some way to an-Pumping iron saved my life

Now let me save Gibraltar from national debt, pleads the GSDs determined leader Danny Feetham over coffee with Tom Powell, two weeks before election

Says Feetham: We were tipped off that Credit Finance even funded the Sunborn Yacht hotel by around 30 million, but its not just about the boat.Its about op-erating in an open way.Meanwhile, the travel and enter-t a i n m e n t e x p e n s e s of the chief m i n i s t e r s

office have risen from 400,000 to 1.3 million, he claims.I think there are too many people going on trips, such as last months Gibraltar Day in London, he says bluntly. The

photo opportunity has become paramount, and value for mon-ey for the taxpayer has become irrelevant.Feetham may be making valid points, but he is already begin-ning to sound like a perennial moaner. Does he realise how many people see him as neg-ativity personi-fied?

The answer is yes.Nobody wants to ask the diffi-cult questions, and I have been vilified for doing it at times; I have been attacked for not being pa-triotic and doing Gibraltar down.

But in any democracy every-one should be keeping the gov-ernment accountable, and at times I have felt like we are car-rying that responsibility alone.It is a fair point, so tell us some-thing positive... what are your three positive plans the GSD will introduce on the Rock?A tunnel under the airport run-way, a diesel power station at Lathbury barracks with back-up connections to Moroccos main grid and a sewage plant (which would cost 30 million).These are the three vital things he wants to achieve. And fast.There is also the necessary in-dependent verification of eco-nomic growth and debt is also high on his agenda, as are tight-ening of departmental budgets and planning for a financially secure future, of course.But there is more to Feetham than the pedantic politician.This is a man who grew up in first-hand evidence of Gibral-tars housing crisis and who later came within centimetres of death.

This is a man who will support Manchester United through any crisis, right up until his death.I was born and raised here in Varyl Begg estate. My father was a taxi driver and my mother was a cleaner, he reminisces.We lived five of us in two bedrooms, which means I can immediately empathise with anyone who has a housing problem.To be honest, I have always been left-leaning due to my up-bringing.But thats not to suggest he didnt love his time on the Rock

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Olive Press meets the leader of the opposition

STAB WOUND: Feetham points to where he was stabbed, losing 75% of his bloodswering my first question... Does the GSD have any chance of winning?Despite his current opponent, caretaker Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, seemingly soaring to an easy victory, Feetham firmly believes the election will be in-credibly close.No matter that he is languish-ing on a paltry 16% in the opinion poll and the GSLP foe seems to be hardly putting a foot wrong. In particular, after Picardo steered in an impres-sive list of projects, such as Gibraltars first university, the World Trade Center and a new national football stadium over his first term.There is a shop window here versus the reality of what hap-pens behind it, explains gym fanatic Feetham. This gov-ernment projects itself in a positive way, but all of these schemes are actually funded by very, very large debt.Perhaps he has a point.At the last election, the over-all net debt was 240 million, which Feetham claims has now grown to 418 million, with al-leged departmental spending being about 40-50 million over budget across the board.And dont forget there is the small matter of the new power station and a sewage treat-ment plant to fund on top of that.

This is gambling with the fu-ture of the next generation, pure and simple, Feetham insists.If I gave my daughter my credit card, Im sure she would buy nice things, but shed also ruin my finances and jeopardise our future, he says.The family man has two sons as well as a daughter, all with his English wife, Julia, whom he met while at university in Manchester and managed to persuade to move to Gibraltar in 2000. He dearly loves his kids, but they wont be getting his credit card any time soon.Gibraltarian born and raised, Feethams primary objective is to prevent austerity. I want the good times to last forever, he says. And that takes proper planning.

One of his main gripes with the current government, led by fel-low lawyer Picardo, is the huge issue of transparency.Many questions have been asked of the government company Credit Finance, which has been used to fund various projects.

If I did not have my strength from lifting weights, then he would have killed me

CONFIDENT: Feetham strolls down Main Street

GRILLED: Feetham with Olive Press publisher Jon Clarke and chief reporter Tom Powell

Second Battle of TrafalgarIT is enough to make Admiral Nelson turn in his grave.Trafalgar lighthouse is a beautiful monument in a histori-cally important site, not a private money-making scheme.Denying the public free access to the lighthouse is nothing short of a travesty, and those fighting for it to remain open to all deserve all the support they can get.This especially goes for Gibraltar, with both close historical ties and proximity to the site.Clearly Cadiz port authority has grown weary of the light-houses costs, but as is all too often the case, irregularities in the application process have thrown up serious ques-tions.It is time to take a stand and fight for this significant histori-cal monument.

Back on track? AND so Gibraltars airport tunnel saga has finally been buried.Seven years after OHL was handed a lucrative 34 million deal by the previous administration, it may at last be set for take off.As the project crashed and burned, a 20 million legal wrangling replaced the promised construction. But now with legal matters firmly put to bed, and Picardo celebrating his greatest achievement as Chief Minister, attentions can be re focussed on completing the scheme. The tunnel would instantly make Gibraltar a less congest-ed and more accessible place to visit.It would also show the governments commitment to prog-ress.

High hopesWITH Christmas around the corner, its great to see some real festive spirit.Morrisons move to donate all of its unsold food to charities caring for the vulnerable is encouraging and exciting, both for the hungry and for the reduction of needless waste.The shocking element is that Morrisons is the first super-market to make this brave step, which means that millions of tonnes of edible food continue to be binned while pov-erty rages both on our doorsteps and further afield.Hopefully the scheme will be a roaring success and the positive results will shine so brightly from Gibraltar that other chains, both in Spain and the UK, will follow suit.

I have been attacked for not being patriotic and doing Gibraltar down

BATTLE: Feetham meets a fan who Picardo

later claimed is actually voting for him

November 25th - December 9th

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A LEGAL spat between lawyers Fabian Picardo and Daniel Feetham has become international news.It came after the Chief Minister and op-position leader traded jibes over who was the better lawyer during a televised debate ahead of the general election.A clip of the row, which reduced the au-

dience to laughter, was uploaded to You-Tube.The argument over who had been a prac-tising lawyer for longest (Picardo for 21 years and Feetham for 22 years) culmi-nated in the Chief Minister trumping his opponent with an ace card that he was a silk and his rival was not.

A legal spat in the tabloids

A party for poochesA FUNDRAISING bash for stray and abandoned dogs in the Campo de Gibraltar will take place on November 27.Spanish Stray Dogs pre-Christmas bash and boogie, at Biancas restaurant in Gi-braltar, will feature a three-course dinner and live enter-tainment from the Lola Boys.The money raised will go to-wards rescuing and rehoming dogs in the Campo area, par-ticularly those in the overcrowd-ed Los Bar-rios pound, w h i c h c u r r e n t l y h o u s e s more than 300 stray dogs.Volunteer Sar-ah Fernandes told the Olive Press: We spend approximately 2,100 every month on food for the dogs, veterinary care and wages for workers to help the strug-gling volunteers.All of that money comes from hard fundraising and kind donations.The pre-Christmas bash is going to be a great night and a lot of fun, she added.Tickets cost 27.50, and there will also be a raffle and auc-tion.To purchase, contact Biancas on 200 73379, Sarah on 0034 667 031 847 or email sarah@spanishstraydogs.org

8 CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR

NEWS IN BRIEF

HEALTH workers at La Linea hospital are demanding im-provements to pay and work conditions.Staff protested outside the hospital doors to call for the re-

HUNDREDS of budding Mo Farahs and Paula Radcliffes took to the streets of Algeciras for the towns third half marathon on November 5.The sun was shining as the runners be-gan the gruelling 21km run in the town centre, heading alongside the port be-fore venturing out into the countryside.The winner Mustapha Sabili (left) crossed the line to raucous cheers at an

impressive 1 hour 11 minutes.Even the Olive Press own Chief Re-porter Tom Powell managed to drag himself over the line, in his trium-phant comeback from surgery before the summer.I wasnt pleased with my time, or my fitness level, but I cant complain con-sidering I couldnt even walk a few months ago, he said.

Writings on the wall POLICE are investigating three pieces of Arabic graffiti that sprung up in San Roque on November 13, the same night 129 were massacred in the Paris attacks.The inscriptions, which translate as Allah is great, all contained minor spelling errors.The graffiti was found in Calle Pitas, Calle Portu-gues and also on the back of Iglesia Santa Maria Coronada.Their immediate removal has been demanded and will be carried out by the Guardia Civil.

Free water FAMILIES earning less than 967.95 a month will receive 100 free litres of water a day, the mayor of Algeciras has announced.Jos Ignacio Landaluce said households with an income of less than one and a half times the mini-mum wage are entitled to their first 100 litres of wa-ter for nothing.Landaluce said: We are a pioneering town hall in this type of social proj-ect and we also intervene against evictions, or to avoid electricity cuts.

Get well soonHospital staff demand an end to austerity cuts

Run like the wind!

versal of cuts made years ago during austerity measures.They want a return to a 35-hour week, for pay to return to 2012 levels and an end to docking pay for those who are off sick.According to the Cadiz prov-ince health minister, Eloisa Bernal, the cuts made have directly affected the quality of public services provided.

GrievancesThe current campaign, titled The Forgotten Andalucian, aims to pressurise the Junta and highlight the grievances of hospital workers.Staff at hospitals in Puerto Real and Algeciras are now set to protest, while staff in Cadiz and Jerez have al-ready done so.

Big dealTHE worlds leading petrochemical pro-ducer, Indorama Ven-tures Plc (IVL), has acquired the Cepsa plant in San Roque in a multi-million euro deal.

TransformerALGECIRAS Town Hall has backed a report to the Junta declaring the barri-os of Los Pastores and La Bajadilla as areas in need of social transformation.

No PassDUTCH freelance jour-nalist and photographer Rik Goverde was expelled from Morocco to Algeci-ras after he was accused of operating without ac-creditation.

November 25th - December 9th www.gibraltarolivepress.com

la cultura 9whats on

A GIBRALTARIAN author in Japan has published his seventh novel, set in the Rocks Upper Town.M.G. Sanchez, 47, who grew up there, described his latest work as a eulogy

THERE are not many festivals where youll find Anthony Worrall Thompson serving up a delicious lunch before discussing his rebellious ways, while Spanish football expert Guillem Balague lifts the lid on the real Cristiano Ronaldo.And it is certainly a rare occurrence to have Esther Rantzen competing with Marcus Brigstocke and Myles Jupp in a live version of Just a Minute, hosted by legendary radio presenter Nicholas Par-sons, all on board a floating hotel.But thats exactly what the Novembers third Gi-braltar Literary Festival delivered, and some.It brought a different sort of celebrity to the Rock, but the four-day event in different venues across the centre of town was just as star-studded as the summer music festival.The highlights were numerous, but comedian and author Brigstockes interview in a packed-out John Mackintosh Hall stands out.As does TV legend Esther Rantzens engaging appearance and literary agent Andrew Lownie on the antics of spy Guy Burgess during his time in Gibraltar.

Super scannerA NEW highly-specialised scanner is revolutionising Gibraltars National Ar-chives.The 16,850 German ma-chine, funded by a grant from the Parasol Founda-tion Trust, makes light work of digitising everything from musty tomes to news-papers, and from maps and government files.It will be used to provide a permanent database of his-toric documents that can be easily referenced.In a single hour, this ma-chine has been able to scan all the copies of the El Mono newspaper from 1879 over 260 double pages in all, said archivist Anthony Pitaluga.

Upper Town tales New book explores life in the Rocks old victorian streets

to Gibraltars old Victorian streets.Entitled Jonathan Gallardo, it follows the fortunes of a Gi-braltarian youth who begins to hear voices in different lo-cations around the Rock, af-ter being badly beaten up in a street fight.I had been meaning to write a novel set in the Upper Town area for some time, explains Sanchez.I grew up in Chicardos Pas-sage, a stones throw from the old St Bernards Hospi-tal, and I have always been

fascinated by the labyrinth of narrow, crooked streets found in this part of the Rock.Sanchez worked in eight different jobs, from pet-rol pump attendant to ice cream salesman, before gaining a PHD at Leeds University. He has released six novels set in Gibraltar, as well as several Gibraltar-themed collections.Now based in Tokyo, he promotes his homeland in books as well as at uni-versity talks and media

appearances.

Bookworms and starsREVIEW: Third Gibraltar Literary Festival was best yet, writes Tom Powell

EXCITED: Archivist with Deputy Chief Minister

Photographic exhi-bition, November 24 to December 11Marcos Morenos exhibi-tion charts the trials and tribulations of immigrants crossing the Straits of Gi-braltar. At Gustavo Baca-risas Gallery. Info: book-ings@culture.gov.gi

Convent Christmas Fair, November 26More than 40 festive stalls, many run by local charities. Loreto Convent Choir sing-ing Christmas carols at 6pm. Mulled wine and minced pies from the Red Cross. Info at www.convent.gi

The Sunborn Christ-mas Cracker, No-vember 29The Rotary Clubs charity concert features songs from your favorite Disney films, with soloist Claire Hawkins and guest singers. Tickets at Sunborn and the Music Corner, 114 Main Street.

Christmas Flower Show, December 3Organised by the Gibral-tar Horticultural Society at John Mackintosh Hall Lower Exhibition Room. Info: Gibraltar Horticul-tural Facebook page

November 25th - December 9th

BIG NAMES: Rantzen and Worrall Thompson

la cultura10

WE peer up at the old machine gun hole leering menacingly down at us.In front of us is a drawbridge, once the only way into Gibraltar, which would have crossed a flow-ing moat below.Whether its Moorish, 18th cen-tury or Second World War Gibral-tar were facing, staking a claim to the British Territory is looking like an increasingly impossible task as our tour guide points out the seemingly impenetrable de-fences.

BeautyBut we havent had to travel far to reach the first part of the Northern Defences tour. In fact, this is the Landport Tunnel entrance to Casemates Square, once lapped by the ocean. Thou-sands of people walk through it ev-ery day en route to the shops in Main Street without re-alising its huge historical signifi-cance.That is the beauty of Gibraltar, built on hundreds of years of genuine military heri-tage. This is a rock that has seen action and plenty of it. The place names alone (Line Wall Road, Casemates Square and Kings Bastion Lei-sure Centre, to name a few) are rooted in military terminology.I was lucky enough to bag a place on one of the Gibraltar Heritage Trusts preliminary Northern De-fences tours, after a year-long project to restore the circuit, hid-den under rubbish, and open it

Gibraltars Northern Defences are a fascinating walk through its military past that brings the bloody sieges and battles to life for tourists, as Tom Powell discovers

Man the ramparts!

t o t h e

public.Although

it isnt fin-ished yet.

Even the enthusiastic project manager, Carl Viagas, doesnt know exactly what the long-term aim for the defences is. But whether it is a key tourist attrac-tion, an open area for local use, a circuit training ground or all of the above, the Northern Defenc-es are going to be a revelation for Gibraltar.

We begin our tour at Landport Bridge, where guide Ian Marti-nez a military man with a thirst for heritage takes us back to Moorish times.The old Castle of Homage would have been divided into three parts, with the Puerta de Granada the main entrance.Historians have long debated the exact site of the Puerta de Granada but we are taken to the most likely spot.This brings us into the cordoned-off area above Moorish Castle estate, where workers have been uncovering the site from beneath a mountain of rubbish since last November.The key to the whole project was removing the rubbish, explains Viagas. People have looked at it before and decided it was just too much of a dump.

TorchesBut it hasnt actually been that difficult. It has only cost 4,000 when other projects Ive man-aged have cost millions, he tells me.The transformation, Im led to believe, has been incred-ible. When they first started you could not even walk through the defences in the area known as the jungle. Now it is a beauti-ful stroll in woodland, up stone passages, past barracks and

through galleries.At one point, torches are re-quired as we head through a tunnel, Princes Gallery, with Ian shedding light on the gap used for firing the cannon.He illustrates every aspect of the tour with juicy historical tidbits that I wont go into now (get on a tour with the real expert).The views are panoramic and exquisite, while it is easy to picture soldiers hurtling along these defences and desperately manning the ramparts. In one particular barracks, which would have housed 70-to-100 soldiers, cannon ball-sized holes dimple

the outer wall. We dont venture down as far as the Kings and Queens Lines, the first line of the tunnel defences, and yet to be cleared.That is the next stage of the proj-ect. When finished it will com-plete a perfect circuit which will take several hours of walking.Gibraltars topography makes it almost impenetrable. Add all these layers of well thought-out defence and its clear theres no place more solid than the rock of Gibraltar, as the saying goes.No wonder so many powers through history have wanted a piece of it.FORTRESS: Cannonball dents cover barracks wall

NORTHERN ROCK: Uncovered zone above Moorish Castle Estate and (right) guide Ian Martinez

ENTICING: Previously hidden steps

November 25th - December 9th

12 www.gibraltarolivepress.com

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Second battle of TrafalgarDEAR OP,

THE plan to privatise Trafalgar lighthouse is outrageous, thank you for bringing this to the pub-lic attention (We will fight them on the beaches, issue 5).It is so clear that the Cadiz Port Authority has simply grown tired of the financial burden and wants an easy way out, irrespec-tive of the historical importance of the site.It has the potential to be an ex-cellent tourist attraction which would, in turn, boost the local economy. We need to fight to make sure it is not simply con-verted into flats.

Anon,Gibraltar

At last!I HAVE always hated the way supermarkets simply throw out all the unsold food, so I must say a big well done to Morrisons (No sell out, issue 5). Its great to hear they will be donating all the food that is unsold - but still per-fectly edible - to local communi-ties and charities. A lot of credit for this must go to celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his TV campaign. Now we have to hope the rest of the worlds supermarkets will follow suit.

Ash Bolton,La Linea

AN ominous black cloud hovered above Gibraltar as I hurried across the runway to attend the literary festival last weekend. They say Gibraltar has its own mi-croclimate, and although I am no geographer, I saw it first hand. Luck-ily Gibraltar is charming come rain or shine, but I must confess it was a wrench to leave the unbroken sun-shine of La Linea! However there was a silver lining, because as I left the Just a Minute festival special on the Sunborn Hotel, Ocean Village was bathed in sunshine and there was not a spot a rain. What a beautiful place.

Ellie Cronin, La Linea

Under the weather

Immigration issue... again

THIS week on www.gibral-tarolivepress.com , we re-vealed the woman behind a 500,000-signature petition to close Uk borders spends most of her time living in Spain. The actions of Tina Reeves, who has a house in Jaen, certainly got our readers talking. Here are some of the top comments:

WHAT these UKIP-supporting types signing petitions like this havent quite realised is that closing the UKs borders would hurt the UK far more than anyone else. Its not just the millions in Britain who earn a living from tourists and visi-tors around half our food and many essential medicines and materials have to be imported.

The fact it is an expat who spends half of her time in Spain behind the petition is beyond ridiculous. What is the world coming to?

Anon,Gibraltar

ON the contrary, I dont un-derstand why a British person spending a lot of time in Spain doesnt have a right to speak up for her country.She should be allowed to want to protect the UK, especially when she has friends and family are still there.I spend most of my time in Spain and strongly defend the UK and want to protect it. It is my homeland where my family live and where I care for my fel-low British.If the UK borders are closed when Tina happens to be in Spain, all the more courageous she is as she risks not being able

to get back into the UK.Please, lets not turn this into a personal campaign against her just because she spends a lot of time in Spain.

Helen Smith,Manilva

WE may have different opinions but can we all agree the EU is an unmitigated disaster? Just look at Greece and other Club Med countries in the crisis. It costs the UK far more than it receives. I believe the UK pays approx 55 million a day to the EU but receives approx 37 mil-lion back, meaning a net outflow of 18 million. How daft is that when people are suffering in the UK in deprived areas?If the UK closed its borders to immigrants, tourists would still visit, imports and exports would still happen but with whoever we like as the EU countries will still need the UK as a major cus-tomer.

Mike Hall,UK

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ropertywww.gibraltarolivepress.com November 25th - December 9th 2015

P1,700 new homes for the Rock!THE GSLP are prom-ising to build 1,700 new homes if they get into power this week.Fabian Picardo has insisted the majority of properties will be affordable homes.The homes will be built at Hassan Cen-tenary Terraces and Bob Peliza Mews.This is more than double the 850 new homes which have been constructed in the partys first four years.

ExcitingWe will continue to prioritise people on the basis of their eli-gibility and needs, states the manifesto.And we anticipate other exciting de-velopments also be-coming available.Meanwhile, Gibral-tarians who were forced to abandon hopes of buying property on the Rock and have moved to Spain will be eligible to buy in the next round of affordable housing.Those who previous-ly owned property will need to pass the financial assessment test.

THE property sector is set to bounce back at an even faster pace over the coming years.And many in the industry feel this change is across the board, from studio apartments and small holiday homes right up to the luxury sector.If 2015 was the year of the comeback, 2016 and 2017 will see prices contin-ue to rise with the rental market also gaining ground, according to a leading property expert.Prices are predicted to increase around 6.2% next year alone, claims Servihabi-tat CEO Julian Cabanillas.This rise is almost three times this years increase, which is currently pre-dicted to sit at between 2.3% and 2.6% overall.The real estate giant, part owned by La Caixa bank, also predicted that pur-chases next year could grow by 25%.This positivity is shared by property ex-pert Terra Meridianas Adam Neale.The crisis brought many tough years for the property market with the crunch really hitting in 2011, he told the Olive Press.The market has picked up since then across all budgets and now we can real-ly see the good times picking up again.

Let the good times roll...

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

Property sales are back on track with multi-million euro purchases, renewed confidence and fresh hope for the future

LA ZAGALETA BEAUTY: Sold by Panorama

PUERTO BANUS PRIZE: Sold by Panorama

GOLDEN MILE PAD: Sold by Terra Meridiana

ON THE UP: Stunning Spanish properties, such as luxury villa (above) sold by Panorama, are being snapped up in the post-crisis boom

ESTEPONA ESCAPE: Sold by Terra Meridiana

the Gibraltar Olive Press September 17th - 30th 14 www.gibraltarolivepress.comProperty10 Property14 www.gibraltarolivepress.com October 1st - October 14th 2015

the Gibraltar Olive Press September 17th - 30th 15 www.gibraltarolivepress.comProperty10Property www.gibraltarolivepress.com November 25th - December 9th 15

Llanitos get their homesHOMES have been allocated to the majority of those on Gibral-tars housing waiting lists, the government has announced.Only a few people in search of single-room properties have failed to get them.It comes as the GSLP/Liberals vowed to improve the quality of rental properties, if re-elect-ed this week.Picardo also committed to build more rental homes for the elderly.

SAN Pedros iconic footbridge has walked its way into controversy. The stunning overpass has been denounced by political party Costa del Sol Si Puede over

claims of embezzlement and funding irregu-larities.The Podemos breakaway group claims the former PP-run Marbella town hall put the

THE company behind the worlds largest outdoor swimming pool is diving into its first European project.The real estate giant Crystal Lagoons - be-hind a pool in Chile some 11 football pitches in size - is bringing its expertise to Casares.The 121 million luxury resort will have the big-gest pool in Europe, with 450 homes scat-tered around it.The hectare and a half Alcazaba Hills Lagoon will create a huge area for swimmers and for other watersports.Estimated to take eight months to build, the site is close to a develop-ment, once chalked in for a Spanish Disneyland.Some 350 new properties are to be built alongside an existing 100 prop-erties, which have sat unsold since 2009.Spelling great optimism for the abandoned development, the scheme will target wealthy Europe-an tourists, principally British, Ger-man and Dutch.

BIG SPLASHPioneering company to invest 121 million in Europes first megapool and resort

By Iona Napier

With Crystal lagoons revolutionary technology, we can bring the idyl-lic beach lifestyle anywhere in the world which could reactivate unsold and empty projects which were con-sidered devoid of hope, said region-al director Sebastian Pillado.The Estepona, Marbella and Mijas property landscape has seen a mag-nificent year with 376 million of in-vestment scheduled in so far alone.Casares town hall failed to comment on this matter when approached by the Olive Press.

COOL POOLS: Alcazaba Hills Lagoon (above) and (left) worlds biggest swimming pool in Chile

SEEING DOUBLE: Part of bridge payment was allegedly paid twice

A troubled path...same 309,000 payment through the books twice as a way of embezzling public funds. The denuncia claims that de-molition payments for a play-ground were put through twice among other irregularities.The party is now demand-ing the new Marbella mayor discloses all payments in connection to the San Pedro project.

the Gibraltar Olive Press September 17th - 30th 16 www.gibraltarolivepress.comProperty16

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THE idea behind it was one of decadent luxury: a 22-floor, five-star hotel to revolutionise the Tor-remolinos tourist scene.But six years after the 120 million Hotel Cruiser project fell through, the buildings massive foot-print remains a reminder of its failure.Only now has the town hall finally started work to fill in the five star hole which sparked com-plaints.It was not only unsightly but became dirty and was frequented by rats.Work is predicted to last six months after which the land will be sold.

Hole in head

FIVE STAR HOLE: In Torremolinos

Defender of AndaluciaDonald Gray has devoted his life to traditional Andalucia architecture, with Brigitte Bardot and Gerald Brenan big fans. Joe Duggan met the man

PRESTIGIOUS: Gray (left), Brenan (centre) and Bardot (right) while (above) examples of Grays designs

architecture really got to me.Grays CV now includes buildings all around the region.As well as the town hall of Pitres, in Granada, he designed the urbanisations of Pueblo Lo-pez, in Fuengirola and the celebrated La Vir-ginia urbanisation, in Marbella.All of his designs are gleaming white jewels and unmistakably Andalucian.Grays loyalty to local heritage, and his endur-ing interest in the beauty of domestic dwellings, are certainly a counterpoint to famous modern architect Frank Gehrys otherworldly inventions, including the Guggenheim, in Bilbao.His 12-bedroom La Tartana hotel, in La Herradu-ra, won admiring glances from a famous guest.Brigitte Bardot stayed there. She said it was the most agreeable hotel she had stayed in, says Gray. Grays early years in Spain also drew him into contact with Brenan, the British writer and Hispanophile, whose books including South from Granada, transmit the very essence of Andalucia.I met him very early on when he was living in Churriana, says Gray. It turned out he wanted to leave his house in Churriana where he lived from before the Civil War. He wanted to forget about it all so I ended up designing

a house for him in nearby Alhaurin El Grande.I first met him not long after I moved to the Alpujarras region, where he lived for a long time.

WITH the traditional pantile roof tiles to timeless cobbled courtyards, at least one local architect has dedicated his life to protecting the Andalucian vernacular.From classic white-washed houses to old style cortijos, Donald Gray has long worked to pre-serve local architectural disciplines.One of the regions longest-serving expats Gray has, fittingly, now been recognised for his remarkable catalogue of sensitive designs.Everything that the typical Costa del Sol mon-strosities are not, his buildings have recently earned him an award, the Rafael Manzano Martos prize, that is given for honouring tradi-tional Andalucian architectural styles.And it is no surprise. For Australian Gray, 80, counts among his fans both actress Brigitte Bardot and world-respected writer Gerald Bre-nan, for whom he once designed a home.His devotion to Andalucian architecture was sparked when he embarked on a love affair with Spain 57 years ago.I arrived in Spain about a year before Castro rode into La Havana, he reveals. It was 1958 and he initially settled in Vallado-lid, where he got a job as an English teacher. But he soon got the travel bug to adventure further afield.I was young and spent a lot of time travel-ling around, he tells the Olive Press. I was teaching English wherever I went, including in Madrid and later in Torremolinos and Malaga. I did that for a year or two then went back to England. After that I went to Copenhagen to teach English then settled in Almunecar.Intriguingly, the one-time English teacher didnt learn his craft for designing buildings at college, at all. Instead, he learned directly by studying traditional styles and drawing lessons from the craftsmen who kept these styles alive.I put as many years into studying as I would have at university. The type of architecture Im interested in they dont teach at university, Gray continues. Modern art is gimmickry, and gim-mickry doesnt make good art.His first forays in design came when he settled in Almunecar.There was something about the style of the old buildings there that I fell in love with it was a beautiful town to walk around and the

17www.gibraltarolivepress.com the Gibraltar Olive Press September 17th - 30thwww.gibraltarolivepress.com November 25th - December 9th

1717

Defender of Andalucia

PRESTIGIOUS: Gray (left), Brenan (centre) and Bardot (right) while (above) examples of Grays designs

I used to see a lot of him. He was extremely in-teresting, an elegant conversationalist.Gray still lives in Las Alpujarras, in a tiny vil-

lage called Atalbeitar embedded in the Anda-lucian hills where he says he feels more Span-ish than Australian or British.

In a long career that has taken him around the whole region, he in particular loved Mar-

bella and Torremolinos.I love Andalucian architecture because it is so pleasing,

he says.Its lovely to walk down a street

designed in the old Andalucian style. Marbella used to be like that. Torremolinos used to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.But his heart was broken when he saw the beloved unspoilt coastline of Andalucia slowly get eaten up by

development.As the collar of concrete expanded

ever wider, his style of architecture got increasingly lost.

You can see on the Costa del Sol there are massive amounts of architecture and most of it is very depressing, he says.It used to be extremely beautiful - one of the most beautiful places in the world. Now its one of the ugliest. It doesnt say much for modern architecture.However, he did not give up hope. and land-ed a job as artistic director of a restoration school in Lebrija between 1986 and 1989. The school taught young people to restore lo-cal monuments and churches and produced some of Andalucias finest artisan craftsmen.I thought that would be a way of teaching people what was being lost with the old Span-ish crafts, things that had been completely destroyed. Ceramics, ironworks, carpentry, says Gray.Remarkably Gray is still working today, in par-ticular on a house in Las Alpujarras.I will continue to design and renovate hous-es as long as I can. People no longer want to build urbanisations so I am doing what I know best and protecting what little is left.

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Property www.gibraltarolivepress.com November 25th - December 9th18

the Gibraltar Olive Press September 17th - 30th 19 www.gibraltarolivepress.comProperty10Property www.gibraltarolivepress.com November 25th - December 9th 19

NEWS IN BRIEF

AN Englishman is aiming to make it an unprecedented 10 out of 10. Following in the footsteps of Pre-mier League marksman Jamie Vardy, is Inland Andalucias very own sharp shooter Paul Barnett. After bagging an unprecedented nine straight property sales in a row, Barnett will be the envy of estate agent bosses across Anda-lucia. And he could make it a per-fect 10 with a decision imminent on yet another potential purchase

YOUR AVERAGE JUANFORGET turrets and drawbridges, the average dream Spanish home is a four-bedroom affair, with a garage and set in a modest 120m2.While a massive 64% of Spaniards in a European survey demanded a garage, just half prioritised a terrace and 47% required green spaces nearby.Brits meanwhile are happier to live in shoeboxes, with their ideal home measuring 80m2, while the average Portuguese opted for a larger 211m2.Europeans, in general, favour five bedrooms, the RE/MAX survey re-vealed.

On cloud nine!Expat salesman ties up unheard-of nine home sales on the bounce... and he could be in for a tenth!

EXCLUSIVEBy Rob Horgan

in the inland Malaga area. His boss Graham Govier said in his 15 years in charge of company Inland Andalucia no one agent has ever come close to Barnetts cur-

Properties making Paul so happyClient Name

1. Francisco & Antonia2. Sean, Caroline & Thomas3. Trudi4. Tony & Louise5. Victor & Cheryl6. Murial7. Jeff & Chrissie8. Mark & Lorraine9. Pillar & Jesus

10.? Peter & Patricia

Type

TownhouseCortijoVillaTownhouseVillaTownhouseTownhouseVillaVilla

Townhouse

Town, Region

Fuente de Perda, MalagaIznajar, CordobaPuente Genil, CordobaEncinas Reales, CordobaLora de Estepa, SevillaVillanueva de Algaidas, MalagaCasariche, SevillaMarchena, SevillaCasariche, Sevilla

Molina, Malaga

Price

75,000 87,000 185,000 79,000 125,000 45,500 36,000 32,000 139,000

Pending

rent streak. It is an unbelievable feat, Govier told the Olive Press. A one-in-three viewings-to-sales conver-sion ratio is deemed good busi-ness, so to tie up nine on the spin is truly unheard of. Not even in the heady days of the Costa boom did anyone come near to that.I think a pick up in the property market, a return of foreign buyers to Spain along with the improved online viewing system we have in-troduced have all contributed to his success. He added: But lets not take any-thing away from him. Paul is one of the good guys, a real old-fash-ioned salesman.

H e d o e s things the proper way, gets to know the buyers and doesnt use any tricks to sign them up. He deserves his suc-cess and Im sure with all the commis-sions coming in he will have a pretty good Christmas.

Quarter pounderSPANISH house prices rose by 6.6% in the third quarter of 2015, with over 92,000 transactions tak-ing place, representing the highest result of the last 10 quarters.

Renters buoyed TENANTS in Spain continue to get a good deal, with rent-al costs on the slide. A 1% year-on-year decline in Oc-tober represents 31 straight months of decline in the rental sector.

Payment planTHE average Spanish mortgage costs 760 a month, with 75% of loan repayment terms set over 30 years, according to bank Goldman Sachs.

Holiday homesSPANIARDS have 9.2 billion-worth of properties overseas, half of which are in the UK, France, Germany and Portugal.

Retail therapyREAL estate investment firm AEW Europe has launched a European retail fund aimed at investing up to 800 mil-lion in top tier cities, includ-ing Madrid.

Top Dollar

21www.gibraltarolivepress. the Gibraltar Olive Press September 17th - 30th

November 12th 25th 201521 Top Dollar

21

NEWS IN BRIEFUS praiseGIBRALTARS tax transparency has been praised in a letter from John koskinen, the Commissioner of the US Department of the Treasury in Wash-ington DC.

Train tracksTRAIN users are on track for a big boost after Spains Renfe announced it is spending millions on 30 new trains.

On boardCOSTA workers com-muting to Gibraltar now have a handy park and ride scheme, Gib X, which will take passengers from Este-pona, Manilva, Soto-grande and Alcaidesa to Ocean Village.

Base ratesTHE running cost of the UKs military base in Gi-braltar amounts to 70 million a year, making it the fourth most expensive military base for Britain.

STUCK for space when visi-tors come to stay on the Rock?... Then despair no longer, as one of the worlds leading ho-tel chains is about to set up shop. Gearing up for a 2017 launch, Holiday Inn Express will build a new 120-room hotel.

Oil together nowPROTECTING Gibraltars marine environment is a top priority.And there are now significantly more specifically trained opera-tives to safely deal with an oil spill, should disaster occur.Staff from both the Port Authority and the Ministry of the Environ-ment took part in the Oil Spill Re-sponse Beach Master course.The training involved simulating a real oil spill at Western Beach, so if youve been worried sick after see-ing what looked like a terrible oil spill, you can now relax.

Bunker boostGIBRALTAR will host the next annual convention of the International Bunker Indus-try Association (IBIA).Since its launch in 1992, IBIA has expanded to become the authoritative voice on marine fuel and now counts over 600 members from 66 countries.The convention, to be held in November 2016, was de-scribed as a real feather in Gibraltars cap by Shipping Minister Albert Isola.

BORDER FORCE Hotel, motel, Holiday InnWork to start on first internationally branded hotel in Gibraltar in decades

L o c a t e d close to the airport, on Devils Tow-er Road, the Holiday Inn will also feature a restau-rant, bar and meeting rooms. Targeted as a growing finance centre in Europe, Holiday Inn director of development Hylko Versteeg is excited to be set-ting up in Gibraltar.Were thrilled that Holiday Inn Express Gibraltar will be the first internationally brand-ed hotel to have a presence in the territory in decades, he said. As well as being a tourism destination, Gibraltar has an established reputation as a financial centre and the hotel is well placed to attract strong demand from business and leisure guests alike. It will fill the mid-priced ho-tels gap in Gibraltars current hotels offer.The dancefloor classic Hotel, motel, by Pitbull (above) will now have extra resonance when played at Dusk.

THE Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce is strengthening rela-tions with its Spanish neighbours.

Meeting with La Linea Town Halls commercial officials, the two sides discussed mu-tual business interests. Ideas to improve cross-bor-der business relations in-cluded reducing traffic flow, additional opening hours for commercial trade as well as La Linea offering additional warehouse space for Gibral-tar businesses. The Chamber also high-lighted the need for Spanish businesses who wanted to do business in Gibraltar to be properly licensed and regis-tered.

www.gibraltarolivepress.com November 25th - December 9th

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All you need isFirst class ticket boostTRAIN users are on track for a big boost after Renfe announced it is spending millions on 30 new trains.The Spanish rail company revealed it is splash-ing between 2,061 billion and 2,642 billion on its new fleet.

The 400-seat trains, which will have a mini-mum speed of 320 kmh, come into service be-tween 2018 and 2025.Work starts on the first batch of 15 trains in May 2016 with Renfe ordering the remaining 15 when required.

A SPANISH company has been named greenest utility in the world by industry ex-perts Energy Intelligence.Acciona, an independent power producer

with completely renewable energy capacity, topped the list of the worlds top 100 Green Utilities.The rankings are based on companies re-

GREEN LIGHT

Spanish power provider Acciona tops world list of 100 most eco-friendly utilities

newable energy portfolios and greenhouse gas emis-sions.The 100 utilities in the list have a combined 3,100GW of installed capacity, equiv-alent to around 55% of the worlds total power genera-tion.Acciona obtained 234 out of a possible 300 points in the ranking for CO2 emissions per MWh.The company beat energy giants such as Iberdrola and EDF to the number one spot.Its the first time Acciona has appeared in the annual Energy Intelligence report.

Rolling the dice GAMBLING giant Paddy Power is setting its sights on Spain.Teaming up with Spanish betting company Reta, Paddy Powers sport-betting products will be on offer in Spain.It is the latest move in the Uk companys global expansion which has the company tie up deals with major gambling providers in France, Can-ada and Slovakia.

22

THE title is short but the consequences of divorce are often complex, far-reaching and can last decades.When a couple, married or otherwise, decides to end the joint use of the family home follow-ing separation or divorce, the family home - whether jointly or privately owned by one part-ner - becomes the asset that is the subject of the greatest disputes.These concerns arise, for many and obvious reasons, both personal and financial.In Spain, courts have certain guidelines that they tend to stick to when deciding about who is to retain possession.These include: ownership situation, existing judicial precedent, social inertia, mutu-al or unilateral decision (very often, one partner leaves willingly) and, most importantly, children. The following guidelines can help us understand what we can ex-pect when in this situation:- Where children are involved, 95% of the time the use of the family home goes to the mother because she is granted custody in 95% of cases. - Where children are not involved, the judge can decide that pos-session, for a prudent period of time (some courts establish this to

be 6 to 12 months), goes to the non-owning spouse/partner if he/she is in more demand of protection (lack of income, financial situa-tion, or illness). - Where children are not involved, the property is not owned jointly and both parties are in a similar financial situation, the owning partner will have the right to enjoy possession. Where it is jointly owned, courts expect partners to agree on its use, failing which, the property is sold at public auction and the pro