The owners of Alegranza will meet with the Cabildo to try to negotiate a new agreement

The owners of Alegranza accuse ecologists of "ignoring the ban" and "destroying" the Islet

[See the image gallery of the situation of the Islet->44709]

October 4 2010 (21:29 WEST)
The owners of Alegranza accuse environmentalists of ignoring the ban and destroying the Islet
The owners of Alegranza accuse environmentalists of ignoring the ban and destroying the Islet

One of the owners of Alegranza denounces that the ecologists of WWF/Aena are "deteriorating" the Islet, as well as the Punta Delgada Lighthouse. Manolo Jordán took several photographs in September to illustrate the poor condition of Alegranza, full of "mattresses thrown away and dirt". This Friday, Jordán will return to Alegranza to check the condition of the Islet, which 24 years ago was classified as a Protected Natural Space together with the rest of the Chinijo Archipelago. "I'm sure it's the same or worse," he tells La Voz, while stating that "talking about Alegranza drives me crazy", due to the lack of solutions he has found so far.

Jordán is absolutely convinced that the deterioration in the Alegranza facilities is due to the presence of ecologists. "The Cabildo puts them there all summer, they spend months in here," he says, while indicating that when he found out that they were in the Punta Delgada Lighthouse last June, he sent them a burofax "expressly prohibiting them from stepping on the island." "They only have permission to be in the 1,704 meters of the lighthouse, but those gentlemen ignore the prohibition as they please, because they believe they have the right to everything," he denounces. "These clowns have even accused me of being a predator. I do what I want on my farm," he emphasizes.

Manolo Jordán's battle against ecologists began in November 2009. "At that time, I made public some photos of the Alegranza Lighthouse and accused the ecologists of destroying the house," he indicates. "They are the only ones who can be there because the Cabildo gives them permission, who else could it be?" he asks.

From the images he captured last year to those he has taken on this occasion, there is, he says, a difference. "Before it was a piece of shit, now it's destroyed," says Manolo Jordán. "These people are incapable of lifting a finger, they only expect the Cabildo to bring them food and spend a luxury vacation in Alegranza", he denounces.

The deterioration of the Lighthouse

Regarding the 517,957 euros that the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs has allocated for the restoration and improvement of the Punta Delgada Lighthouse, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), Manolo Jordán believes that this means "greater luxury for the ecologist children." "The normal thing would be for them to fix it and let me manage it, then nothing would fall again," he assures. "The ecologists are the only occupants of that facility. Last year they accused us of that deterioration but it is them," he insists.

And Manolo Jordán recalls that, despite being the owner of the Islet of Alegranza, the use of the island is limited. The family, above all, spends time in their home, located south of the Islet. "My brother has forbidden the ecologists to approach 300 meters from the house," he says. "What we have built, these people have thrown away, in a bad mood. They have taken away the roofs and everything. And I'm fed up," he emphasizes.

Rights on the Islet

Manolo Jordán recalls that there are two judgments from the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands (TSJC) that give the reason to the owners of Alegranza, after the Government of the Canary Islands launched a Master Plan for Use and Management. The TSJC accepted the appeal of the Jordán Martinón family and agreed to annul the determinations of the PRUG in the area of private ownership in 92 percent of the islet. However, the regional Executive appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, which has not yet ruled.

Given this situation, in which the family cannot currently enjoy the Islet "peacefully", Manolo Jordán states that he prefers to be expropriated. But here another problem arises. According to Jordán, "the Justice has valued the Islet at 130 million euros, but the State remains attached like a limpet to the fact that it owns the coastline." "The Coasts Law is an administrative law only so that nothing is built on the coast, they cannot keep this land," he points out.

"There is no will for expropriation. I have even offered to pay for the island in ten years, let them leave me a piece of the island where we have the house and the rest the Government can keep. We don't want the rest for anything," he indicates.

Meeting with the Cabildo

Manolo Jordán will meet this Tuesday with leaders of the Cabildo to talk about an agreement to establish the rights within the Islet. "They cannot close in band because the property is mine," he insists. "We want to draw up a new regulatory agreement to know what I can do on the Islet and what others can do," he points out.

Jordán adds that what the Cabildo has to understand is that "it cannot invite anyone to the Islet without notifying us." "We can reach 20,000 agreements, but as long as there is a will," he trusts. However, he does not have much hope, and affirms that so far, the family has spent more than "nine million pesetas" to obtain licenses from the Government of the Canary Islands.

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[The owners of Alegranza propose to the Government to manage the public use of the island without building any infrastructure->37439]

[Government and parliamentary groups believe that the State should acquire Alegranza through expropriation->37354]

[The Justice annuls two articles of the Chinijo Archipelago Plan referring to the use of private land in Alegranza->29153]

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