Por Redaccion The ordinary plenary session, organized today, has permanently approved, unanimously, by all corporate groups, the award of the City Medal 2025 to Taekwondoist Elena Benítez Morales, cyclist Luis Ángel Maté, and boxer Ayood Ghadfa Drissi el Aisisoui. Mayor Ángeles Muñoz emphasized during the defense of the proposal that «these are three individuals in our city with impeccable trajectories, who also excel in their personal endeavors and are great ambassadors for Marbella.» Furthermore, she reminded that the main award granted by the local council, which recognizes the merits and activities of individuals who are exemplary in society and contribute to the development and progress of the municipality, will be presented on February 28, Andalusia Day, at the Municipal Theater.
The mayor highlighted that Elena Benítez «became the first woman in Malaga to compete in the Olympic Games, particularly in 1988 in Korea where she won the gold medal in Barcelona 1992, participated in Sydney 2020, and five others as a coach or technical director.» «Additionally, last year she went to Paris for the ninth time for the Olympics, leading the Spanish Taekwondo delegation, among many other achievements in her career,» the mayor emphasized. She noted that Benítez has been a two-time world champion in Europe and equally successful as a coach, serving for ten years as the technical director of the Spanish Taekwondo Federation.
Regarding cyclist Luis Ángel Maté, it was emphasized that he «always promoted the values of effort, perseverance, and discipline,» and it was specified that the Marbella native retired after 17 seasons as a professional, competing in 18 major races (14 Vuelta a España and 6 Tour de France) all of which he completed. «His spirit of sacrifice led him, among other achievements, to wear the Spanish team jersey in 2016, in Europe, carrying the name of Marbella wherever he went.» Similarly, the mayor praised the merits of boxer Ayub Ghadfa for this recognition, who last year became an overcomer and an inspiration for young people aspiring to achieve their dreams. «The young Marbella native, who started in Kickboxing, transitioned to boxing in 2017 when he moved to Madrid and in 2018 already participated in his first fight with the Spanish team, ending the year as a double medalist and world champion, earning the bronze medal in the European Union,» Muñoz said.
Similarly, within the scope of tributes, the mayor emphasized the trajectories of journalist Salvador de Peña, «one of those individuals who are part of Marbella’s history based on their own merits,» who was president of the Carnival Association Pedro and delegate of the Union Deportiva San Pedro field, Juan José Calventa Alcántara, who passed away in February of last year, «leaving a mark of good humor wherever he went.» In the first case, the tribute temple Alameda was unanimously approved in his memory, in a definitive approval of the mentioned proposal.
Furthermore, in today’s regular session, with the favorable votes of all political groups, a request was made to the central government for a moratorium or grace period in the payment of the inherited debt that the city holds with the Social Security and Treasury, amounting to 47 million euros. Already paid in advance, this would temporarily suspend the payment of the principal and interest for a period that could extend up to seven years, enabling the city to make more investments. In this regard, spokesperson Félix Romero emphasized that «we faithfully met the repayment agreement and advanced up to 47 million euros in the repayment of the mentioned debt.» «What we are requesting is to have the amount credited towards the repayment schedule for everything we have already prepaid, generating a grace period equivalent to this amount during which no payments would be expected as we have already covered it,» he explained.
On another note, in today’s regular session, the modification of the adjustment plan related to the Municipal Council’s adherence was approved for the Finance Ministry’s Planning Fund to «securely» address the payment of some firm judicial sentences from this point forward. This alters the agreement adopted last year. «If we were able to pay in 10 years, we will have to pay much more in 15,» stated the mayor, recalling that «in just three years, claims of 200 million euros were made for infractions during the GIL era, of which many procedures were won, but in other cases, we had to pay creditors due to firm judgments.»
Moreover, an extraordinary proposal for authorization on rustic land for the establishment of a specialized gastronomic hotel at Coto de los Dolores farm was given the green light today, in accordance with the Andalusia Sustainability Promotion Law. «This project is not only a significant investment for the city, with an estimated investment of 10 million euros and the creation of 70 direct jobs in high season and 53 in the low season, but also in line with our commitment to sustainability and protection of the natural environment,» explained urban councilor José Eduardo Díaz. The mayor specified that this establishment, which will have a 4 or 5-star rating, will consist of a main building with 88 rooms and common facilities such as a restaurant, bar, gym, or spa, among others, and nine cabins designed as additional accommodation.
In another matter, the regulation project for the ordinance of Marbella’s hydraulic infrastructure fee, an initiative that, according to councilor Diego López, «is not just a necessity to address climate challenges and drought but also an opportunity.» Additionally, changing the designation of a heritage plot with a private sports facility, located in Nueva Andalucía, measuring 3,000 square meters, into public domain, along with another adjacent plot with the same designation and surface, is more advantageous for the city as it allows for the creation or provision of new municipal infrastructure. Finally, the plenary session supported other issues related to the reorganization of traffic in the Nueva Andalucía industrial estate or studying the feasibility of a «cheap Thursday» in San Pedro.