New planning controls CMF, Rock Fall, New Via Rápida, Fish supplies, & other snippets
TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Sam … Porto Santo and it’s finest asset, taken on a bargain ferry & hotel trip last week. The boat in the distance is the 1896 sail boat ‘Bélem´ leaving Porto Santo for Funchal.
Source : Diário de Notícias 30/5/2008
Funchal City Council (Câmara) voted unanimously on Thursday to pass new rules to reinforce and control it’s planning approval process, but insist that the use of them will be the exception rather than the rule. It restricts the authority of individual councillors to make decisions about planning matters, preferring all matters to be dealt with by committee. There has been some bad publicity recently about this matter, and Madeira is well known for it’s ‘backhander’ planning approach. So how will those affected supplement their losses? Probably stand for election in another part of Madeira where it’s business as usual …
Those people staying or living on the west side of Funchal may have had a rude awakening at 8.20 on Thursday morning, as a hefty rockfall occurred onto the beach at Praia Formosa. Fortunately the area was cordoned off for construction workers on the promenade, and doubly fortunately there were no workers there at the time.
The Regional Government of Madeira is busy buying up pieces of land at the back of Ribeira Brava to make way for a new Via Rapida which will run through to São Vicente. In total 102 plots will be purchased making up nearly 17,000 square meters of land. The land owners in Meia Légua seem to be happy with the whole plan, saying they look forward to improved road safety. The article mentions the famous Poncha Bar situated there, so perhaps that will disappear into the rubble too … lets hope not!
Referring back to something a few days ago about the change in law which prevents utility companies charging for the hire of their meters. Funchal Câmara have announced a new tariff that increases the price of water supply by €3.70 per month to domestic customers … exactly the same amount that the meter hire charge was before being prohibited. A spokesman for Funchal Câmara when asked about this coincidence said that the price rise “had nothing to do with it”. Yeah, right!
so that sets the scene really, the new law is not going to save us any money.
Madeira’s fishermen, although supportive of the national strike, are not taking part on the grounds that their plight with fuel prices is cushioned by government support. Madeira will be able to export some fish to the continent to supplement their shortages, but that will have little impact. I can see two scenarios here … firstly Madeira keeps it’s own fish, but without imports the choice will be limited in the shops, … or secondly someone gets greedy and sees the shortages as a way to get rich quick, selling to the highest bidders, here or in Portugal.
The Pestana Group, who seem hell bent on owning half of this planet, as well as being owners of some of Madeira’s most prestigious hotels, has launched a new online travel agency. With the strapline “Cheap voyages with much sugar”, the new website at www.leitecreme.com is not doing much yet as the links don’t work. There is no special access for English speakers.
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Friday was supposed to be the day when the new proposed tobacco law was supposed to be discussed in the Madeira Assembly, but there was nothing in the news about it. If passed, this would effectively remove the obligations of bars and restaurants in terms of banning smoking inside. Some local opinion is that Jardim is acting outside his authority … apparently when the wearing of seat-belts in cars was made obligatory in law some years ago, President Jardim tried to pass local legislation to stop it … thankfully he failed. Words fail me …
HOWEVER, a friend of mine said that a bar/cafe that she frequents in Funchal, yesterday had ashtrays back on it’s indoor tables for the first time this year?
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What's wrong with the tunnel that already goes from Ribeira Brava to Sao Vincente?
–karen
1nothing really in my view, as it's hardly a huge population zone up there, but I don't know if the tunnel itself will change, I doubt it, just the accesses either side. I suspect the project is funded with European subsidies under the Madeiran road building charter known as 'have money, will burn'.
2–Der
What's wrong with the tunnel is that it is boring (if you'll excuse the pun!). It is ove 3km long, dead straight and dead flat (despite the fact that it appears to go downhill from both directions – wierd!). Now the Madeirans have become very proficient at building bendy intersting tunnels- why stick with an old characterless one?
3–Andrew
My personal thoughts are that they are actually intending to widen the road from between Ribeia Brava and Serra de Agua because it is currently extremely narrow and with no pedestrian walkway which proves to be particularly scary when when meeting lorries, coaches etc coming from the opposite direction and even more so if they are leaving the said poncha bar!
4