El plan del litoral hace inviable el proyecto de Foster para Massó

February 16th, 2010 by andy

Las distintas protecciones que contempla el Plan de Ordenación do Litoral (POL) en Massó hacen inviable el proyecto de Norman Foster y ponen en entredicho la densidad residencial que pretende la promotora, que reivindica la validez de convenio urbanístico firmado con el Concello en el 2004 que le permitía levantar unas 750 viviendas en edificios de hasta cuatro plantas.

El plan protege el bosque existente, desde la llamada Finca de Don Paco hasta las proximidades de la ballenera. Se suman a esta protección la intermareal, la costera y la ecológica. Crea lo que denomina un corredor ecológico, una franja cuyo ancho no está determinado, que atraviesa la finca y que envuelve la laguna, que figura también como espacio hidrológico. El resto del ámbito queda grafiado como «mellora ambiental e paisaxística».

La normativa, aunque muy genérica, ofrece pocas posibilidades edificatorias. Permite para las zonas de A Barreira y Balea «crecementos residenciais unifamiliares desvinculados das funcións urbanas e rurais, incluindo as instalacións da estación depuradora existente». El objetivo es «integrar os baleiros como elementos xeneradores de trama ou estructura física e funcional, poñer en valor os elementos do patrimonio industrial existentes, minimizar a presión sobre o perfil acantilado e as praias da Congorza ou do Medio e das Colchas e mellorar deste modo a calidade escénica e ambiental deste lugar».

Ballenera

En la actualidad, la única edificación industrial de Massó protegida es la vieja factoría, construida en 1941. El nuevo plan de la Xunta incorpora la antigua nave de la anchoa, la ballenera y todas las construcciones existentes en A Congorza, en estado ruinoso.

La promotora del puerto deportivo y la urbanización de Massó había solicitado al Concello autorización para derribar la ballenera. El gobierno local la remitió a Patrimonio, dando lugar a una queja de la empresa, que argumentaba que no está protegida. La decisión del Concello impidió su derribo. El entonces concejal de Urbanismo, Mariano Abalo, se felicita por ello.

La protección de estas edificaciones afecta directamente a una de las propuestas estrella de Norman Foster, la construcción de un hotel con forma de un coco cortado a la mitad formado por cinco edificios, que estaba llamado a ser la referencia visual de Massó desde la ría.

Abalo valora positivamente el plan del litoral por lo que afecta a Massó. Considera que implica una importante restricción del proyecto residencial de Marina Atlántica.

Puerto deportivo

El plan no parece afectar al puerto deportivo, ya que contempla la posibilidad de construir instalaciones de este tipo en la costa. Abalo, sin embargo, entiende que el puerto no tendría sentido sin la urbanización anexa.

Massó no figura en el POL como una de las excepcionalidades que contempla el plan para lo suelos consolidados. Los grafiados en los planos quedan excluidos de la obligación de adaptarse a la nueva normativa.

Por lo tanto, el Plan Xeral tendrá que incorporar las directrices que marca el plan para Massó y será la Xunta la que informe cualquier actuación que se proyecte en la finca.

Fuente: www.lavozdegalicia.e
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A bit of history of Maritime Law

October 15th, 2009 by andy
Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons

Today we are going to focus in History and the importance of Maritime trade and regulation in the Balearics.. The first  and most important regulations on Maritime Law in the old Middle Age were the ones from France, (Rules de Oleron),  Venice, Genova and the Costums de la Mar or Llibre del Consulat de la Mar, done in Barcelona from the XIII century. The first dispositions in Maritime Law were adopted under Jaume the Conqueror I for the regulation of the Maritime Policy in the Aragon´s crown waters (Ordinationes reparai) and  Barcelona Navigation Act 1227.

This king born in Montpellier  in 1213 and died in Valencia in 1276 has an especial relevance in our Islands as  he was the one that conquered Mallorca in 1229, Valencia in 1232 and Ibiza in 1235. He was count of Barcelona, Sir of Montpellier and King of the Crown of Aragon (which constituted the territories of Valencia, Catalonia, Aragón in today’s Spain, and Rossellon in today’s France). He was keen on expanding the boundaries of his Kingdom overseas, and after conquering the islands of Mallorca and Ibiza, he enacted a set of maritime laws and rules in order to establish a suitable platform to trade with other territories such as Tunis, Morrocco and Egypt, where he exported rags and clothes to import back wool, leader, cereals and even slaves. He later on established two maritime transport lines, firstly, the eastern Mediterranean line, trading with Alexandria, Palestine and Byzantium; and, secondly, the western Mediterranean line, trading with the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. These trading relations turned out to be so intense and successful that his son, Pere (to be Peter the Great) married Constança of Sicily thus engrossing the territories of the Kingdom, in detriment of the French, also interested in the island.

This Pere is the one who established in Barcelona the Maritime High Court called Consulatis Maris, which dealt with all kind of navigation and maritime trade disputes. The compilation of uses and court resolutions were first complied in the Costumes de la Mar and then in the Llibre del Consulate de la Mar (appeared in 1258 and finally. First issued in Catalan language and then translated into several languages including Latin.  The importance of the Llibre del Consolat de la Mar is because it is the very first code to include all maritime and navigation rulings from the Romans, Greeks, Byzantines, French, Italian and Aragóns or Catalans.  It was immediately adopted by all Mediterranean port authorities and maritime traders and seamen. In order to understand its relevance we can highlight that this compilation of all maritime rulings remained almost 300 years as unique European Maritime Code until the French Colbert Rulings from 1681.

By the way we are still waiting that the project of General Maritime Act (Anteproyecto de Ley general de la Navegación Marítima) is finally released.

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Repair and refit of vessels in Spanish Marinas and Spanish Boatyards, with or without IVA?

July 20th, 2009 by andy

A yacht has to be repaired and/or refit in Spain and the yacht owner is confused whether or not he has to pay IVA. The Spanish companies normally do not know the Spanish legislation and always try to assess VAT on the services they rendered no matter the yacht is registered. The case we analyse is a pleasure yacht for private purposes and not a boat affected to international maritime navigation which has another VAT regime.

Article 70,One, 7º, a) Ley 30/1992, Spanish VAT Law the following services rendered by taxable persons are liable to VAT:

(…)

7º “All kind of works carried out on moveable goods, reports, valuations in the following cases:

a) If those services are materially done in Spanish territory, unless the recipient communicates a VAT recording from another European Union member State, and such goods to which the services are referred are delivered or transferred out from Spanish VAT territory.

However they are deemed to be rendered in Spanish territory and subject to Spanish VAT such services are done in means of transport registered in Spain”.

So theses three requirements shall met in order to escape from Spanish VAT:

1) Vessels and yachts not registered in Spain

2) The recipient or destine of the works – individual or company – has to communicate another EU VAT registration

3) Once the works have finished the vessel has to leave Spanish waters.

In principle, for the fulfilment of the last requirement any kind of evidence might be shown. However according to one Tax Consultation from the Spanish Tax Authorities 08/06/1998 if the vessel is only on temporary basis in Spain is enough a firm and written statement of the recipient in the original invoice and its copy the fact that the vessel has sailed out of Spain or his determination to do it in the future. In this case the invoice issued must also reflect the Registration details of the yacht.

Other situations are Spanish VAT liable.

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Yacht Racing Litigation: New York Court of Appeals Nº 25 and the 33rd America´s Cup

June 15th, 2009 by andy

In 2001 I had to dispatch for Import VAT a 203 feet mega yacht through the Customs in Valencia. At that time there where absolutely no possibility of berths of that size in the whole Valencia Port for pleasure crafts so that the beneficial owner was very annoyed to have her yacht among stinking and dirty cargo ships. Few years later the Societé Nautique de Genéve and Alinghi won in New Zealand the 31st America´s cup and five cities in Europe disputed hosting the 32nd edition. At that time and as many of you I used to dream watching the regatta in our bay. But for a lot of seamen and sailing racing people here in the Islands it was very disappointing to see that Valencia and not Palma was chosen as host city and that economic reasons prevailed although Palma due to the privileged conditions of the bay is one of the best regatta fields in the world and has a very consolidated sailing racing tradition.

This tremendous mistake had its final consequence after a one an half year lawsuit in the New York’s Highest Court resolution that ruled that America’s Cup challenge is not legally valid under terms of the foundational Deed of Trust. That means, that the yacht club’s challenge, the Spanish brand new created Club Náutico Español de Vela, Valencia, in the America’s Cup sailing regatta and match race, did not comply with the terms of the charitable trust governing the competition. According to the New York Court of Appeals, the America’s Cup trust instrument, the Deed of Gift, was modified in 1887, “requir[ing] a yacht club to hold an annual regatta on the sea prior to issuing its challenge.” San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club argued that since a new competitor, Club Náutico Español de Vela, created itself “only a few days before submitting its challenge — and had never held an annual regatta” as the trust required, it could not issue an effective legal challenge against Société Nautique de Genève, the current holder of America’s Cup. The court granted Golden Gate Yacht Club summary judgment against Société Nautique de Genève, giving it a legal victory by comparing the trust’s terms with the actions and agreements of the respective yacht clubs so that at the end Oracle will probably fight alone against the Alinghi in three courses if they do not agree a Protocol (which is presumably expected).

I like to think that Palma with f.e. its Real Club Náutico Palma - that can presume of “having” some worldwide known annual regattas - would have made it much better. In any case we can see once again that in the sea monies economic interests not always go ahead tradition and law.

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