The centre of Alayor is to be closed to through trafic for the summer months only except from the hours of 0600 - 1000 for loading and unloading in the town centre. 

A young Italian has started producing Mozzarella cheese which he beleives is of a superior quality to that of his homeland, due to the quality of the feed that the cows are reared on.  They produce 2,500 litres of milk per day.  

The Balearic Government are to introduce a warning system to inform beach goers that there are jellyfish in the area.

In addition to the the red, yellow and green flags which indicates the state of the sea there will now be a purple flag which will  advise presence of jellyfish. There will also be 40 boats which, from the 1st June, will be beach-cleaning and with special nets collecting the jellyfish.  

 

The carriageway will have a single lane in each direction with a third lane for slow-moving vehicles between Pla Verd and the Cala Galdana junction. 

Vil-la have signed an exclusive agreement with the Mutua General de Cataluña which allows us to offer an added service to our clients with regard to private health care insurance cover to anyone using Menorca as their address i.e. property owners in Menorca.

The Mutua concerned is an association which as a non-profit making society, self-insures life's risks, those insured themselves being owners, rather than clients of said association.  All benefits received are re-invested in the company to improve the quality of health care as well as keeping membership costs down.

For further information please contact Jules direct at mutua@vil-la.com   

 

Wine production in Menorca increased considerably in 2007 with the number of litres bottled increasing by 81.6% compared to the previous year.  Last year the island produced a total of 573.47 hectolitres the majority sold within the Balearic islands.  Wine producers due to increase from 7 to 10. 

A decompression chamber is to be installed in the Mateu Orfila Hospital in Mahon to replace the current one which is obsolete.  The new chamber will probably be installed in an annex to comply with safety regulations. 

A group of menorcan investors is to present a project to the Mahon council within the next few days for the construction of a riding school for Menorcan horses.  The group are prepared to invest 7 million euros in the project.  

The Town Planning will allow a hotel, two blocks of flats and underground parking and a small commercial centre to be constructed on a plot of 2,800 sq. mts in the center of town. 

The Menorcan shoe company has opened a fourth shop in the business area od London.  The Pretty Balerinas line has proved very popular with many celebs such as Claudia Schiffer, Lindsay Lohan and Lily Allen.   

Pottery from the Punic and Roman eras have been found as well as ship wrecks.  There are around twenty underwater sites around the island.  Menorcas strategic position placed it on the trading routes of many civilisations.  

Several conservation projects will be carried out over the next few years to protect and improve the flora and fauna of the area.  

The nine departure gates and 21 check-in desks will be increased to 16 and 43 respectively at the height of the summer season.  2.79 million passengers passed through the airport in 2007.  The new terminal should ease the flow of passengers and allow the airport to offer top quality service for those using the facilities. 

From the 30th March Air Nostrum will increase their daily flights to Madrid to two.  Also they will increase flights to Palma, Ibiza and Valencia.   

The Balearic Department of the Environment is to spend 6.8 million euros this year on improving the quality of the water in Menorca. 

Robberies have gradually dropped over the last few years in the Balearics.  Last year saw a rise in the number of police officers from 3,137 to 3,245.  

After being restored, the portraits of George III and his wife Charlotte Sophia are again in place at the entrance to the Mahon Town Hall.  Although not signed it is suggested that they are the work of Irish artist Thomas Frye. 

Both agree though that the islands should be promoted separately due to the different assets of each.  Travel agents predict a similar year as 2007.  Mahon is the second most popular port of call for cruise ships and are expecting 3% on last year. 

Two human tombs dating from the Roman Age have been discovered on the left side of the road from Es Migjorn Gran to Binicodrellet.  A specialist said that the tombs date from between the third and fifth century AD.  

Menorca hosts conference for 15 UNESCO Protected Islands.  After the III World Conference of Biosphere Reserves in Madrid, Menorca hosted last weeks Congress of Biosphere reserve Islands which was attended by representatives of 15  of the 25 islands under the protection of UNESCO.  The delegates indicated their intention of establishing a co-operative network for study and investigation.   

The work of Menorcan craftsmen can now be viewed by everyone simply by going into their website www.artesaniademenorca.com  

Renault F1 teamarrived on the island last week to carry out aerodynamic tests on its car at the Aeroclub.  Unfortunately fans were disappointed as Alonso did not accompany his team mates.   

A new series of aerial photographs of Menorca was presented by the Island Council. The views will be included on the web page created by the Council which will be ready within three months. 

The island is one of six Biospere Reserves worldwide which have been selected as examples to follow in the sustainable management of land combined with human growth.   Menorca is also one of six areas chosen to feature in a documentary on Biospere Reserves, the others being Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Canada and Vietnam. 

For the first time in many years the domestic passengers exceeded that of the tourist passengers.  The number of domestic passengers rose by 12.3% last year.   

Hundreds of Grand Prix fans went to the Aeroclub on Sunday and Monday to see McLaren's top two Formula 1 drivers in action.  Menorca having the longest private runway in Europe.   

The Balearic Islands are the second most popular regions of Spain after Cataluñia.  In 2007 a total of 10.2 million foreigners chose the islands for their holidays and increase of 0.7% on last year a figure which represents 17.3% of the total visitors to Spain. 

The fish population on the north coast of Menorca Marine Reserve has doubled in the last six years compared with that outside the protected waters. In the are of Cavalleria the number of species has quadrupled.  

Half a million Euros are to be spent on improvements in the areas of Albufera in Es Grau, Sa Mesquida and La Mola.  This includes car parking facilities which if exceed 1,000 sq.m will plant trees to provide shade and parking for bicycles.  The car park in Sa Mesquida may include a structure to be used by the lifeguards and also toilets.    

Ferreries hosted the third annual organic farming conference to be held in Menorca. Talks were given on climate change and organic farming in other parts of europe.  In 2006 some 2,154 hectars of agricultural land in Menorca was registered organic.  There are some 600 extra hectars that are now in their first year of organic production.  A further 163 hectars are in the process of conversion to organic. 

Resiting the cargo area to the north bank will remove the containers parked in the current terminal, improving the view from terraces along the waterfront. 

Menorca will receive 12.1% of this total to spend on various road projects, as opposed to the 1.9% it had been entitled to under previous agreements. 

Ecologically made using traditional methods Menorca's own olive oil went on sale on Saturday.The first batch of the quality oil named "Tres Or" was presented by its manufacturer Biel Barceló to an audience in Cuidadella which included island authorities. 

Crime is the lowest in Menorca out of all the Balearic Islands and probably one of the lowest in all of Spain. 

Itineraries around Maó, Cuitadella and the main archaeological sites can be followed by tourists or residents for the price of 10 euros for 24 hours of use. 

Another law, effective from 1st January, which is under the departments scrutiny concerns foreign registered cars owned by residents (who live in Spain for more than 180 days per year or who hav children at school here).  instead of the previous six-month transition period, residents now have one month in which to have their car switched to Spanish plates.  Non-residents (in Spain for less than six months per year) can drive their car here but have to carry in the vehicle the current equivalent of an ITV certificate, insurance and road tax from their home town.

Similar changes in law effect foreign boat owners. 

 

EU citizens wishing to reside in Spain formore than 3 months per year must have their names added to the Civil Register and have a EU Resident's Certificate within 3 months of 2nd April.  The EU Resident's Certifcate is valid for a minimum of five years, or if they fulfil certain conditions laid down by the law, a permanent European Union Resident's Certificate which will note need renewal. 

The Property Market – at the peak of its possibilities?

 

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