Family of British writer accused in golf course war

12 January 2007

MALAGA — The family of British writer Martin Amis have joined the fight against a planned golf course development in a UNESCO protected area in Andalusia.

But Lord Kilmarnock, stepfather of Amis, is at the centre of a lawsuit by developers demanding EUR 22 million euros in damages after investors pulled out of the project following the campaign, the Daily Telegraph reported on Friday.

The British peer is one of three expats being sued by the consortium behind the double golf course scheme that includes the construction of 800 houses and three luxury hotels on the outskirts of the Sierra de las Nieves national park, near Ronda.

Lord Kilmarnock was one of more than 100 foreign residents who signed a petition against the EUR 100 million scheme.

But his comments to the Spanish media criticising the project on environmental grounds that brought the legal action.

Lord Kilmarnock, 79, who has written several successful books about Spain, said last year: “The scheme is completely unsustainable. The  high demand for scarce water in a period of increasing drought will inevitably degrade the environment.

“The plague of buildings on green and protected land is threatening the long term interest of the region, which has become popular for green tourism.”

Two others expats, Briton David Milnes and German Petra Wiegmink, also publicly spoke out against the venture are also accused of slander, coercion and moral injury.

They have the support of Spain’s Green Party.

In reference to the Los Merinos project, Francisco Garrido of the Green Party called on the Spanish parliament to launch an investigation.

[Copyright Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news