PORT EXTENSION DELAYED

The planned extension to Marbella's fishing port could be larger than expected. Montserrat Badía, the managing director of the Andalucían Ports Authority, announced last week that after meetings with representatives of business groups from Málaga province she will now consider a more ambitious proposition, although she gave no further details. The original plans were for an extra 342 berths and a new exterior wharf at the port, which is officially called the Puerto Marina-La Bajadilla and which currently has 268 berths. The existing project was to have cost 60 million euros and is only awaiting the environmental impact report so the works can be contracted. If the Port Authority gives the go ahead to the more ambitious project, it will have to decide whether to carry out the original extension and then introduce the later part as a second phase, or whether to scrap the plans and draw up new ones so the whole project can be carried out at once.