A word of caution!

 Some years ago we owned another holiday home abroad.  It was situated on a large development and some owners decided that there should be an area for children.  We discovered that the land they had their sights on was six feet away from our bedroom wall.  Having bought the property and paid extra money for what we thought was a quiet location we were horrified. Fortunately we did not have to do anything because when our neighbours found out about the plans all hell broke loose with threats of legal action e.t.c.  The proposal was withdrawn.

So why am I saying all this?  Before anyone gets carried away with plans for play areas and teen hangouts I would like to offer some advice.

1.  Not all owners have children and some, like us, will have chosen their apartment for its quiet location.  They may not appreciate a childrens' play area/club being sited on their doorstep particularly by parents who are on other phases and far removed from any nuisance.  Many people like the idea of a place where they can dump their children so that they themselves are not bothered.  If you have children who need amusing then it is your responsibility to amuse them.  It is not up to others to make sacrifices so that you can have a quiet life.

2.  Childrens' clubs and play areas require insurance and this can be expensive.

3.Setting up any childrens' club is a legal minefield.  It requires supervision and people working there should be vetted so that they are safe to work with children.

4. Any childrens' club would create foot traffic particularly by older children as they went to and from the premises.  Owners will not appreciate groups of children taking shortcuts through their area in order to reach their destination.  In case it has escaped Erinjake and Lappie, children like congregating in groups and they like to make a lot of noise.  I suspect that many kids would be left to wander at will and would not be escorted to and from any childrens'club.

I am not against children having somewhere to get together but any children's club which might be happen in future should be where the sports facilities are situated so that it does become a source of nuisance for  the residential areas.  And lastly before anyone accuses me of being anti-children or being ignorant I would like to point out that I am more than qualified to comment on this issue.  I have been a secondary school teacher for thirty years and there is very little I don't know about children.  I like children but I am not blind to what can happen when lots of them get together. 

i may be missing something here donnie... but why are you going on about childrens play areas?

arky -

If you read the last few postings on Phase 4 Construction Progress?  that should explain where the idea came from.

Fair point Donnie, I was thinking of the area where phase 5 is which should not be a nuisance to anyone and may seem more attractive than some baron waste ground with broken fencing around it. Something needs done with it! and yes the kids hang out could be were the sports courts are thats fine.

Can we perhaps decide what is to be done with phase 5 before roda leave!

Hi Arky

Yes - you do have a point. No one wants to cause problems - just alleviate them.  There must be something that can be done with the unfinished parts of Roda even if it is only temporary until building can resume.  I thought the 'pitch and put' was a good idea. Have you any suggestions?  Eringate is right. Roda should do something before they leave. - not that they will or care.

A pitch and putt sounds good.....and a little refreshment stop wouldn't go a miss for those people forced to walk right round the course from phase 3!

Yes.

We were stopped from cutting across the golf course path by security after getting some shopping from the shop.  We were holidaying on phase 3.   I burned the back of my legs on the long walk around the road which we were forced to do.  There was no shade and nowhere to stop and rest and it was so hot!  A shaded area with seating would be most welcome.

Roda should listen to phase 3 owners re a 'short cut' from the shop/club house.  Not all of us could afford car hire which had risen dramatically at the time.

Our apartment backs on to the waste land which is Phase 5 which is becoming more and more of an eyesore.  Personally, from a selfish point of view, we would love more tennis courts to be built.  We know lots of tennis players who often go to La Manga in groups to play tennis.  This would definitely be another set of people to target for those wishing to rent out their apartments. 

Thats a really good idea too.  The only thing is where would the money come from as already mentioned?  I personally don't understand the financial implications.  (failed O level Maths twice!)

i agree that the huge undeveloped area around phase 5 would be perfect for more sports facilities.

does anyone know who owns all that ground when calidona finally call it a day - is it the owners?

if so then maybe some of the land couldbe soldoff by the commitees to finance recreational area there?

I too have recently returned from Roda. Having walked miles all around the complex I agree that the 4b, 5 phase areas are a huge eyesore, especially as the fencing/screening has been battered by the high winds.

Of all the phases I believe the 3b phase, especially at the far end overlooking the villas/golf course is a small haven, much more space than phases 1+2, much greener, lovely gardens. A few tons of grass seed for the waste ground in the interim would help as it doesn't look as if 4b or 5 (or hotel) are anywhere on the horizon.

There must be something done about the walk from phase 3/4 to the main entrance, I am fit and walk fast but can't do it in less than 20 mins and also got burned (in March!). A lot of golf courses I play on (including my home club) have public rights of way across the course and this does not affect anyone. Both golfers and walkers respect each other.

Whatman

Hi everyone,

I am an owner on phase 1 of Roda but I think I may have missed something.

Are Calidona pulling out of Roda without finishing it? Has this been confirmed by them?

Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere.

Thanks.

 I would presume that Calidona will hang on to these areas for future building, does anyone know who would be able to put this forward at the next community meeting for all the phases to consider. Hughman seems to have good knowledge of the meetings and may be able to give advice. From a Phase 3 owner's point of view all the facilities are too far for us to walk to and it would be nice to have something which is handy to Phase 3/4.

I agree that the walk is far too long around the resort and hiring a car for one week is costing us £250 for a fiesta! we did approach the subject of having access to the course path in the evenings when last at the rental department. Marco is keen to have access from phase 3 for golfers to use as this would make Phase 3 a more viable rental option but I guess it is not safe to walk through during the day. There is room however around the fenced perimeter to squeeze a path in for us to use but this would need fencing on both sides to protect from golf balls.

Having just become owners I am not sure how to move forward with this and who we would contact at Roda to find out what their plans are for this area, not that they will tell us because that would be like communicating! 

As regular readers of this forum will be aware from the thread on Roda Entidad, Roda/Calidona effictively have little or no continued responsibility now that the Entidad has been officially accepted on 30th Jan and the resort is now run on behalf of the owners by an Owners committee elected by yourselves, representing various communities in conjunction with San Javier Town Hall.

Calidona/Roda do of course still own and run the golf course and own around 20% of the completed properties and pay their community and Entidad fees on these properties as well as still owning the Phase4B and Phase5 planned residential areas which have been mothballed until such time as it makes financial sense to continue development and they pay  just 25% of the Entidad fees on these areas.

As the minutes and final budget for the Entidad have still not been produced it is unclear what responsibilities were placed on them, if any, to ensure fencing and the undeveloped areas were left in good order before they relinquished responsibility.

Those areas were given permission for housing and presumably are still owned by Roda so probably could not be used by the communities for other purposes. There is an area outside Phase2 and Phase 5 some of which has been used as building material storage that no one has ever truly explained what it will be used for.

Rumours of council run sports facilities for the whole community were doing the rounds but financial constraints would make this difficult, but it would be nice to know what if any useage was planned.

As far as any other sports facilities are concerned, these like the commercial centre and hotel would only be considered should there be a sound financial reason to develop. Perhaps Roda missed out on not developing further facilities but bear in mind that even La Manga is running in administration.

It is still unclear as to whether promised facilities should have been put in place to warrant prices paid at Roda and this argument will rage until tested in court.

As far as access to Phase 3/4 is concerned, this is now a matter for those communities as well as the Entidad, I gather from the recent 3B AGM there was little call for or discussion about this so it would be up to owners to get together and exert pressure on your communities and Entidad to make any progress.

A number of community AGMs will be happening very soon, so you would all be well advised to make your thoughts and opinions heard at this time. This Forum is purely a discussion board and your only involvement with the resort is at respective community AGMs and Entidad AGM.

 Thanks Hughman,

Well if Roda still own the land there then perhaps they should do something about it, I mean they are trying to rent out clients apartments and sell the properties they have left so they still have a vested interest in the resort and this eyesore needs attention even if it is just grassed and fenced properly that would be an improvement. The rest of the resort is beautiful and this really lets it down, its ok for Phase 1 and 2 owners who dont have to walk or drive past it regularly but for Phase 3/4 it is not nice. it makes the resort look unfinished and will de value the properties around it.

I will contact my Community administrator and see what they suggest. Can anyone else who feels the same contact their community as well as one voice will go unheard.

Just another point.  Undeveloped Phase 4B is an accident waiting to happen if 'the holes' are not properly fenced off.   What happens if a child falls through??

 Exactly, good angle! lets get our points to the administrator to take forward to the next meeting and await the minutes of the entidad meeting. I am sure  Phase 4 buyers soon to complete are not happy with huge holes in the ground beside them for the foreseeable future, not a very nice view from your roof terrace.

I have emailed the sales director Laura asking what they are going to do with the waste land to make it presentable as they have a vested interest in this, of course there is no reply yet.

Re access across the course - Ray O'Connor started a campaign group for this from phase 3/3b and this was recognised at the 3b AGM.  Although the matter is not being pursued as a community issue a permanent resident on Roda - Logan Nayager - has agreed to continue this effort and try to negotiate a solution with the developer.  If anyone - from any phase - would like to support this issue or has any ideas as to how things could be resolved PM me and I will send on Logans contact details.  Obviously we have power in numbers so all support is necessary.

This would be a great advantage to all phase 4 purchasers and for you phase 1+2's who perhaps think it doesn't matter I would argue that there is a benefit to everyone if residents in phases 3+4 are encouraged to use the facilities on site rather than driving and taking their business elsewhere.  Perhaps if we could increase demand for the facilities already available then we'd have more chance of being able to build some more!

Sound familiar?

http://www.simplynetworking.es/news-2441-31-polaris_world_bankruptcy_talks_the_unofficial_version.html

Sorry if I m spreading gossip.

With regards to the Security guards stopping people using the path from Phase 4 3a & 3b to the clubhouse.   Surely their job is the security of the houses not to start policing and telling owners if they can walk down a path of the golf course! Who actually gives them their job description  and what does this entail??