Political rifts at Ventimiglia town hall over major tourism projects
© Marina Development Corporation
Disagreements could jeopardise the planned 5-star hotel and campus.
The mega project to restructure Ventimiglia has a spanner in the works. Driven by Monegasque resident Robert Thielen and his company Marina Development Corporation (MDC), he is currently facing a political battle within the Italian city’s municipal council.
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The left-wing opposition denounces the lack of public benefit from the Italian city’s new focus on tourism and the new private structures that are set to emerge. Officially announced by the MDC, the 5-star hotel and private campus are now awaiting the green light from the town council.
To make matters worse, at the beginning of January, the far-right mayor Flavio Di Muro and his deputy in charge of town planning, Adriano Catalano, were accused of attending municipal council meetings, thereby repeatedly postponing an agreement with the MDC. However, the town council decided to present its project to the Region despite the lack of a preliminary agreement with the municipality.
Light at the end of the tunnel?
After months of doubts and concerns about the feasibility of the school campus and the new 5-star hotel, it would appear that the situation is gradually being resolved, with several official meetings taking place in recent weeks. However, no official announcement has been made yet about potential compromises and solutions.
On the other hand, the Conferenza dei servizi, a body responsible for coordinating Italy’s public administrations, issued a favourable opinion on the project submitted by MDC. This should give hope to the project’s supporters.