For more than 200 years the wind-beaten headland off which the Battle of Trafalgar raged has remained largely undisturbed.
Plans by authorities to convert Cape Trafalgar’s 19th-century lighthouse into an information centre about Lord Nelson’s decisive victory in 1805 and a restaurant, however, have prompted outrage from locals and ecological groups.
Dubbing it the “Second Battle of Trafalgar”, 10,000 locals have signed a petition to block the development on a protected area that is home to a rare coastal formation — a “double tombolo”, a sandy isthmus.
“The citizens of the area want the lighthouse to remain as it is today, with its well preserved dune system, vegetation, lagoons and birdlife, and with non-motorised access,” Lola Yllescas, from Ecologistas en Acción, an environmental pressure group, said.
The plan has also excited anger as it is perceived by some as celebrating a Spanish defeat. “As always praising the defeats of our country,” noted one reader of Diario de Cadiz, a local newspaper.
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Although outnumbered, Nelson’s fleet defeated Napoleon’s Franco-Spanish force, eliminating the French navy and assuring the dominance of the British navy for decades to come. Mortally wounded in the battle, “the noble commander-in-chief” was placed in a cask of brandy and HMS Victory was towed to nearby Gibraltar.
The engagement was one of the most decisive victories in the history of naval warfare as 18 of the 33 French and Spanish vessels captured or sank, while the British lost none. The Spanish contribution is often overlooked: 15 of the enemy fleet belonged to Spain. A common Spanish view of the battle is that their fleet was ill-prepared and badly led by the French.
Plans for the centre show a model of the battle and signs explaining the formation of the two opposing fleets. “We offer a complete package to the visitor complemented with a gastronomic offer in the restaurant with the atmosphere of the Battle of Trafalgar and with the possibility of carrying out additional outdoor activities taking advantage of the emblematic natural and cultural environment that this exclusive location offers,” states the proposal.
Los Caños, a local protest group that gathered the signatures against the project, said: “The Trafalgar Lighthouse is more than just a lighthouse for those of us who were born, have lived or have ever enjoyed the natural paradise. It is a symbol of local identity.”
