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BEACH FRONT HOUSES IN MALAGA “MIGHT BE SAFE”
Michael Coy / 2009-11-22 09:01:29
A joint initiative by various regional bodies may have emerged “just in time” to save 400 fishermen’s cottages from the bulldozer
It has seemed, until this week, that some 400 traditional fishermen’s cottages in Malaga were doomed to be demolished in the near future. Now, the historical dwellings may be saved.
El Palo and Pedregalejo are two neighbourgoods in Malaga which retain the traditional “feel” of the Costa del Sol, predating as they do the deluge of concrete and asphalt which has transformed this strip of coastline over tha last 40 years.
The two fishermen’s beaches remain symbols of a bygone age, sea front paradises basking beneath tall palm trees.
In an attempt to prevent further abuses of planning permission like the crimes which have blighted local government on the Costa del Sol in recent years, each town council is now obliged to produce a “PGOU” (“Plan General de Ordenacion Urbana”), a town-planning strategy which states clearly which land can be devekoped and which must remain untouched.
The idea is to stop corrupt officials granting planning permission for “grey area” land, such as dry gullies. Any use of land not approved by the PGOU is ipso facto illegal and any existing buildings are supposed to be demolished, to prevent developers profiteering from shady transactions in past years.
The problem for the fishermen’s cottages on the beaches of El Palo and Pedregalejo is that they do not fit into any category recognised by the PGOU … and therefore are scheduled to be bulldozed flat.
However, an eleventh-hour development has seen the Junta de Andalucia, the city council of Malaga and the Direccion General de Costas combining to seek a solution.
On Thursday 19 November the Mayor of Malaga, Don Francisco de la Torre, attended a meeting at which a plan to re-classify the historic cottages as urban residences was considered. It is believed that the Junta de Andalucia (comparable to an English county council, but with wider powers) remains sceptical about converting the status of these beach properties, but the very fact that the Junta is now sitting down with Malaga City Hall is seen as very promising.
More encouraging still, Don Hilario Lopez Luna is now talking of a positive outcome. Señor Lopez Luna is the Junta de Andalucia delegate for Malaga City, and he said on Thursday that he was “committed to work, always within the law, to help this problem find its way into the light of day”.
Small changes in the regional land law will now enable owners of fishing cottages to register their properties with Spain’s Land Registry, a significant step in having them declared fully legal.
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